How to get to Venezuela has changed several times since 2019. As of October 2026 the main gateway is Simón BolÃvar International Airport (CCS) at MaiquetÃa, which serves Caracas, and the only non-stop from the United States leaves from Miami. Our Venezuela itineraries are short extensions to a bigger South America trip, and the first thing to read is the current travel advisory.
Yes, again. The US suspended all direct flights to Venezuela in May 2019. The Department of Transportation lifted that order on January 29, 2026, and on April 30 American Airlines flew the first Miami to Caracas service in seven years.
Then two earthquakes on June 24, 2026 damaged MaiquetÃa, and commercial flights only resumed on September 1. American returned on September 3 and flies daily from Miami to Caracas and to Maracaibo, the only US airline with scheduled service. United has announced Houston to Caracas but pushed the start back, tentatively to January 2027.
Flights are not an all-clear. The US State Department rates Venezuela Level 3: Reconsider Travel (advisory dated June 26, 2026), with rural BolÃvar state, home of Angel Falls, at Level 4: Do Not Travel. The US Embassy in Caracas reopened in March 2026 and offers US citizens emergency services only. Our Venezuela safety page has the detail.
Simón BolÃvar International sits on the coast at MaiquetÃa, in La Guaira state (formerly Vargas). It reopened in temporary terminals at limited capacity, and passengers were asked to arrive three hours before international flights and to confirm with the airline that theirs leaves from MaiquetÃa.
From North America, take the Miami non-stop or connect in Panama City or Bogotá. Panama City is the most flexible hub: Copa flies from there to Caracas, Valencia, Maracaibo, Barquisimeto and Barcelona (the Venezuelan one). From Europe, Madrid has daily non-stops. Typical non-stop times as of October 2026:
Land by daylight if you can and have someone meet you. The State Department warns about unregulated taxis and ATMs at the airport, and the UK says the airport road is riskiest at night.
The US advisory calls nighttime travel between cities risky, so visitors usually fly from Caracas. The places are on our things to do in Venezuela page.
| Leg | Typical flight time | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Caracas to Porlamar (PMV), Margarita Island | 40 to 50 minutes | Several non-stops a day |
| Caracas to Los Roques (LRV) | About 35 minutes | Non-stop most days as of October 2026 |
| Caracas to El VigÃa (VIG), for Mérida and the Andes | About 1 hour | Four days a week as of October 2026 |
| Caracas to Puerto Ordaz (PZO) | About 1 hour | Daily; the hinge for Canaima |
| Puerto Ordaz to Canaima | Varies | Thin, changeable schedules; see below |
| Canaima to Puerto Ordaz to Caracas | Two flights, same day | How our sample Canaima itinerary returns |
Angel Falls, the world’s highest waterfall, is in Canaima National Park, some 11,600 square miles (3 million hectares) of BolÃvar state along the Guyana and Brazil borders. The base is Canaima, a lagoon camp reached by air, and from there a motorized dugout canoe runs up the Carrao and Churún rivers to the falls when the water is high enough; our best time to visit Venezuela page has the months.
The departure airport for Canaima changes, and schedules are thin. In July 2025 a Puerto Ordaz to Canaima to Santa Elena de Uairén route opened; Santa Elena is the starting point for the Mount Roraima trek.
Weigh this first: Canaima and Roraima are in BolÃvar state, whose rural areas the US rates Level 4, and the UK advises against all travel within 25 miles (40 km) of the Brazil and Guyana borders. Roraima’s summit is where the three countries meet. Talk to us before you build a trip around either.
Our itineraries here add five or six days to a bigger trip, so come in through a hub you are already using, Panama City or Bogotá, and treat Caracas as the turnaround, not the base.
Sleep on the coast at both ends. Our sample Canaima itinerary has a guide meet you at the airport and spends the first night near the coast, and after the flights back from Canaima it spends another night there before the international flight. Two domestic flights and an international departure on one day is a bet we would rather not make here.
Juergen Keller, our co-founder, writing about South America: “Some routes are flown only 3 times a week and easily canceled due to bad weather and bad airport infrastructure. Leave slack in your trip!” Venezuela adds power cuts, which the UK says can delay or cancel flights.
International flights are not included; our Venezuela tour pages say “Flights priced separately.” Domestic legs are quoted separately with the itinerary, so flights and hotel nights are planned together. Build in buffer days, take travel insurance that covers delays and cancellations, and read our Venezuela money page for cash.
Venezuela changes quickly, so the first step is a conversation. Start with a custom Venezuela trip or the Venezuela page, and we will tell you what is feasible right now.
No. As of October 2026 American is the only US airline with scheduled service, from Miami. There is no direct flight from Atlanta, Delta’s hub.
About 3 hours 25 minutes non-stop, daily as of October 2026. Miami to Maracaibo takes about 3 hours 15 minutes.
No, not as of October 2026. Connect in Miami, Panama City or Bogotá.
Fly. Caracas to Porlamar (PMV) takes 40 to 50 minutes, several times a day. From November 26, 2026 Copa also plans three flights a week from Panama City to Porlamar.
Roads cross from Colombia and Brazil, but the UK advises against crossing from Colombia by land and against all travel within 25 miles (40 km) of either border, and there is no official crossing with Guyana. Fly in. Entry rules are on our Venezuela visa page, and the seasons on our Venezuela weather page.
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