Maracaibo Travel Guide

 
by jorgejuansanchez
  •   Maracaibo
    by jorgejuansanchez
  •   Maracaibo
    by jorgejuansanchez
  •   Maracaibo
    by jorgejuansanchez
  • MARACAIBO BRIDGE
      MARACAIBO BRIDGE
    by davidjo
  •   Maracaibo
    by MalenaN

Explore Maracaibo

Things to Do  

Village Bolivar Square on Way to Sinamaica

Village Bolivar Square on Way to Sinamaica, Maracaibo

 atufft Says:  On the way to Sinamaica, an indigenous village on the water, we stopped by a Bolivar square and church in a suburb of Maracaibo. I can't recall the name of this place though. 

Maracaibo Hospital in a Classic Old Building

Maracaibo Hospital in a Classic Old Building, Maracaibo

 atufft Says:  Down near the old part of town, we passed a clearly dated structure with interesting features. This building is a maternity hospital. 

University and Government Buildings

University and Government Buildings, Maracaibo

 atufft Says:  As we drove around we passed Zulia university and various government buildings of interest, often notible for the artwork that adorns them. 

Vereda del Lago Park

Vereda del Lago Park, Maracaibo

 atufft Says:  This is the most important park in the city with outdoor concerts, rides for the kids, great views of the lake, and many open trails and roads for cyclists and walkers. 

Watching the Traffic on Lago Maracaibo

Watching the Traffic on Lago Maracaibo, Maracaibo

 atufft Says:  If one spends time down at the waterfront, many freighters and oil tankers will float by. But, I also found a strange vessel dredging the lake bottom. Later, I learned that asphalt from the lake bottom is dredged and process for it's petroleum value. 

Drive Around the Streets of Maracaibo

Drive Around the Streets of Maracaibo, Maracaibo

 atufft Says:  Unlike other Venezuelan cities, Maracaiblo has a clean modern feel in many quarters. We drove around and were told about various buildings. There are many corporate logos familiar to North Americans, but we also came across the headquarters for CorpoZulia, the oil company in... 

El Saladillo District

El Saladillo District, Maracaibo

 atufft Says:  The colonial part of town is so-named and provides a pleasant place to stroll and admire the quite colorful architecture of days gone by. The district is very near the shoreline of Lake Maracaibo. This is the oldest existing part of Maracaibo. 

General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge

General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge, Maracaibo

 atufft Says:  The 5.4 mile long bridge is located just south of Maracaibo at the narrowest part of Lake Maracaibo at the point where it enters the Gulf of Venezuela and the Caribbean Sea. The pre-stressed concrete and steel bridge has 6 towers that support 5 spans with a cable system. At... 

Iglesia de Santa Barbara

Iglesia de Santa Barbara, Maracaibo

 realde14 Says:  In front of the picture you can see the rather cheesy (and new) monument to the Virgin of Chiquinquira, the 'patronne' of Maracaibo. In the back you can see the Iglesia de Santa Barbara painted in blue and white 

Paseo de las Ciencias

Paseo de las Ciencias, Maracaibo

 realde14 Says:  The area around the Paseo de las Ciencias has the only things worthwhile visiting when in the Center of Maracaibo. There are several churches and museums as well as public buildings and some colorful buildings that are reminiscent of Maracaibo's colonial past. 

Hotels  

Hotel Kristoff

 19 Opinions

Restaurants  

LOS SOLES: OVERPRICED BELOW AVERAGE "MEXICAN" FOOD

LOS SOLES: OVERPRICED BELOW AVERAGE "MEXICAN" FOOD, Maracaibo

 gringave Says:  IT IS SHAMELESS WHAT THIS RESTAURANT CHARGES! I PAID OVER 55 BOLIVIERAS FOR A "VEGETARIAN TOSTADA" WHICH WAS 3 TOSTADAS WITH A THIN SPREAD OF REFRIED BEANS, SHREDDED LETTUCE, A SPRINKLE OF CHEESE AND A SLICE OF A TOMATO WHICH DID NOT LOOK VERY NICE. INCLUDED IN THIS PRICE... 

Best Western El Paseo: Only Revolving Rooftop Restaurant in Venezuela

Best Western El Paseo: Only Revolving Rooftop Restaurant in Venezuela, Maracaibo

 atufft Says:  Family took us to this restaurant at the top of the El Paseo Hotel. The floor, not the external architecture, revolves 360 degrees within about an hour, as I recall, providing a spectacular panorama of Lake Maracaibo. I can't recall the entres, but I do recall the service... 

