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I live several months per year on the Colombia border with Venezuela.An estimated four million Venezuelans have emigrated, with hundred of thousands crossing the border with Colombia each month in search of a new home. Venezuela’s neighbours, once bystanders to its domestic tensions, face a catastrophe on their door steps.Asylum-seekers from Venezuela 2014-18 JSON / 282,180The health crisis in Colombia due to the arrival of thousands of Venezuelans with diseases eradicatedAny direct help should go to the directly to hospitals in Macao La Guajira & Cucuta Norte Santander. for urgent medical supplies.How you can helpAs the situation worsens, we are committed to helping vulnerable Venezuelan families who are unsure of what the future holds. Our response is only just beginning.Your help will allow us to do even more to support these families as they cope with the tragedy of losing their homes and livelihoods.Donate today. Every single contribution helps us provide even more food, water, shelter and support to Venezuelan families and families in crisis around the world.Tell your friends. Share this story or go to our Facebook page and spread the word about the millions who need us.Here are some border local hospital links: ( all known to me )1-Hospital Santa Rita de Cassia - Hospitals - Distracción - Other cities in la guajira - La Guajira - Colombia - Hospitalsworldguide2-Fundación soñar cúcuta/nuestras campañas3-Reports from Children Hospital of San Vicente Foundation4-https://www.mercycorps.org/articles/colombia/tales-desperation-venezuelans-fleeing-colombia5-FUNDACIÓN ALIMENTAR COLOMBIA6-Colombia - Tearfund7-ColombiaThere are now over (1,5 ) millions Venezuelans in Colombia as 250,000 last month entered Colombia legally plus the illegals. A recent census found that of the estimated 442,500 Venezuelan migrants living in Colombia illegally,In order to help anybody from Venazuela now in Colombia with any type of national or international or humanitarian organization you require to fully understand what is happening on the ground everyday. on the borders towns for a reality indicator ticket. As Venezuela’s economy continues to crumble, thousands of its citizens are trekking into Colombia every day — sometimes by walking hundreds of miles on foot through the Andes — to escape chronic shortages of food and medicine, frequent looting and rampant crime.Border Departamentos : Venezuela peoples :La Guajira, Magdalena, Cesar, Norte Santander, Apure, AraucaCurrently in Colombia the Catholic and other churches have a foot on the ground in most border towns. There are some international organisation,( Officially : only 282,190 Venezuelans are refugees in 2018 …out of the 4 + millions that left ; This represents only around 6% as refugees){18-Asylum-seekers from Venezuela 2014–2018 JSON /282,180 }As in Syria they are content with the little they can achieve, In some days over 55,000 Venezuelans arrive in Colombia for help of any format, You would require a ratio of about 5,500 employes to be capable to do something constructive with very desperate peoples. The latest one arriving have vety little or no money nor education, some elderley, some with family mothers with kids. Venezuela has the highest birth rate under 18 years old in all South America. Toilets for 55,000 peoples do not exist. In Cucuta Norte Santander Hospitals 60% of the patients are Venezuelans. some sick with sickness not seen in 45 years.The Colombia- Venezuela border is 2,219 Km / 1,378 miles long to control. There are very few land borders and thousands of un-guarded roads the illegals can use plus The Catatumbo Norte Santander illegal corridors where traficing is big business to cross Venezuelans illegally seaking to enter Colombia. Catatumbo, located in the Norte de Santander province, came close to becoming coca free in 2006, but has since almost annually seen its coca production rise. It reached record levels in 2016.A history without law Catatumbo has long been ruled by leftist guerrillas groups who use the porous border with Venezuela to escape Colombian security forces if necessary.The ELN has assumed almost absolute territorial control while the EPL reportedly took control over drug trafficking routes to Venezuela.The almost absolute control of illegal armed groups over the region and increasingly weak law enforcement in Venezuela have made the region even more important for the drug trade….now the largest traffic into Venezuela.The drug operations are primarily run by dissident guerrilla group EPL, the Rastrojos and the AGC. The ELN, which has taken over territorial control from the FARC in the region, protects the coca fields.Coca cultivation in Norte de SantanderThe guerrillas also protect drug trafficking routes from other parts of the country that cross Catatumbo on their way to Venezuela.The drug traffickers, with the exception of the EPL, try to avoid confrontations with authorities in the region.The EPL and ELN actively oppose all state activity in Catatumbo. Norte Santander.A way out?A way out for Catatumbo is almost impossible to imagine without the demobilization of the ELN, the group that effectively is the authority in the region.Without the ELN’s cooperation, the government is unable to carry out development projects and a coca crop substitution program.Forced eradication efforts are difficult because of both social opposition and the constant threat of guerrilla attacks on the men and women eradicating the plants.With the locals and the government in Bogota making opposite claims in regards to the forced eradication of coca, there is no saying how counter-narcotics efforts will continue in the region. This is the hot spotlight now involving Venezuela.Macao La Guajira / Paraguachon border Colombia / Venezuela Border.The 2,219-kilometre border between Colombia and Venezuela has long posed a serious challenge to the government in Bogotá. Along much of its length, illegal armed groups have held sway, with the state’s inability to control its own territory particularly evident in departments such as La Guajira, Cesar, Norte de Santander and Arauca. Trafficking of all kinds, extortion and contraband have been the order of the day, and disputes between rival groups over trafficking routes have frequently led to violence.Progress in border security and bilateral cooperation has been minimal, even following the rapprochement between Presidents Hugo Chávez (1999-2013) and Juan Manuel Santos (2010–2018 ) aimed at defusing the political and diplomatic conflict arising from former President Alvaro Uribe’s complaint that Colombian guerrillas had camps on the Venezuelan side of the border.Over 10,000 with dual or multi national heritage have been deported, while the rest fled for fear of Venezuelan security forces. This sudden influx has primarily affected two municipalities in the department of Norte de Santander – Cúcuta and Villa del Rosario – already facing serious difficulties in attending to thousands of people displaced by Colombia’s own armed conflict.The problem of border security is real, therefore, and will only be made worse by Venezuela’s unilateral sealing of the frontier and expulsion of Colombian citizens. In the past, Bogotá has mostly used cautious diplomacy to deal with such occasional border closures. On this occasion, the social and political impact on Colombia is of a magnitude that will be difficult to ignore.Several Latin American countries fear that the crisis in Venezuela will unleash a wave of refugees.( 282,180 as of 2018 ) Colombia wants to help, but it fears proposed border refugee camps could aggravate the problem more than alleviate it.The worst-case scenario would arise out of Venezuela declaring bankruptcy. "People in Venezuela are not only dying of starvation, they are also dying due to lack of medical drugs and the disastrous state of the country's healthcare system," said Venezuelan attorney Elenis Rodriguez, who is attempting to set up a humanitarian aid program while in Colombian exile. Several neighboring countries, among them Argentina, Chili , Bolivia, Peru , Ecuador, and Colombia, have already begun taking in Venezuelan permanent tourist and refugees. Others, such as Panama, have closed their borders, to all Venezuelans requiring a VISA as they have close to 400,000 currently in Panama under many pending status but not legal. ( 79,000 ) are in the visa processing system.Colombia's migration authority estimated in July 2018 that nearly half a million Venezuelans entered the country through a special program for which no passport is needed. The authority also thought between 100,000 and 140,000 Venezuelans entered through unauthorized means. The reality is more over 250,000 are now in 2018 new permanent tourist unauthorized RESiDENTS in Colombia.Yet the situation that Venezuelan refugees 282,180 find themselves in appears to be far more problematic than the Colombia director suggests.According to media reports, many are willing to work for much less than minimum wage. Prostitution is rampant every where .They often work for cash and without health insurance. Many cannot afford accommodations, so they sleep at the bus stations at which they arrived — in Bogota, Cali or as in Barranquilla…for monthsIllegal workers from Venezuela : ( spanish ){Es decir, con su cédula o carné de identidad