The Czech Republic walked through one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Even despite death threats, he does not regret it

Venezuela has been tempting Rendl for a long time, but he was waiting for the wild political situation there to calm down a bit. “Then I realized that I wouldn’t make it, so I took the risk,” the Czech traveler explains his reasons for visiting the country. “I would only delay the trip by a few months anyway, since I’m going to South America again this year.”

Because of his love of long walks, Rendl decided to explore Venezuela in the most uncomfortable and natural way for him: on foot. He laid out a rough route of about 1,500 kilometers and managed to cover it in just two months. He did not avoid the border areas near Colombia or Brazil, which the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly warns tourists against visiting.

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“I knew it was the wildest around the border, but I just flashed there. I was impressed that in these areas you can’t pay with Venezuelan bolivars, but they stick to either the Colombian peso or the Brazilian real,” recalls Rendl, adding that thanks to his previous visit to Colombia, which also has a rather negative reputation, he was better prepared for Venezuela .

The Czech woman fell in love with a country that still inspires fear in many people

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“Colombia was my first South American destination. Looking back, it probably wasn’t ideal, but I learned to be careful there and I found out that danger lurks mainly in big cities,” states the traveler, adding that it’s always a good idea to do your research in advance and find out which neighborhoods you’re in it is better not to go.

This is doubly true of Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, which is considered one of the most dangerous in the world in terms of security. Rendl himself did not come across any problem thanks to the aforementioned search, and so he is said to be unable to confirm the bad reputation. “But if a person were to climb in there, where he doesn’t belong, then nothing good is probably waiting for him,” states Čech.

During his walking pilgrimage, Rendl wanted to get to know the natural beauties, among other things the table mountains, the panoramas of the Andes, but he also looked at the cities. Apart from Caracas, to which he flew, he also visited Mérida, from which he set off on the march itself. “I’ve learned on previous pilgrimages that there’s not much point in planning because something always gets in the way. I had a given starting point and final point, but I didn’t have a specific route set,” admits Rendl.

His wanderings brought him into several unexpected situations. One of them was when the policemen he ran into at various checkpoints basically robbed him of his money. “The road from Caracas to Mérida is dotted with checkpoints, there were maybe ten to twelve of them,” the traveler recalls.

Rendl faced death threats twice. The interaction with the locals proved to be problematic at times, especially when it came to political debates.

“The problem was if I said I was a socialist, and the problem was if I said I wasn’t a socialist. One guy waved a gun in front of my head because of this, but then he invited me to his ranch,” the traveler describes. “Because of the weapon, I preferred not to resist the invitation,” smiles Rendl, adding that in Venezuela one must be prepared for truly unexpected situations.

During the visit, the Czech traveler also struggled with infection and inflammation, which caused him to urinate blood. So he had to look for antibiotics at local pharmacists. Even in this situation, thanks to his previous experiences, he did not panic. “Due to problems with my phone, I was unable to contact my insurance company and was thus out of the loop for any medical treatment,” Rendl outlines the situation, which he managed to resolve successfully on his own.

He adds that although Venezuela was one of the most extreme destinations he visited, he did not feel that it was that dangerous. He therefore plans to return there and look at some other places. “I want to cross the country by hitchhiking and explore the gold-mining region of the south,” states the traveler.

For those who would also like to visit Venezuela, he recommends caution and that they first gain experience in one of the surrounding countries – for example, Colombia, which he already considers a vacation destination.

How difficult is it to cross Venezuela on foot? How does one cope with the changing terrain and climate? Are Venezuelans used to tourists and do they have a positive attitude towards them? Do the residents live in a closed bubble because of the regime, or do they know what is happening in the outside world? And what makes Venezuela special? You will not only learn that in the complete interview, this article serves only as a summary of selected topics. You can watch the interview on video or play it in the audio player at the beginning of the article.

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