Los Roques from plane photo cred

I have been dreaming of this lovely archipelago for the past couple of years that I have been living in Venezuela. Before I moved here, I don’t think I had ever heard of the place. Then friends began traveling there and posting pictures.

I tried to buy tickets to visit Los Roques at least twice last year, but the plans always fell through. Now I live really close to the coast and my friend D has connections at a travel agency who have managed to hook us up!

For Thanksgiving weekend we spent three nights in this beachy paradise!

We flew in a tiny little plane with Chappy Air to El Gran Roque. We stayed at Suenos Del Mar.  I can’t wait to return!

I took this pic just as we were about to land on El Gran Roque

5 Tips for your visit to Los Roques:

1. There is little shade on these islands so bring TONS of sunscreen! There are also lots of insects so bring plenty of repellent. Despite following my own advice, at the end of the trip I was still covered in tiny bug bites and my back was burnt!
2. There is a park fee you must pay upon landing because it is a national park of Venezuela. Have your Bs ready!
3. There are no vehicles on Gran Roque so everything is reachable by foot.
4. Ask your posada to arrange a boat to take you to another island for the day, or go island hopping.
5. Pack light because each passenger is only allowed 10KG (22 pounds) on the airplane. If you are overweight you can pay 40bs per kilo extra.

We found a lobster shack on Cayo Madrisqui! $14 usd for all this, soda, and coffee for dessert!

Eat

1. Fresh lobster!
2. Helado (ice cream) because it is sooo hot
3. As far as I know all food is included in your stay at the posada. You might want to bring some extra snacks if you don’t like seafood!
4. Fried fish

I took this pic of my new favorite beach: Cayo de Agua so everyone can see how white the sand is and how beautiful the water is

Do

1. Sleep and read on the beach
2. Visit the Turtle Sanctuary on Dos Mosquises
3. Walk or run on the beach
4. Go snorkeling
5. Go Scuba diving
6. Go island hopping (Cayo Madrisqui and Cayo de Agua were recommended the most)

This is a pic of the spacious and rustic room I stayed in at Sueno del Mar

Sleep

1. We stayed at Suenos Del Mar which was good with great food.
2. I’ve had friends stay at Posada Mediterrano and highly recommended it.  It is also one of the most expensive on the island.

Cost

Breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and dinner were included with my room and flights for a total cost of $265. Plus the park tax which was another dollar. Pay in bs whenever possible!

Have you ever been to Los Roques? Where did you stay?  Which was your favorite Cayo?