colombiano, pero sin ningún documento legal Venezolano que los ampare en tanto mano de obra. Por otra parte, la adopción de tal régimen para el sector o para la ZIF-TNS en general, daría un estatus de trabajador transfronterizo a la mano de obra colombiana que se desplaza a Venezuela para trabajar. Dada esta condición, los trabajadores podrían conseguir un documento legal, sin muchos trámites, que les permitiría inscribirse en la seguridad social venezolana, lo que actualmente no pueden hacer. De otra parte, les daría un amparo jurídico real y efectivo ante las autoridades policiales, militares y dediverso tipo que operan en la Zona, también frente a sus patrones venezolanos. Para las autoridades de ambos países, el benefcio sería contar con una base de datos confable de los trabajadores trans-fronterizos que se desplazan de manera temporal por algunos municipios de la ZIF-TNS, obteniendo un mejor control del fujo migratorio; asimismo,poder elaborar estadísticas fiables y necesarias para la planifcación de políticas públicas. Finalmente, en cuanto al sector azúcar y los benefcios derivados de la concreción de la ZIF, está la empresa dueña del central azucarero, CAZTA, C.A., de capital Colombiano. Para ella, la disminución del papeleo en cuanto a licencias de importación y de certifcados de insufciencia de producción nacional signifca una importante reducción de costos, especialmente si se toma en cuenta que tales autorizaciones deben tramitarse y conseguirse en Caracas, a una hora de avión desde la zona. De otra parte, la disminución de restricciones para el traslado de trabajo incidiría en la reducción de los tiempos de traslado de la materia prima del central; también la menor con±ictividad gracias a la regulación legal de la mano de obra, redundaría en benefcios de diverso tipo para las empresas, lo que repercutiría en sus trabajadores }.Read more: Venezuelan refugees welcome in PeruMany new arrivals from Venezuela in Colombia have no place to stay hundreds staying at the bus terminals in shelters, for months.Implications for the Colombian peace processThe border between Colombia and Venezuela is 2,219 kilometers (1,370 miles) long. In La Guajira Macao is the main Atlantic legal border in Paraguachon, There are over 250 open illegal border crossings only in La Guajira Departamento. The Next Departamento is Cesar that also sees Venezuelans crossing the Andrean mountains into Valledupar.Catatumbo is the largest point of illegals entering Colombia without any papers. The ELN guerilla controls the drug trade into Venezuela and the Venezuelans immigrants looking to enter illegally in Colombia from a safe point.EventClashes between rival armed groups - the EPL (Ejército Popular de Liberación; a.k.a. Los Pelusos) and the ELN (Ejército de Liberación Nacional) - broke out in the restive Catatumbo region (Norte de Santander department) on Wednesday, July 11. Three civilians were injured in the crossfire, which broke out in the Vijagual area of Teorama municipality around 06:00 (local time).ContextThe ELN guerrilla group and the EPL crime organization have been engaged in a turf war since mid-March 2018 over Catatumbo and its lucrative coca-growing lands, which were recently vacated by the now-demobilized FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia). Numerous civilian casualties have been reported and some 16,000 have fled the area in recent months. In April, the Colombian government declared a humanitarian emergency for the region, followed shortly thereafter by a state of emergency declared by the Norte de Santander governor. Further violence, including armed clashes between the EPL and the ELN - as well as between the EPL or ELN and security forces - are to be expected in the Catatumbo region until further notice.Catatumbo is located in the northeast of Norte de Santander and comprises the following 11 municipalities: Ábrego, Convención, El Carmen, El Tarra, Hacarí, La Playa, Ocaña, San Calixto, Sardinata, Teorama, and Tibú.AdviceIndividuals in Colombia are advised to keep abreast of the situation and continue to postpone nonessential travel to the Catatumbo region until further notice. On a more general note, due to the presence of a number of armed groups, some Western governments advise against travel to various parts of the country, including much of Norte de Santander department and other areas along the Venezuelan border.In the event that the crisis in Venezuela gets worse and facing the threat of a major wave of refugees, Colombian officials are contemplating setting up seven refugee camps near the border. However, the move would also pose a dilemma."If you announce that you are setting up refugee camps, it could be interpreted as an invitation and eventually make the situation worse still," a government official told DW. Should that become the case, Colombia would be in desperate need of assistance from other countries as well as international aid organizations if it is to have any chance of mastering the humanitarian crisis, said Cajamarca Gomez.Read more: Brazil braced for influx of Venezuelan refugeesAlthough no party in Colombia is currently calling to close the border, President Santos' nightmare is not unfounded. "The more the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela escalates, the more ground the extreme right and opponents of the peace process will gain," Cajamarca Gomez finds.The president's nightmare is primarily political in nature. Nevertheless, the fate of people seeking to flee the chaos in Venezuela is an issue that is just as pressing. How to deal with that, it seems, is a question that no one in Latin America has any idea how to answer.'Migrate or die' - Venezuelans flood into Colombia despite crackdownJulia Symmes Cobb, Anggy PolancoMAICAO/CUCUTA, Colombia (Reuters) - The desert wind whipping their faces, hundreds of Venezuelan migrants lugging heavy suitcases and overstuffed backpacks trudge along the road to the Colombian border town of Maicao beneath the blazing sun.The broken line snakes back 8 miles (13 km) to the border crossing at Paraguachon, where more than a hundred Venezuelans wait in the heat outside the migration office.Money changers sit at tables stacked with wads of Venezuelan currency, made nearly worthless by hyperinflation under President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government.The remote outpost on the arid La Guajira peninsula on Colombia’s Caribbean coast marks a frontline in Latin America’s worst humanitarian crisis.The Venezuelans arrive hungry, thirsty and tired, often unsure where they will spend the night, but relieved to have escaped the calamitous situation in their homeland.They are among more than a million Venezuelans who have fled to Colombia, since 2017 ,many illegally, hoping to escape grinding poverty, rising violence and shortages of food and medicine in their once-prosperous, oil exporting nation.“It’s migrate and give it a try or die of hunger there. Those are the only two options,” said Yeraldine Murillo, 27, who left her six-year-old son behind in the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo, some 56 miles (90 km) across the border.Colombia continues to see an influx of Venezuelan refugees entering the country to avoid the ongoing crisis in Venezuela; over 200,000 people registered between April 8 and May 7 , 2018. The illegals are in the similar quantity.ContextAccording to humanitarian officials, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan refugees have fled the country since the beginning of the year, with a large percentage taking refuge in Colombia and Brazil. The migrant crisis is expected to worsen throughout 2018 as Venezuela's economy continues to falter. The IMF has estimated that in 2018 the Venezuelan economy will shrink by 15 percent and inflation in the country will reach 13,000 percent. Venezuelans face shortages of gasoline, food, medicine, and other basic necessities, as well as extreme rates of violent crime, social unrest, and an ongoing political crisis.AdviceIndividuals in Colombia are advised to monitor developments to the situation and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities.Colombia: ELN-EPL clashes in Catatumbo region July 11 /update 15Clashes break out June 2-3 between the Colombian army and the EPL crime group in Catatumbo region (Norte de Santander); further violence likelyEventHeavy clashes broke out between the EPL crime group (Ejército Popular de Liberación; a.k.a. Los Pelusos) and members of the Colombian army in the violence-stricken Catatumbo region (Norte de Santander department) over the weekend June 2-3. The fighting occurred in Mesitas, a rural area of Hacarí municipality, during a verification mission being undertaken by ombudsman personnel. At least two civilians were wounded in the fighting, which occurred near an area where some 50 residents had taken refuge since March; they had fled another area of Catatumbo plagued by fighting between the EPL and the ELN guerrilla group (Ejército de Liberación Nacional).On a related note, two assassination attempts were reported in Catatumbo’s Ocaña municipality on June 2, which left one person dead and two wounded.Further violence, including armed clashes between the army, EPL, and/or the ELN, are to be expected in the Catatumbo region in the coming days and weeks.ContextThe ELN and EPL have been