The U.S. State Department is warning Americans not to travel to Venezuela or to certain regions of Peru, citing concerns about crime and terrorism.
On May 12, the travel advisory on Venezuela was raised to Level 4, “Do Not Travel,” and advised Americans in the South American country to leave immediately. The warning was “due to the high risk of wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest and poor health infrastructure,” according to the agency.
That warning was followed on May 16 with a Level 4 advisory not to travel to three regions of Peru:
- The Colombia-Peru border area in the Loreto Region due to crime.
- The Valley of the Apurimac, Ene and Mantaro Rivers, which includes Vilcabamba, due to crime and threats of terrorism.
- Some areas within the regions of Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica and Junin, due to crime and threats of terrorism.
Overall, the State Department’s travel advisory for Peru is set at Level 2. None of Peru’s major tourist attractions, like Machu Picchu, the Inca Trail, the Sacred Valley, and the city of Cusco, are within the Level 4 warning areas.
In April, travelers were similarly advised to avoid travel to parts of Ecuador due to high crime levels, with a Level 4 warning applied to:
• Guayaquil, south of Portete de Tarqui Avenue
• The cities of Huaquillas and Arenillas in the province of El Oro
• The cities of Quevedo, Quinsaloma, and Pueblo Viejo in the province of Los Rios
• The canton of Duran, in the province of Guayas
• Esmeraldas city and all areas north of Esmeraldas city in Esmeraldas province
The travel advisory for Ecuador as a whole is Level 2.
The U.S. also recently increased its travel advice on Trinidad & Tobago to Level 3, “Reconsider Travel,” due to the risk of crime, terrorism and kidnapping. In addition, the Philippines, Uruguay, Cuba, Germany and Spain were put under Level 2 warnings by the State Department this month.
