File:Ciudad_Bolívar_historical_zone.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Ciudad Bolívar is a city located in Bolívar state in Venezuela. As the capital of Bolívar state, it serves as an important administrative and economic center in the region.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
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Place details
- Locality
- Ciudad Bolívar
- Region
- Bolívar
- Country
- Venezuela
- Population
- 412,619
- Timezone
- America/Caracas
via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames
Travel guide
Understand
Ciudad Bolívar is located on the banks of the Orinoco River. It is named after Simon Bolívar, Venezuela's Independence hero.
It is a frequent stopoff point on visit to Angel Falls and is a good place to find tour companies to take you there. Its previous name Angostura (thin ribbon) represents the river's last navigable port.
Get around
If walking is not an option the best way to get around in the city is by taxi. Taxis are cheap in Venezuela. At night call for a taxi as it can be hard to find one on the streets.
See
A fairly decent colonial town center, worth a wander.
Eat
thumb|upright=1.4|Street leading down to the Orinoco El Fogon de La Madama: - Really nice soups, Guyanese dishes, local favorites, very special homemade hot sauces and salsas for sale and uniquely preserved all natural sundried dessert fruit sweets (sun dried papaya 'lechoza' is a favorite that is unsurpassed anywhere else). By reservation Orinoco Basin minestrone, fried and croquette fish dishes, Creole Caribbean and English curry specialties are all available at El Fogon de La Madama in a beautiful market overlooking the river. Ask for Patrick and Carla at the fish market. They are well known there and reviewed in Caracas magazines and newspapers. This place is famous for its fish dishes. They also have beer.
Drink
After 19:00 everything closes down in the city center.
Sleep
thumb|upright=1.3|Boat unloading with the Angostura Bridge in the background – the first bridge across the Orinoco River
Connect
thumb|upright=1.3|Bust of Simón Bolívar at Fortín El Zamuro
Stay safe
After sunset the city center becomes deserted. Try to avoid moving around after 20:00. The Paseo Orinoco is said to be infamous for muggings at night.
Go next
Ciudad Bolivar is the departure point for tours to Canaima and Angel Falls. Tours up the Rio Caura, a tributary of the Orinoco, can also be arranged from here, where you can see some impressive wildlife and waterfalls. A 5-day tour with Soana Travel (office at Calle Bolivar and Calle Dalla Costa) costs US$300.
Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)
~11 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Ciudad Bolívar ( Spanish pronunciation: [sjuˈðað βoˈliβaɾ]; Spanish for "Bolivar City"), formerly known as Angostura and St. Thomas de Guyana, is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolívar State. It lies at the spot where the Orinoco River narrows to about 1 mile (1.6 km) in width, is the site of the first bridge across the river, and is a major riverport for the eastern regions of Venezuela.
Historic Angostura gave its name to the Congress of Angostura, to the Angostura tree, to the House of Angostura, and to Angostura bitters. Modern Ciudad Bolívar has a well-preserved historic center; a cathedral and other original colonial buildings surround the Plaza Bolívar.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Ciudad Bolívar” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.