Transportation  

From Santa Marta (Colombia) to Maracaibo
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MalenaN 4612 reviews
On the way to the terminal

I took a taxi from Casa Familiar to the terminal in Santa Marta and it was 4000 pesos (August 2008). Brasilia Expresos had a bus to Maicao at 7am for 20 000 pesos. The bus arrived at 7.15 and it was a small comfortable bus. It took four hours to Maicao and I had not even left the bus before men started to call Maracaibo, Maracaibo.
Before going to Venezuela I wanted to change my Colombian pesos for Venezuelan Bolivares and that you can do in an office inside the terminal (It is a better rate here than the money changers have at the border in Paraguachon).
I took a shared taxi to Maracaibo and there was only one other passenger, a woman. The taxi was 23 000 pesos or 40 Bs (August 2008). The other passenger didn’t have to get a stamp in her passport so as I went inside the immigration office on the Colombian side the driver said they were driving on to the Venezuelan side because there were a lot of cars. I was a bit worried about my luggage in the back of the car but as I came walking to the Venezuelan side the car was waiting there and it had already passed the line of cars that were waiting. After leaving the border we were stopped several times, five times I had to show my passport and other times the police only looked in through the window and said we could pass.
About halfway we stopped at a shop (for water and bathroom) and the driver was checking the engine of the car. After that we drove even slower and all other cars (and taxis) passed us. As we reached Maracaibo we went to a gas station and then we stopped along the road to wait for a taxi for the woman who was going to another part of the town. The driver thought I could take a taxi from the same spot but I wanted to go to the terminal as it is not far from the hotel where I stayed. I was dropped only one block from the hotel. The taxi drive from Maicao took more than 3,5 hours.

Written Aug 15, 2008

Related to:
 Road Trip
 Backpacking
 Budget Travel

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Local Customs  

Zulia’s people, the Zulianos,...
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Jergovic 18 reviews

Zulia’s people, the Zulianos, are well known for their sense of humor and folk music. The state’s traditional music is the Gaita, and consists of improvised rhyming vocals over four-string guitars and maracas. The Gaita is featured in festivals throughout the year and has now become Venezuela’s traditional Christmas music.

In the northwest of Zulia live the Guajira Indians, the largest indigenous group in Venezuela. Living in a matriarchal society, the Guajira move with the limited water supply of the peninsula throughout the year. They are often seen in Maracaibo wearing their traditional dress; women in long, brightly colored dresses and men in loincloths. Many are artisans, and weave tapestries, blankets and hammocks to sell in the Guajira markets and craft shops.

Updated Aug 25, 2002

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Warnings and Dangers  

MARACAIBO BRIDGE
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davidjo 1345 reviews
MARACAIBO BRIDGE

While we were taking Photos of Maracaibo Bridge a military jeep sped towards us and stopped. They wanted to confiscate our cameras as there was a naval base near the bridge and it was forbidden to take photos.

Written Mar 27, 2012

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Tourist Traps  

Be VERY CAREFUL with the...
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Anadayur 34 reviews

Be VERY CAREFUL with the people who tells you to go to MAICAO, that is in Colombia and is very dangerous, do not wear any gold or any nice watch, if you go to maicao go with a friend or with someone who knows it never, I repeat, never go alone

Written Aug 25, 2002

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Off The Beaten Path  

Eco-tourism around Lake...
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Jergovic 18 reviews

Eco-tourism around Lake Maracaibo is still in its infancy, though tours can be arranged to the Ciénagas del Catatumbo National Park and Ciénaga De Los Olivitos Nature Reserve, both of which are home to a variety of wildlife. Los Olivitos was established as a reserve in 1986, and rare species such as manatees, coastal alligators and sea turtles live within its 26,000ha of marine, coastal, freshwater and mangrove habitats. The reserve is also a significant site for migratory birds, notably flamingoes.

Ciénagas del Catatumbo National Park covers 269,400ha, and is situated on the southwest shore of the lake, between the rivers of Catatumbo and Santa Ana. It was granted national park status in 1991 to protect the rich swamp and wetland habitats of the area. The park has a large population of both resident and migratory birds, including species of heron, egret and stork. Mammals are also plentiful and include capybara, raccoon and freshwater dolphins. The area is known as the lighthouse of Maracaibo, as it is subject to regular lightening storms across its delta.

Written Aug 25, 2002

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Sports & Outdoors  

COPA America 2007 in Maracaibo
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atufft 2876 reviews
Estadio Jos�� Pachencho Romero in Maracaibo

Football (Soccer in USA) is very popular in Venezuela and South America in general, and this year the COPA America 2007 is being hosted by Venezuela in a number of cities. Estadio Jose Pachencho Romero is the name of the multi-purpose stadium in Maracaibo used for this event. Three Group C matches are scheduled, including USA vs Argentina, Paraguay vs USA, and Paraguay vs Colombia. Finals are also scheduled for Maracaibo on July 15th, and given that several stadiums are still under construction (the one in Barinas is particularly behind schedule), Maracaibo could conceiveably be called upon to host more games. The stadium holds 40,000 people. My image is an old one, so hopefully the landscaping and fences around the stadium are in better repair now.

Updated Jun 12, 2007

Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estadio_José_Pachencho_Romero

Related to:
 Architecture

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Favorites  

The beer hunt continues...in Maracaibo, Venezuela

The beer hunt continues...in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Maracaibo

 Cabana_Boy Says:  Wherever you go, whatever you do, sampling the local beer is definite must.What do the locals drink, what beer is most popular, which beer is hardest to find, does it come in a half pint glass just like grandma used to drink....or better still, a full pint glass like I... 

Maracaibo is one HOT city, is...

Maracaibo is one HOT city, is..., Maracaibo

 Anadayur Says:  Maracaibo is one HOT city, is about 40C° all day long so that makes it unique, people from maracaibo is very friendly and if you like beer here is a nice place to drink (because of the weather) Every time I go there I say: Next time I'll wear a T-shirt, but that happens... 

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Map of Maracaibo