Crossing between Venezuela and Guyana
Crossing between Venezuela and Guyana…is not the easiest traveling task you will have in your life. There is no road between the border of those two countries and I’ve only heard about an ilegal way somewhere. If you are traveling from Venezuela to Guyana or the other way around you must pass trough Brazil, specifically using the city of Boa Vista in Roraima as a conection.
There are plenty of possibilites but I will detail the cheapest way. The official rate when I visited Venezuela was 1 USD equal 2700 Bolivars. Most of people, including me, change money in the parallel market and the rate when I was there (1-AUG-2017 to 20-AUG-2017) fluctuated between 7.000 and 20.000. I exchanged my dollars on average at 10.000 bolivars for 1 USD, which I will consider for price definitions.
Venezuela: Caracas – Puerto la Cruz
If you are in Caracas, daily buses travel to Puerto La Cruz, Ciudad Bolivar or Puerto Ordaz. To Puerto la Cruz a ticket was 20.000 BOL (2 USD).
Venezuela: Puerto La Cruz – Ciudad Bolivar
In Puerto La Cruz there is a company called ECATUR that has a direct route to Boa Vista. It is a hassle free trip and will cost you 700.000 Bolivares (that in the parallel cambio would be around 70 USD). If you are on a budget that is definitely not your choice. It is also necessary to book in advance. Instead go for a simple bus to Ciudad Bolivar that will cost you 16.000 BOL (Around 1,6 USD) and catch a next bus to Santa Elena de Uairem.
Venezuela: Ciudad Bolivar – Kilometer 88
Since I arrived 4AM in this tricky terminal of Ciudad Bolivar and there was a bus going to kilometer 88 (a city, 4 hours away from the border) I took this one. It was one of my worst logistics decision. I travelled 8 hours on the floor of a bus and arrived in Kilometer 88, where illegal gold mines run an is kind of an unsafe place. I payed 25.000 BOL (2,5 USD)
Venezuela: Kilometer 88 – Santa Elena de Uairem
From Kilometer 88, private cars leave when full for 50.000 BOL (5 USD). It was Sunday, so I waited for 2 hours to get a full car. They told me during week days there is no waiting time. Many of the people who does this route are those working in mines and crossing to sell it illegally in Brazil. Our driver, an ex-policemen offer to hide cash and gold from the police checks in exchange of a bribe.
BORDER: Santa Elena de Uairem – Pacaraima
In Santa Elena, the car dropped me in the taxi station where shared cars charge 50 BRL (16 USD) per person to drive all the way to Boa Vista. It was the end of the day end there were not a lot of people to share the taxi so I decided to take a cab to the city in Brazil that is the border, Pacaraima (5BRL). The immigration control is after.
Brazil: Pacaraima – Boa Vista
There is a small bus terminal before the Immigration and there are daily buses to Boa Vista. When I arrived there the bus was already fully booked, but this would be the cheapest option. I got the shared taxi and payed 45 BRL (14,5 USD) to the capital of Roraima.
Brazil: Boa Vista – Bonfim
From the International Bus terminal in Boa Vista 4 buses from the company AMATUR leaves to the city of Bonfim, in the border with Guyana. The fare price is 20 BRL one way. You will arrive in a bus terminal where shared taxis are available to bring you to Lethem.
BORDER: Bonfim – Lethem
The price of the taxi is 20 BRL, I shared with one more person and payed 10 BRL. It is very important to get your exit stamp in the Brazilian border, in case you want to travel in the Guyanas. The taxi waited both immigration processes and dropped me in a Gas Station in the city of Lethem.
Guyana: Lethem – Georgetown
A detailed explanation can be checked in the article Crossing the Guianas overland step-by-step
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