engaged in armed conflict in Catatumbo since mid-March 2018 over control of the area and its lucrative coca-growing lands, which were recently vacated by the now-demobilized FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia). The Colombian government declared a humanitarian emergency for the region on April 5 and the governor of Norte de Santander declared a general state of emergency in the region April 16. Thousands of civilians have fled the area.Catatumbo is located in the northeast of Norte de Santander and comprises the following 11 municipalities: Ábrego, Convención, El Carmen, El Tarra, Hacarí, La Playa, Ocaña, San Calixto, Sardinata, Teorama, and Tibú.AdviceIndividuals in Colombia are advised to keep abreast of the situation and continue to postpone nonessential travel to the Catatumbo region until further notice. On a more general note, due to the presence of a number of armed groups, some Western governments advise against travel to various parts of the country, including much of Norte de Santander department and other areas along the Venezuelan borderColombia says the number of Venezuelans fleeing a severe economic crisis to live in Colombia in 2018 has increased by 62% in the last six months.Migration officials say more than 1,550,000 Venezuelans are now living in Colombia, mostly illegally.The influx is putting pressure on the government especially in border areas to provide the migrants with food, shelter and medical care.The number of Venezuelans travelling through Colombia has doubled in 2018..Officials say a million Venezuelans have registered for a migration card that allows them to come and go across the border to buy food and other products scarce in their own country.On an average day in 2017, more than 30,000 Venezuelans used the card to enter and leave Colombia across a border where smugglers thrive selling increasingly unavailable but heavily subsidised Venezuelan products to Colombians.Of the Venezuelans living in Colombia, 126,000 have legal permission to stay including some 69,000 who have taken advantage of a humanitarian visa introduced in July. Counting the heads is impossible. with the illegals.Last week, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the UN was willing to send more aid to Colombia to help with the growing influx of migrants.EPL Urban Militia Sows Fear in Colombia-Venezuela Border CommunitiesANALYSISyMathew Charles / JUNE 25, 2018The demobilization of Colombia’s main guerrilla group, the FARC, has left a criminal power vacuum along the country’s eastern border with Venezuela, where a war for control is now playing out between two remaining rebel groups — with severe consequences for local citizens caught in the crossfire.In Filo de Gringo, a town in the eastern Colombian region of Catatumbo, a group of masked men patrol the streets. They wear black sweatpants, rubber boots, and red or sometimes white t-shirts. They carry pistols, which locals say they “wave around like toys.”They are the new urban militia of the Popular Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Popular – EPL).The urban militia serves as a link between the community and the insurgency. They ensure the rules and laws imposed by the guerrilla group are obeyed. Well-known and identifiable to the locals, but hidden from the view of security forces and most outsiders, they act as a substitute police force, providing the insurgents with intelligence and instilling a regime of fear and control.Andrés,* a social worker in Filo de Gringo, says the militia is trying to rid the village of anyone who works for the Colombian state so the guerrilla group can impose its own authority.“They told me to leave or they’d kill me. They don’t care I’m here to work with children. They see me as the enemy,” Andrés told InSight Crime.The militia emerged in Filo de Gringo in 2016 as the EPL began to summon local communities in Catatumbo to compulsory meetings. The resurgent guerrilla faction had new rules to convey.Curfews would be imposed. Social gatherings would be restricted. Thieves and drug users would be killed.“We’d heard most of this before,” Andrés said. “But somehow it was different. The tone was more aggressive.”Retaliation for crossing the EPL can be harsh. In the town of San Calixto, to the southwest of Filo de Gringo, cafe owner Nelly Amaya defied the guerrillas’ orders not to serve food to the security forces. As a result, she was shot dead.SEE ALSO: Coverage of the EPLAmaya, who belonged to the Catatumbo Small Farmers’ Association (Asociación Campesina del Catatumbo – ASCAMCAT), was the first of several social leaders to be killed in the region since the demobilization of the FARC.“It was a change of tactic,” Andrés said. “There were new guys in town and they meant business. They were sending a message.”It was a message that the communities of Catatumbo received loud and clear.In the nearby town of El Tarra, it was an EPL militiaman known as “Zanahoria,” or “Carrot,” whose reign terrorized locals until his arrest in April.“He’d break into our houses in the middle of the night,” one resident told InSight Crime. “They would give us paint and tell us to write EPL on our outside walls. They said they’d kill us if we refused.”Rapid ExpansionThe EPL used to be confined largely to Hacarí, La Playa and Ábrego — a cluster of towns roughly 100 kilometers west of the border with Venezuela. However, as the FARC retreated in 2016, the EPL began to expand beyond its traditional stronghold, and also became more active along the frontier.This expansion has not been a peaceful one, and has at times turned even Catatumbo’s playgrounds into battlegrounds.“The schools are caught in the crossfire. Teachers are powerless to protect their students,” said a local official from El Tarra. “In Filo de Gringo, the EPL has sometimes entered the classroom and taken over the teaching,”Charities working against forced recruitment estimate that last year in Catatumbo more than 150 young people were drafted by both the EPL and the much larger National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN).“They’re seduced with guns, money and motorbikes,” the local official said.Gabriel Quintero Prado, a former EPL commander, says the guerrillas have been forced to recruit more members to keep up the manpower necessary for their expansion. But Prado told InSight Crime the new recruits may be contributing to the high rates of violence.“The problem is they’re inexperienced. They’re trigger-happy and they’re out of control,” he said.While the EPL itself is raising the fears of local communities and contributing to bloodshed, so is the war between the guerrilla group and its larger cousin, the ELN. The ELN says clashes with the EPL have killed more than 100 fighters on both sides since March.Security forces believe the guerrilla factions are fighting for control of Catatumbo’s lucrative drug trade. According to the latest monitoring report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), there has been an explosion in the amount of coca crops being grown in the region. And with the FARC out of the picture, the rules of the game are rapidly changing.“They would give us paint and tell us to write EPL on our outside walls. They said they’d kill us if we refused.”According to a senior ELN source, the EPL are working with the beleagured but still-powerful Urabeños crime network and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel to establish a new drug trafficking corridor. The source told InSight Crime that the Sinaloa Cartel has had a presence in the region since 2016.But according to Quintero Prado, the recent fighting is also about mining.“Catatumbo is sitting on Colombia’s richest source of coal. The EPL want to exploit that. They always have. But the ELN will want to stop them at all costs,” he said.Quintero Prado does not deny the EPL’s involvement in the illicit drug trade, but he insists the guerrilla group maintains its revolutionary origins.“The insurgency is grounded in the social problems of this region. They embody the struggle of the small farmers,” he says. “They have land, they have men and they have laws. They are a substitute for the state.”Catatumbo has traditionally tacitly supported the guerrillas. But according to Quintero Prado, leaders of the EPL’s political wing are finding their relationship with the armed revolutionaries increasingly difficult to manage.