15|10|10 +++ El Yaque Important Travel Information

Safety situation in El Yaque - Report from Club Mistral

You may have followed the discussion about the safety situation and travel advice for Venezuela and Isla Margarita. In order to control the spreading insecurity about if and how to travel to El Yaque, our centres have spoken to one of the hotel managers on the spot, who lives there since many years. Here you find all important details:

Thanks to the local security service there have been no major incidents in El Yaque in the past winter season. A police station at the entrance to El Yaque, the local security officers and private security staff at all hotels are there for your safety. They are present 24/7.

It is safe to walk around El Yaque even during night time, but we recommend to follow the common rules, like in any other foreign region: do not walk alone, use busy and lit up streets and don’t show off any valuable. Opportunity makes the thief!

We strongly dissuade you from the use of any drugs or excessive alcohol consumption.

Airport controls

In rare cases flight passengers will still be transported to a hospital for x-rays in order to control drug smuggling. We have not heard of any incidents in the past couple of month.

Full body scanners have been installed at the airport in Porlamar and Caracas. About 10-20% of passengers are being scanned upon departure on international flights.

The scanners are modern and the pictures acceptable in terms of the protection of personal legal rights.

Currency

We recommend to bring US-Dollars in cash and notes of 50 or 100 USD. You can also exchange Euros but the exchange rate is more expensive. Please consult with your travel service and upon check-in about where and how to exchange money. Travelers cheques, ATM cards and foreign currency in small notes will not be accepted. Try to avoid using your credit card at all times, except at our Club Mistral Center. We work with a secured German online system. However, we recommend to bring a credit card for emergencies and if you want to rent a car.

How much cash will you need? Well, this depends on your personal consumption habits, but for standard consumption you can calculate 200-250 US-Dollars per person and week. Food is about 30% cheaper than in central Europe and drinks about half the price.

Valuables (notebook, photo camera, cash, credit card…)

In general it is safe to bring personal valuables such as notebooks, photo cameras etc. to El Yaque. Unfortunately there is no guarantee that your items are safe, even inside the hotels. We have a few advises:

- Do not leave any valuables visible in your room when you leave
- Everything that fits into the safe deposit bo should be stored in it when you leave your room
- Do not bring any strangers (foreigners or locals) to your room
- Do not show off your valuables

We hope this information helps you to objectively assess the safety situation in El Yaque and supports your travel plans. We will be happy to assist with any further personal questions you may have.