“There is a concern over the increasing number of alliances with the Urabeños. They worry that increasingly criminalized elements are eroding the political history and social base of the party and the guerrilla,” he said.Internal DivisionsThe EPL has suffered a crisis of leadership since October 2015, when security forces fatally shot Victor Ramon Navarro Cervano, alias “Megateo.” His successor, Guillermo León Aguirre, alias “David Léon,” was arrested in Medellín just two months later.The current commander goes by the aliases “Mauricio” and “Pacora.” His real name remains unknown, but he is apparently a disciple of Megateo and brings with him more than 30 years of guerrilla experience.His rival is Reinaldo Peñaranda Franco, alias “Pepe,” who was a close ally of Léon. He is said to have better organizational and political skills than Pacora, who has been credited for establishing a successful military strategy.More recently, however, a guerrilla using the alias “Manuel” is reported to be vying for influence. He is considered to be the most ruthless of the three, and according to the local police, has taken charge of recruitment.SEE ALSO: Colombia News and ProfilesThe recent end of the EPL’s armed strike, which for two weeks brought Catatumbo to a standstill and trapped thousands of residents in their homes, is a victory by the political and social base of the insurgency, which managed to persuade the guerrilla’s hardliners to back down. But while the group’s criminal elements continue to assert their control of Catatumbo’s marginalized communities, they will undoubtedly further damage their core base of support.What began as a struggle for the plight of the small farmer, has now become the chase for territorial gain. New recruits are no longer schooled in leftist ideology, but instead hired to ensure the EPL’s dominance of the post-FARC underworld. While the EPL’s political wing tries to assert and defend its ideological roots, it may continue to lose influence over these new radical elements, as the EPL’s campaign for social change morphs into a criminal and violent pursuit of profit.PANAMA PROFILEfor Illegal Venezuelans( This paragraph is in spanish ){ Tierra, Mar y Aire: Quizá antiguamente una buena opción y económica, era salir del país por la ciudad de Turbo, pero hoy por hoy ya no lo es tanto. Esta ciudad esta muy cerca de la frontera con Panama, y es el puerto de salida para mucha gente. Sin dudas una travesía larga y con mucha aventura, aquí les dejamos los pasos para realizar este cruce: Salir en bus a las 8pm desde Cartagena y llegar a Turbo a las 5am, en el medio se debe hacer trasbordo en Montería a las 2am. En Turbo salen lanchas a Capurgana a las 9am y demoran dos horas en llegar. En Capurgana deberán hacer la salida de Colombia y las lanchas a Puerto Obaldía (que ya es Panamá) por lo general salen todos los días a las 9am aprox. Se demora 1 hora en llegar, ahí se hace migración de Panama y luego pueden tomar la avioneta a Ciudad de Panama directo, en vuelos diarios a las 12 del mediodía. Toda esta travesía termina costando alrededor de US$250 por persona. )-Porque no puede hacerse el cruce por tierra, entre Colombia y Panama?En el medio de estos dos países se encuentra el famoso tapón de Darien, una zona aparentemente intransitable de selva y pantano, donde no hay puentes ni carreteras, convirtiéndose en el único corte de la ruta Panamericana. Es por eso que para hacer el paso de Sudamérica a Centroamérica debemos explorar nuevas opciones. )VenezuelaBUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS USA2016 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR)A. IntroductionVenezuela remained a major drug-transit country in 2015. Venezuela is one of the preferred trafficking routes for illegal drugs, predominately cocaine, from South America to the Caribbean region, Central America, the United States, Western Africa, and Europe, due to its porous western border with Colombia, weak judicial system, sporadic international counternarcotics cooperation, and permissive and corrupt environment.ONA reported the seizure of 65.76 metric tons (MT) of illegal drugs during the first eight months of 2015, a 132 percent increase compared to the same period in 2014. Cocaine (83 percent) and marijuana (16 percent) comprised the overwhelming majority of seizures, 78 percent of which occurred in Zulia state. ONA reported a nearly 9 percent decrease in detentions of traffickers during the same period, from 8,190 in 2014 to 7,479 in 2015. The Public Ministry reported investigations of 21,127 individuals for suspected drug crimes in 2015, leading to formal charges against 11,795.2. Supply from Venezuela ( cocaine )Venezuela remains a major transit country for cocaine shipments via aerial, terrestrial, and maritime routes. Most flights suspected of trafficking narcotics depart from Venezuelan states bordering Colombia. Trafficking by maritime conveyance includes the use of large cargo containers, fishing vessels, and “go-fast” boats.The vast majority of illicit narcotics that transited Venezuela in 2015 were destined for the Caribbean, Central America, the United States, West Africa, and Europe. Colombian drug-trafficking organizations – including multiple criminal bands, or “BACRIM” groups, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and the National Liberation Army (ELN) – facilitate the transshipment of narcotics through Venezuela. According to media reports, Mexican drug-trafficking organizations also operate in Venezuela, including the Sinaloa Cartel and Los Zetas.The Venezuelan government occasionally reports drug seizures, arrests, and destruction of drugs and airstrips to the public. Venezuela is not a member of the Cooperative Situational Information Integration System through which countries predetermine some information to share automatically with the United States. Venezuelan authorities similarly did not share evidence about destruction of illicit drugs with U.S. officials.In October 2015, ONA President Irwin Jose Ascanio stated publicly that Venezuelan authorities had seized 69 MT of illegal drugs since January, nearly double the seizure rate from the same period last year. Ascanio claimed the August 2015 closure of the Venezuelan-Colombian border in Tachira and Zulia states resulted in the reduction of the flow of drugs across the border by 70 percent.Panama & the VenezuelansPanama's location connecting Central and South America has made it a key transit point for illicit trade, as well as a refuge and negotiating area for criminal organizations. Its favorable economy and the booming contraband market of the Colón Free Zone (CFZ) have long attracted international money launderers.WHERE THE ROAD ENDS, YOUR ADVENTURE BEGINSThe Darien Gap is a 100-mile stretch of undeveloped swamp and forest on the border of Panama and Colombia. The 19,000-mile Pan-American highway stretches from Alaska to Patagonia—with the exception of the Darien Gap. Because of the Darien Gap, you cannot drive from North to South America.That’s about to change.On this adventure, we will embark upon a group construction project that has eluded developers and nation-states for 100 years: we are going to build a road across the Darien Gap.The FARC ;The front handles the majority of the Iván Ríos Bloc’s drug trafficking movements into Panama, while moving arms into Colombia. The unit has also been implicated in coca cultivation and cocaine processing in the Darién region.In order to move drugs through the barely penetrable 60-mile stretch of jungle separating Colombia and Panama, the 57th Front uses the Darien Gap’s indigenous inhabitants of the Emberá and Wounaan tribes as drugs mules and guides. The illegal goods are transported by foot as well as by small boat. There are reports of indigenous locals being threatened and forced to collaborate with the guerrilla, while others are offered payments of up to $300 per drug load. Children are especially exploited for this use.The front also reportedly raids villages, steals supplies, assaults local women and sets up landmines. The guerrillas’ violence and clashes with authorities have prompted the displacement of many locals. The front is known to practice extortion and has retaliated violently against those who fail to pay.The front also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on weaponry such as grenades, rifles, shotguns, M79 grenade launchers and ammunition. Other expenses included legal costs for arrested members, payments for hit men, and the purchase of real estate to launder drug money.The front is politically active to an extent; the seized records showed that it spent hundreds of thousands of dollars financing the Marcha Patriótica, a left-wing political movement associated with the FARC.This faction’s numbers have been dropping over the past few years due to Panama’s continued security efforts and peace negotiations between the FARC organization and the Colombian government. In 2009, during its peak period, it was reported that the front was over a thousand strong. By 2015, the group’s membership had reportedly declined to 220 members.The 57th Front has been heavily targeted by authorities on both sides of the border. Panama’s border police and the Colombian Army announced in 2013 that they would build a joint base on the border to fight the FARC’s illicit activities in the region.Tactics used by Panamanian security officials have included attempting to squeeze the guerrillas out of the Darién region by blocking supplies and restricting transport in the area. However, this form of police enforcement also inhibits the movement of indigenous communities.Authorities have seized hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, firearms and explosives in raids on the 57th Front.LeadershipJosé David Suárez, alias “El Becerro,” was the head of the 57th Front until his death in March 2015 after allegedly being betrayed by people within his security detail. A member of the FARC’s Central General Staff, El Becerro oversaw the finances and weapon purchases for the Iván Ríos Bloc. He was believed to spend the majority of his time on the Panamanian side of the border and negotiated illicit business deals in Panama City. El Becerro allegedly worked with Panamanian traffickers to move drugs north using go-fast boats, and he reportedly maintained links to Honduran, Guatemalan, and Nicaraguan criminal groups.The guerrilla commander appears to have been highly influential in the FARC’s move into transnational drug trafficking. In the 1990s, El Becerro reportedly decided that the FARC should expand their activities from taxing coca farmers to controlling other stages of the drug trade.Virgilio Antonio Vidal Mora, alias “Silver,” one of the front’s commanders, played a key role in the group’s finances. According to some reports, he provided the main source of financial support for the entire FARC organization, and was an extravagant spender of the unit’s drug-based earnings. Vidal Mora was known to carry out drug trafficking and kidnapping activities in the region, and was believed to be responsible for 70 percent of disappearances in the Antioquia and Chocó departments of Colombia. After nearly 30 years with the 57th Front, Vidal Mora was killed in a bomb attack by Colombian air forces on August 25, 2013.Another of the front’s commanders is reportedly the Panamanian national José Luis Valencia Mosquera Asprilla, alias “El Pana,” who served as a police officer in Panama for two years before joining the Colombian rebels in 2001.GeographyThe front is mainly based along the Colombia-Panama border, where the dense jungle of the Darién Gap is located. In Colombia, it is present in the Chocó department’s Urabá region.Allies and EnemiesThe 57th Front has a long-standing agreement with Colombia’s most powerful drug trafficking organization, the Urabeños, which specifies territorial boundaries, drug movements and possibly the pooling of drug shipments. The Urabeños have reportedly helped defend the 57th Front from Colombian security forces.The front also supplies drugs directly to Mexican cartels. Emissaries of Mexico’s Sinaloa and Zetas cartels have been detected in the border region, obtaining coca base for trafficking to North America and Europe.ProspectsIn recent years, Panamanian security efforts and peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the FARC organization have reduced the threat posed by the 57th Front in Panama. Nevertheless, the strong criminal finances offered by the border region and the unit’s ties to international organized crime increase the likelihood of its members choosing to remain in the field should the FARC demobilize.This is the sad reality to fufill a mandate to assist and help Venezuelans currently in Colombia or anywhere else. by any international, National or humanitarian organisation to succeed in assisting Venezuelans in Colombia…on the ground in the Border Depatamentos, mostly Paraguachon, La Guajita & Cucuta and suburbs, Norte Santader.Darien Gap Colombia- Panama Venezuelans crossing into Panama,1-Colombia: Over 200,000 Venezuelans flee to Colombia in recent weeks2-'Migrate or die' - Venezuelans flood into Colombia despite crackdown3-Colombia: ELN-EPL clashes in Catatumbo region July 11 /update 154-'550,000' Venezuelans flee to Colombia5-EPL Urban Militia Sows Fear in Colombia-Venezuela Border Communities6-paraguchon colombia pictures - Google Search7-Capturan a sargento venezolano como contrabandista de autopartes en Paraguachón8-FARC 57th Front in Panama9-Venezuela’s Dangers Spill across the Colombian Border10-.Colombia’s frontlines of the drug war: Catatumbo11-http://viajesindestino.com/como-cruzar-a-panama-facil-facil-facil/12-El Tapón del Darién, un Mediterráneo sin pateras ni titulares14-Once-rich Venezuelans live as beggars in Colombia, but they don’t want to go back15-De Venezuela a Colombia en autobús, la travesía de miles de ciudadanos que cruzan la frontera16-Venezuela17-Kids fleeing Venezuela left hungry, sick and even abandoned18-Situation Venezuela Situation

20 BEST FESTIVALS IN THE WORLD (FOR YOUR WORLD TRAVEL BUCKET LIST)Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. All hosted affiliate links follow our editorial policies.TweetPin750Share936Share3Flip2KSHARESNo matter where you go around the globe, everybody loves to celebrate. And when it comes to celebration, festivals offer something for everyone.Whether it’s the arts and culture, food and wine, holidays, or religion you’re into, there’s a gathering somewhere with your name on it. Here’s a look at our “bucket list” picks for the biggest and best festivals in the world:Best Cultural FestivalsBest Holiday FestivalsBest Music FestivalsBest Religious FestivalsREAD MORE: World Travel Bucket ListsBEST CULTURAL FESTIVALSBurning Man, photo via pixabayBURNING MAN (BLACK ROCK DESERT, NEVADA)According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary there are nearly one million words in the English language. But we’re not sure any of them can adequately explain the inspired madness that goes down in the northwestern Nevada desert every summer.Burning Man started in 1986, when Larry Harvey and his buddy Jerry James assembled a 8-foot tall makeshift wooden figure and dragged it to San Francisco’s Baker Beach on the Summer Solstice.Welcome to Green Global Travel!They lit it on fire, a curious crowd of around 20 people watched it burn, and thus one of the world’s weirdest, wildest parties was born.From those humble beginnings, the Man grew (hitting 105 feet in 2014), as did the number of attendees (nearly 70,000 in 2017). Once an intimate gathering of friends and family, the festival is now an arty, apocalyptic paean to the wonder of self-expression, attracting a tight-knit community of bohemians and misfits from all around the world.It’s part Mad Max, part Survivor, and part Comic-Con (see: CRAZY costumes & festival clothing), with an emphasis on experimental creativity, cooperation, and civic responsibility.It takes place from the last Sunday in August to Labor Day. And after the man is burned in the climactic culmination, the entire “city in the desert” disappears without a trace.Looking for a hotel near Burning Man? Check out Candlewood Suites Winnemucca, Best Western Plus Gold Country Inn, or Winnemucca Holiday Motel.READ MOREBiggest Festival in the World – Carnival, via pixabayCARNIVAL (RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL)Arguably the biggest festival in the world (not to mention its wildest party), Brazil’s Carnival is widely considered “the greatest show on Earth.” The event attracts nearly 5 million people each year, with a half-million or so being visitors traveling to see the spectacle.Historically, Carnival is a religious celebration. The Brazil festival takes place in February or March, over the 5 days preceding the Catholic season of Lent, which starts 40 days before Easter. It also coincides with the end of the long, brutally hot Brazilian summer.So picture 5 million people who’ve been baking in the heat for months, preparing to give up the things they love for 40 days, set loose in a city filled with lively music and half-naked dancers shaking what their mama gave them.Yeah, it’s THAT crazy. And colorful, thanks to creative costumes worn by the 70+ samba schools (each representing a different neighborhood) who compete for cash and national fame.This famous festival culminates with a rowdy, raucous 2-night extravaganza at Rio’s remarkable Sambadrome, where 90,000+ spectators pay top dollar to watch the top 12 samba schools compete for the grand prize.There are annual themes for the competition, and the carnival parades are usually the stuff of legend. Carnival is celebrated in many Latin American nations, but nobody does it like Rio.Looking for hotels in Rio de Janeiro for Carnival? Check out Pousada Irmãos Freyhardt Galeão, Hotel Atlântico Business Centro or Casa Nova Hotel.READ MORE: The Shark Infested Beaches of Recife, BrazilIce Festival in Harbin, China via pixabayHARBIN INTERNATIONAL ICE & SNOW SCULPTURE FESTIVAL (HARBIN, CHINA)Where Carnival celebrates the end of Brazil’s oppressive heat, the International Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival makes the most of the bitter winter weather you’ll find in Harbin, China.Located in Northeast China, Harbin receives some seriously cold winter winds blowing over from Siberia. How cold, you may ask? The average daily temperature in winter is around 1.8 ºF, and lows of -31 ºF are dauntingly frequent.So why in god’s green earth would any sane person want to visit for this month-long chinese festival (which officially starts on January 5)?Because it’s home to the largest ice sculptures in the world, and the celebration takes over the entire city. There are two main exhibition areas: Sun Island is a recreation area along the Songua River, where you’ll find most of the giant sculptures.Ice and Snow World opens at night, with colorful lights illuminating full-sized buildings made of 2- to 3-foot ice blocks taken from the river.Other activities in the area during the festival include alpine skiing, touring ice lantern exhibitions in various local parks, and– for the truly insane– swimming in the river’s frigid waters.Looking for a hotel near the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival? Check out Harbin Joy Boutique Hotel, Harbin Airport Daily Inn or Qihang Hotel Harbin Taiping Airport.READ MORE: Top 7 Things to Do in China for Nature LoversLa Tomatina, Spanish Festival via pixabayLA TOMATINA (VALENCIA, SPAIN)Launched way back in 1945, La Tomatina is one of the oldest festivals on our list. It’s also easily the messiest, coming off like the world’s biggest food fight.Legend has it that the whole thing started when some local boys joined a parade alongside musicians, “Giants” on stilts, and “Big Head” figures.The unruly boys knocked one of the performers off his stilts, he became enraged and started lashing out, and a vendor’s vegetable stand fell victim to the mayhem until the police arrived to break it up.The Spanish festival was banned for much of the 1950s, but in 1957 locals protested with a mock funeral, carrying a coffin with a giant tomato inside as bands played a funeral march.Eventually the powers-that-be relented, and La Tomatina has grown into a huge tourism draw in the decades since.If you go, please follow some simple rules: Don’t throw hard objects, squash the tomato before throwing it, stay a safe distance away from tomato trucks, and stop when the starter pistol indicates that the hour of mayhem has ended.In other words, have fun, but don’t hurt anybody and don’t be a jerk.Looking for hotels near La Tomatina? Check out Hotel Muralleta, Casa Robion, or Torrijos.READ MORE: Ecotourism in Spain (Top 5 Attractions)Mardi Gras, a New Orleans festival via pixabayMARDI GRAS (NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA)Also known as Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a cultural spectacle to behold– sort of like the USA version of Carnival. But there is some debate over whether it was NOLA or Mobile, Alabama that had the first Mardi Gras back in the 1700s.Regardless of who did it first, few would argue that the New Orleans festival is the best. Though the celebration is held every year on the day before Ash Wednesday, the festivities last for months.It begins with social events in November, private balls held on Thanksgiving Day and New Year’s Eve, with parades and more private balls throughout January and early February.Getting invites to the private events isn’t easy. But if you know someone (or have the money to grease palms), MOM’s Ball and Orpheuscapade Ball are frequently ranked among the best.And if you love music, check out the annual Galactic concert at the world-famous Tipitina’s on Lundi Gras (the day before Mardi Gras).When the big day arrives, it’s best to plan what you want to see and do before the parade of beads, boobs, and booze begins. Longtime locals love the Krewe of Muses Parade, the Rex & Zulu Parade, and the Krewe of St. Anne and Krewe of Julu Parades.But, for our money, it doesn’t get any better than watching the Mardi Gras Indians Parade in Treme.Looking for a hotel for Mardi Gras in New Orleans? Check out the Royal Frenchmen Hotel and Bar, Hotel Peter and Paul or Omni Riverfront New Orleans.READ MORE: The Mardi Gras Balls, Parades, & Parties (An Insiders Guide)BEST HOLIDAY FESTIVALSMexico’s Day of the Dead float via pixabayDIA DE LOS MUERTOS (MEXICO)Although Cinco de Mayo may be more well-known in the US, this is arguably Mexico’s most important and widely celebrated holiday. In fact, it’s important enough that it was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.More commonly known in English-speaking countries as the Day of the Dead, the festivities begin on October 31 and last through November 2.As depicted in the 2017 Pixar film Coco, the holiday is all about getting together with friends and family to remember and celebrate ancestors who have died in order to help them on their spiritual journey.To honor those that came before, mexican families build private altars in their homes, known as ofrendas. On top of them they’ll put photos of the dead, calaveras (a.k.a. sugar skulls), Aztec Marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of their ancestors.They also visit their loved ones’ graves, leaving these gifts and other beloved possessions as tribute to the deceased.Specific celebrations of the holiday differ from region to region, with some towns holding lively parades and celebrations, while others keep it a more subdued affair with religious overtones (it coincides with All Saint’s Day).In some cities, children will dress up in costume and go door-to-door asking calaveritas, much like trick-or-treating in the US.Looking for a hotel to celebrate Dia De Los Muertos in Mexico? Check out H21 Hotel Boutique, Fiesta Inn Aeropuerto CD Mexico or City Express Ciudad de Mexico Aeropuerto.READ MORE: Visiting Museo Maya de Cancun (Cancun Mayan Museum)By Carmelrmd – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0KING’S DAY (NETHERLANDS)The rest of the world could learn a thing or two from The Netherlands about properly celebrating a national dignitary’s birthday.Queen’s Day was a national holiday (celebrated on April 30 until 2013) commemorating Queen Beatrix’s birth. So what if her Royal Highness was actually born in late January?!By having the festivities in pleasant April, the proud Dutch were able to throw on their loud orange attire and toss back a few drinks without having to worry about weather.With the crowning of her son, Willem-Alexander, the holiday became known as King’s Day, or Koningsdag. It is now officially celebrated on April 27 (the King’s birthday), and includes an official government ceremony followed by sporting competitions and fun, family-friendly celebrations.The great climate also makes for ideal conditions for a massive, country-wide flea market you have to see to believe.Looking for a hotel to celebrate King’s Day in the Netherlands? Check out Crowne Plaza Amsterdam – South, Leonardo Hotel Amsterdam Rembrandtpark, or XO Hotels Couture.By Eli Christman (2014 Carytown Krampusnacht) CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsKRAMPUSNACHT (CENTRAL EUROPE)If you’ve read our many stories about Christmas, you know we’re especially passionate about the holiday and its myriad traditions. So it with some authority that we can say that Krampusnacht is easily the weirdest, creepiest Christmas tradition in the world.You know the line in “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” that warns, “You better watch out”? Well, kids have a lot more to fear from Krampus, a hellish demon who haunts Central Europe around the holidays.Picture an insane devil in chains, with matted fur, stag horns, and flaming coals for eyes, known for kidnapping children in a big sack so he can eat them later.Krampusnacht (Krampus Night) occurs on December 5, the night before the Feast of St. Nicholas. While Santa appears in the vestments of a Bishop and doles out gifts for good little girls and boys, the horny (literally and figuratively) devil presents the bad ones with coal and/or swats them with bundles of birch branches.Nobody seems to know where Krampus came from. But some historians suggest he may be a holdover from the region’s pagan past, demonized by the Catholic Church.Regardless, it’s customary to offer a Krampus some schnapps. It might not make him leave you alone, but hopefully it’ll keep him out of your dreams.Looking for a hotel to celebrate Krampusnacht? Check out BoHo Prague Hotel (Czech Republic), 25hours Hotel The Circle (Germany) and Villa Adria Apartments (Croatia)READ MORE: 75 Christmas Traditions Around the Worldphoto by Wyndham Hollis via flickr CC 2.0SONGKRAN (THAILAND)Derived from the Sanskrit word for “astrological passage” (meaning a change or transformation), Songkran refers to the traditional New Year celebrated on April 13 in parts of India, China, and much of Southeast Asia.The holiday, which last through April 15, is traditionally a fairly subdued affair. Mornings often start with visiting local Buddhist temples to offer food to the monks. Water is often poured on statues of the Buddha, the young, and the elderly in a symbolic purification ritual.Family members who have moved away will often return home for the holiday to pay tribute to their ancestors. People clean their houses in preparation, and everyone dresses up in their best clothes.Some regions host traditional parades and beauty contests, while others believe in setting off firecrackers on April 13 to ward off bad luck in the New Year.But the main reason Songkran is known outside of Asia is the wet, wild celebration in Thailand, especially Chiang Mai.There, most of the major streets are closed off to traffic and packed with young people for what is likely the world’s biggest water fight. Water balloons are Super Soakers are a given, and getting drenched is guaranteed.Looking for a hotel base to celebrate Songkran in Chiang Mai? Check out The Granary Resort, Reean Racha Resort and Amata Lanna Village.READ MORE: The 13 Most Beautiful Thailand National ParksST. PATRICK’S FESTIVAL (DUBLIN, IRELAND)There are certainly larger and more raucous celebrations of Saint Patrick’s Day than the one that’s held in Dublin, Ireland every March.But considering the fact that the holiday was originally a religious celebration honoring the death of the patron saint of Ireland, suggesting any other place to partake in it feels a bit sacrilegious.Saint Patrick was born to a religious family in Roman Britain sometime around 385 AD. At the age of 16 he was kidnapped and taken to Gaelic Ireland, where he worked as a shepherd for six years before making his escape and making his way home.Eventually he became a priest and returned to Ireland, where he converted many pagans to Christianity.Trivial fact: Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. In fact, it’s only in recent years that the Irish have stepped up their St. Patrick’s Festival to rival the celebrations in US cities such as New York and Savannah.Customary traditions include wearing green clothing and shamrocks (which the Saint used to explain the Holy Trinity), public parades, and lively music and dancing (known as a ceilidh).The Irish also love to feast and have a wee nip of whiskey, as the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking are officially lifted for the day.Looking for a hotel to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin? Check out The Hendrick Smithfield, Clayton Hotel Burlington Road or The Gibson Hotel.READ MORE: One Week in Ireland (The perfect Road Trip Itinerary)BEST MUSIC FESTIVALSphoto by Laura Findley, Bonnaroo Music Festival 2017 via flickr CC 2.0BONNAROO MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL (MANCHESTER, TENNESSEE)It may not be quite as big as Coachella or as iconic as Lollapalooza. But to understand what we love about Bonnaroo (other than the fact that it’s 2.5 hours day trip from Atlanta), just check out their tagline.“Thousands of happy campers. Hundreds of acres of Tennessee nature. 150 epic performances. 10+ Stages of music. Four of the best days ever.”Coachella is owned by a climate change-denying billionaire, Philip Anschutz, who donates his riches to pro-gun, anti-LGBTQ Republican politicians and Super PACs.Bonnaroo’s sustainability initiatives include Planet Roo (a haven for environmental consciousness), Clean Vibes Trading Post, annual sustainability reports, and $1 from every ticket goes to eco-friendly efforts.Launched in 2002, the music festival is held every June on a 700-acre farm just south of Nashville.With diverse headliners that have ranged from the Beastie Boys and Eminem to the Beach Boys and Paul McCartney, from Willie Nelson and Widespread Panic to Radiohead and Tool, it’s modeled after iconic music festivals like Monterey Pop and Woodstock.In additions to the music, you can also find arts and crafts, food and drinks, a comedy tent, cinema tent, Ferris wheel, silent disco, parades, and yoga.Their unique “Campground Plazas” also offer karaoke, late night parties, celebrity appearances, and more.If you’re looking for a hotel for the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, check out the Days Inn by Wyndham Manchester TN, Sassy Springs Retreat, and Courtyard by Marriott Nashville SE/Murfreesboro.READ MORE: The Best Travel Clothing for 7 Travel Styles (An Epic Guide)Fes Festival of World Sacred Music photo by Zoubir Ali via Flickr CC 2.0FES FESTIVAL OF WORLD SACRED MUSIC (FES, MOROCCO)Originally launched in 1994 in Fes (with King Mohammed VI as its royal patron), this world music festival is a celebration of the ancient Moroccan city’s rich traditions in the arts, knowledge, and spirituality.Held in June, the event has grown considerably over the last 24 years, annually attracting some 100,000+ attendees.It was even recognized by the UN as one of the world’s most significant events in terms of contributing to the dialogue between disparate cultures around the world.Every year the Fes Festival offers around 60 different shows and concerts, featuring musicians and poets ranging from up-and-coming “Next Big Things” to international icons such as Joan Baez, Björk, Patti Smith, Salif Keita, and Ravi Shankar. There are also multimedia performances, and Sufi Nights featuring sacred music rich with mysticism.Fes is the perfect setting for a festival rich with such diverse cultural traditions. Its influence dates back to Medieval times, when Popes and philosopher’s went there to study and teach.The concerts take place in venues of ancient cultural heritage, from local riads to the grand courtyard of Bab al Makina, where the official ceremonies of the royal palace were once held.If you’re looking for a hotel in Fes for the World Music Festival, check out Palais Faraj Suites & Spa, Riad Naila or Dar Mfaddel.READ MORE: Interview with Moroccan Music Legend Hassan HakmounMONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL (MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND)Founded back in 1967 (with considerable help from Atlantic Records honchos Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegün), Montreux is one of the oldest music festivals in the world. It’s also the second largest jazz festival, after the Montreal International Jazz Festival.That Canadian concert may attract more visitors– around 2 million annually. But Montreux benefits from its picturesque location on the stunning shores of Lake Geneva. The area is particularly beautiful in late June/early July, when the festival is held.Don’t let the name fool you: Though the festival was jazz-only in its early years, by the 1970s legendary rock artists such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Van Morrison were topping the bill.It was originally held at the Montreux Casino, until it burned down during Frank Zappa’s 1971 performance there. The event was immortalized in “Smoke On The Water,” the Deep Purple classic: “We all came out to Montreux, on the Lake Geneva shoreline. To make records with a mobile, we didn’t have much time.”In recent years the lineup has only gotten more eclectic. It still attracts top-notch jazz musicians such as Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, George Benson, and Fourplay.But it also hosts iconic artists offering an array of other styles, such as Usher & The Roots, Fleet Foxes, Erykah Badu, Youssou N’Dour, Ms. Lauryn Hill, and Brian Wilson. Best of all, more than half the concerts are free!If you’re looking for a hotel in Montreux, Switzerland for the Montreal International Jazz Festival, check out Hôtel de Chailly, Le Coucou Hotel & Restaurant-Bar or Swiss Historic Hotel Masson.READ MORE: Ben Jaffe on Preservation Hall Jazz BandWomad Music Festival. photo by Loyle Carner Aimee Valinski via WOMAD.co.ukWOMAD (WILTSHIRE, ENGLAND)One of my favorite music festivals I’ve attended, WOMAD (World Of Music, Arts & Dance) was founded in 1980 by Peter Gabriel and a team that included Artistic Director Thomas Brooman and influential concert promoter Martin Elbourne (who also books the Glastonbury Festival).From the beginning, the festival focused on the enthusiastic embracing of the world’s disparate cultures, encouraging the breaking down of boundaries through art, music, and movement.This has led to some extraordinary collaborations, such as when Echo & the Bunnymen played with the Drummers of Burundi in 1982, and when Mali’s Tinariwen played with two members of TV On The Radio in 2010.More than any other music festival, WOMAD has always been a celebration of global culture first and foremost. They offer workshops for both children (including circus skills, painting, and storytelling) and adults (such as dance, exotic musical instruments, and discussions of global concerns).They also feature an array of international cuisines, including traditional dishes cooked by the musicians themselves.Though not nearly as large as soon of the other festivals on this list (averaging around 30,000 visitors), the eclectic festival celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2017. It is held annually in late July.If you’re looking for a hotel for the WOMAD Festival, check out the Village Hotel Swindon, Cricklade House Hotel, or The Foxham Inn.READ MORE: Q&A with Tinariwen, Mali’s Tuareg Blues LegendsWORLD SACRED SPIRIT FESTIVAL (JODHPUR, INDIA)You’re unlikely to find a more stunning setting for a music festival than the ancient Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, in the Indian state of Rajasthan.Built around 1460 and located on a hill 410 feet above the city, the massive fort (one of India’s largest) includes an impressive museum and several palaces renowned for their intricate carvings and expansive courtyards.At the base of this extraordinary monument is where you’ll find the World Sacred Spirit Festival, which takes place over three days in mid-February. Founded in 2007, the event was formerly known as the World Sufi Festival.But it has since expanded its horizons to include a broad variety of sacred, spiritual music from different parts of the world.From melodious Lithuanian harp music and the traditional Italian folk songs of Sardinia to Andalusian Sufi songs of Morocco and Duduk (a type of clarinet) music from Armenia, music from North Africa, Europe, and Asia will be featured.And of course the local sounds of Rajasthan, India will be given their due time in the spotlight, from Qawwali devotional music to the droning double flute known as the Satara.It may not be the easiest festival for our western readers to get to. But, in terms of the mesmerizing music and the surrounding scenery, we can guarantee it’ll be worth the trip.If you’re looking for a hotel for the World Sacred Spirit Festival, check out Fairfield by Marriott Jodhpur, The Ajit Bhawan Palace or RAAS Jodhpur.READ MORE: 50 Fascinating Facts About Indian Culture (By Region)BEST RELIGIOUS FESTIVALSOuidah Voodoo Festival via pixabayOUIDAH INTERNATIONAL VOODOO FESTIVAL (OUIDAH, BENIN)The Voodoo (a.k.a. Vodun) religion has been demonized by puritanical cultures for centuries.But in western Africa– including Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo– this ancient practice is integral to the morality, politics, and social order of many villages. So efforts to eradicate it have been largely unsuccessful.In reality, Voodoo is not all that different from Catholicism, though it is matriarchal as opposed to patriarchal.Adherents believe that the vodun spirits are deities governing both man and nature. They are in the trees, rivers, and rocks, with lesser vodun devoted to specific nations, tribes, and clans.The Ouidah International Voodoo Festival, held every January in Ouidah, Benin, is the world’s largest gathering of Vodun practitioners and devotees.It attracts thousands from all around the world each year. And though certain aspects of it may not be for the faint of heart, it is an enlightening look at one of the world’s most misunderstood religions.You may see the ritualistic animal sacrifices that have made Voodoo controversial in the west (despite the fact that factory farming practices are more gruesome). There are also markets filled with fetishes, wood carvings, and masks, and women dressed in all the vivid colors of the rainbow.Word to the wise: Not many white people attend the festival, and some people will take advantage of naive tourists!If you’re looking for a hotel for the Ouidah International Voodoo Festival, check out Laguna Lodge, Résidence MGA or Nature Luxury Lodge.READ MORE: New Orleans’ Historic Voodoo MuseumHoli Indian Festival via pixabayHOLI FESTIVAL (INDIA, NEPAL, AND PAKISTAN)This ancient Hindu festival, also known as “the festival of colours” or “the festival of love,” celebrates the end of winter and the victory of good over evil.It takes place between late February and mid-March and lasts for one night (known as Holika Dahan or Chhoti Holi) and the following day (Holi).There are various legends associated with the Indian Festival. One suggests it pays tribute to the Hindu god Vishnu and his follower, Prahlada, and their defeat of Prahlada’s power-hungry father, the demon King Hiranyakashipu.One suggests it’s a celebration of the great love Radha had for the blue-faced deity, Krishna. Others link it to Shiva, who is often associated with yoga and meditation.On Holika Dahan, people perform religious rituals before a raging bonfire, which symbolizes cleansing and the forgiveness of past debts and other transgressions. The next morning is the wild free-for-all for which Holi is known.People fill water balloons and water guns, drench each other, then cover each other in powder in an array of dazzling colors.There’s also marching bands, dancing, food and drinks, and lots of laughter. Everyone is welcome, everyone is fair game, and the playful, childlike vibe is incredibly infectious.If you’re looking for a hotel to celebrate Holi Festival, check out Hotel SR Plaza (India), Taleju Boutique Hotel (Nepal) and Royal Villa F-10/2 (Pakistan).READ MORE: On the Trail of Tigers in Ranthambore National Parkby Tomas Maltby CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsMEVLÂNA FESTIVAL (KONYA, TURKEY)Commonly referred as the Whirling Dervish Festival, this annual event commemorates the death of 13th century saint Mevlâna, who’s more commonly known as Rumi.Rumi was a Persian poet, theologian, Islamic scholar, and Sufi mystic. Over the past seven centuries his influence has spread throughout the world, influencing everyone from Turks, Greeks, and Iranians to Muslims in Central and South Asia. Even now, nearly 750 years after his death, he is the best-selling poet in the United States.Rumi believed that it was possible to communicate with God through music and dance. Held December 10 through 17, the Mevlâna Festival celebrates Rumi’s eternal spirit with sacred music and Whirling Dervishes dancing.Their trance-like dancing creates a remarkable flow of energy, with their flowing white robes mesmerizing as they twirl in time with the music.The festival reaches its climactic crescendo on December 17, the day when Rumi was united with Allah. Over a million people attend each year, so if you want to visit the town of Konya you’ll need to book hotels and tickets well in advance.If you’re looking for a hotel for the Mevlâna Festival, check out Bera Konya Hotel, Paşapark Selçuklu Hotel or Bayır Diamond Hotel & Convention Center.By ROJOPUBICO (Own work) GFDL via Wikimedia CommonsSEMANA SANTA (SPAIN)Holy Week– the week between Palm Sunday and Easter– is celebrated throughout much of the Christian world. It commemorates the last week in the life of Christ, including the entry of Jesus and his disciples into Jerusalem, the crucifixion, and resurrection.But Semana Santa, as the holiday is known in Spain and much of Latin America, offers a much more elaborate approach to the celebration. It largely centers on the parade-like processions of Catholic brotherhoods (or fraternities), many of which date back to the Middle Ages or Baroque period.The celebrations vary by region: Those held in Málaga and Seville are among the most extravagant, while those in Valladolid and Zamora tend to be more somber. But the central features are generally similar.Penitents, known as nazarenos, march in colorful robes that hide their faces. They carry processional candles or crosses, and many walk barefoot, bound by chuckles and chains.But the thing that attracts travelers around the world is the fantastic floats (a.k.a. Pasos) they carry. These are elaborately decorated with artful sculptures depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ or the Sorrows of Virgin Mary.Some are created by famous Spanish artists, and have been used by brotherhoods for centuries. With marching bands providing musical accompaniment, it’s quite the spectacle.If you’re looking for a hotel for the Semana Santa Festival, check out Gran Hotel Miramar (Málaga), Hotel Palacete de Alamos (Málaga), Monte Carmelo (Sevilla) or Petit Palace Puerta de Triana (Sevilla).READ MORE: Working Holidays in AndalusiaBy Iudexvivorum (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia CommonsVESAK (COLOMBO, SRI LANKA)Also known as Vesākha or Buddha’s Birthday, Vesak is a traditional Buddhist holiday. It commemorates the birth, spiritual enlightenment, and death of Gautama Buddha, the sage teacher who lived sometime between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE.The religious holiday is observed by Buddhists in countries all around the world, but it is more common in Asia. The date varies from country to country, but the week-long celebration in Sri Lanka (which annually begins on the day of the full moon in May) is widely considered among the best.That’s because their Vesak Festival uniquely includes thoranas– massive, temporary structures designed to impress, covered with colorful lights and paintings.Each of these impressively elaborate pieces is designed to illustrate an important story from the Jatakas Tales about the life of the Buddha.Sri Lanka’s celebration also includes color lanterns (Vesak kuudu) hung in front of people’s home and along city streets to symbolize the light of the Buddha.There are food stalls set up to provide free food and drinks, groups singing devotional songs, and thousands of people from all around the world joining in the jubilant communal atmosphere that the best festivals create. –Bret Love; lead photo By Gianluca Ramalho Misiti (Flickr: sem título-25) CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsIf you’re looking for a hotel for the Vesak Festival, check out Marino Beach Colombo, Wonder Hotel Colombo, and City Hotel Colombo 02.Looking for essential Festival Gear? Check out these great options!The Best Travel Clothes for Women & MenThe Best Travel Shoes Cool Camping GearThe Best Backpacks for TravelersLooking to book your next trip? Check out the following services we use!DollarFlightClub or Airfarewatchdog to find a cheap plane tickets.Booking.com or Agoda to find a hotel deals.Viator for a stellar day tour.Lonely Planet for Travel Guides.World Nomads for Travel InsuranceAutoEurope – for European Car Rentalsor Rental Cars.com.Outdoorsy -RV and trailer rentalsTrustedHousesitters – we’ve found great pet sitters to watch our house and love on our two dogs!Shop Related ProductsTop Gear: The Perfect Road Trip Italy$2.99(145)Black Rock$7.99(401)Top Gear: The Perfect Road Trip$2.99(311)The Past Is A Grotesque Animal$7.99(31)Ads by AmazonTweetPin750Share936Share3Flip2KSHARESFILED UNDER: ECOTOURISM & GREEN LIVING BLOG, WORLD TRAVEL BUCKET LISTABOUT THE AUTHORGreen Global Travel is the world's #1 independently owned ecotourism website encouraging others to embrace sustainable travel, wildlife conservation, cultural preservation, and going green tips for more sustainable living.We've been spotlighted in major media outlets such as the BBC, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, The Guardian, Lonely Planet, National Geographic, Travel Channel, Washington Post and others.Owned by Bret Love (a veteran journalist/photographer) and Mary Gabbett (business manager/videographer), USA Today named us one of the world's Top 5 Travel Blogging Couples. We were also featured in the 2017 National Geographic book, Ultimate Journeys for Two, for which we contributed a chapter on our adventures in Rwanda. Other awards we've won include Best Feature from both the Caribbean Tourism Organization and the Magazine Association of the Southeast.AS SEEN ON…We are open to discussing advertising, sponsorships, brand ambassadorships, freelance work, speaking/teaching engagements, and consulting opportunities. Please contact us at [email protected] for more info.