VENEZUELA

Roques is an archipelago of paradise islands such as you can imagine with blue transparent waters and with the sand beaches of a Caribbean island.
The archipelago is formed by several small islands mostly inhabited, and the biggest one is: Gran Roque. Los Roques is at 166kms from the continental coast.

Upon arrival at Gran Roque, at the airport, you must pay a Los Roques National Park fee of 33.600Bs.

High season is like ours: August, Christmas and Easter, if we can choose and avoid these days much better, because Roques is very expensive and in high season even more.

We have seen other paradise islands in the World and we must say that in Roques there is a big inconvenience: you always must depend on the boats to do the trips, and you must preview everything: umbrellas, food, beverages…, you can not easily go to the hotel. There are no beaches in Gran Roque. Moreover in Gran Roque, the land is very dry and there is nothing but posadas, nothing to visit.

In los Roques there is only one bank and it does not change euros, only dollars, and a minimum of 200US$, beside this they charge 5% of commission and the change is not good: 2.144Bs per dollar. The opening times are from 8 to 12 and from 14 to 17 hours.

In Gran Roque there is only one Internet centre which is just in front of the posada Karlin, it costs 20.000Bs per hour (20 times more that in continental Venezuela!). There is another place for Internet: the InfoCentro, just in front of the bakery Bella Mar, only open from 12 to 14 and from 17 to 19 hours. The first 30 minutes are for free, but it’s very slow.

In continental Venezuela we have seen some electricity cuts, in Gran Roque it was even worse and sometimes they know in advance that it will happen, and sometimes they even do not know about it. Rotatorily and by zones, the electricity is cut between 19 and 23,30, staying really dark. The posadas on the higher level have their own generator, that makes you privileged in the dark. These cuts are due to the infrastructure that cannot support the big request of the tourists.

http://www.los-roques.org
http://www.venezuelatuya.com/losroques/index.htm
How to arriveIn Cumaná we took a taxi until the bus terminal (5.000Bs) and there we took a night bus of Rodovias to Caracas. We paid 37.500Bs for the night bus plus 200Bs for the exit fee. The bus leaves at 22,30 and arrives to Caracas at 6 am. We arrived at the private bus terminal of Rodovias which is close to the metro stop of Colegio de Ingenieros, but taking into account the time we had, we decided not to risk and to take a taxi that costs 10.000Bs until the aerobus bus stop which is in avenida Sucre nº 17, between México and Lacone, at Parque Central. There we paid 8.000Bs for the ticket to the airport. The buses leave from 5am each 30 minutes. In 45 minutes we arrived to the airport of Maiquetía.

The flight of Transaven to los Roques leaves at 10:30 and takes 35 minutes to arrive to the island of Gran Roque. In Roques there are no cars, and we walked to the posada Karlin.
Each kilo over 10 kgs, you must pay and additional 1US$. Only on the way to Roques, not flying back. We understand it’s a way to earn Money with tourists.

We traed to buy the tickets to Roques per internet from Barcelona but it seemed to be imposible. Once in Venezuela, we tried to buy it in different travel agencies, but all said Roques was “full” and that we would find nothing. But in Ciudad Bolívar, José Carlos Costs (Tel. 0058-414 8523209, [email protected]) that works at Bernal Tours at the airport office of Ciudad Bolívar, told us he would find something. He found it through his friend Yoni Velis who is an independent tour operator at the airport. Maiquetía-Caracas. Yoni sold us a package of flight and posada (sleep, breakfast and dinner included) for 410€ per person, 5 days-4 nights.
Yoni, moreover can buy the tickets that you can ask per email or phone (Tel. 0058-414 3305301, [email protected]).

We recommend to previously buy the ticket per Internet or to Yoni. Usually it costs 170US$ or 180US$.
Sleeping & EatingAs we bought a package, the posada was not chosen by us and we slept, had breakfast and had dinners there: Posada Karlin (Tel. 0058-237 221 14 43, [email protected]).

The other two posadas that we visited and I can say that are really beautiful and are really in front of beach are posada La Gaviota (Tel. 0058-414 32 42092, www.posadalagaviota.com) and Macanao Lodge (http://www.macanaolodge.com, [email protected]). There are really few posadas which are really in front of the beach, most of the posadas are one street away from the beach or a couple, but not on the beach. The pictures of the posadas lie, because they are only close to the beach but not on the  front.

Roques are a very expensive trip, it costs between 60 and 200€ per person and night. Only you pay 50€/60€ per person and night if the posada is more simple and belongs to people from los Roques. Most of the posadas belong to Italians that 15 years ago discovered these wonderful islands.
I repeat, most of the posadas are not in front of the beach, but one or two streets away (Gran Roque has 3 main streets).

Prices are usually to sleep, for breakfast and dinner. Sometimes do include the boat trips to the other islands. In the simple posadas, these trips are not included.

We believe that through Internet you can get better prices, directly with the posadas, and asking them to include the boat trips and the meals.

Another great option is to sleep on the yachts. The big advantage is the independence that you have (to visit the islands you want, everything per desire, to sleep watching the Stara, to stop the yacht in the middle of a wonderful bay...), moreover if you remember the dependence from the boats at Los Roques.

These services of the yacht can be done by Alfons Millaret (Tel. 0058-414 1869748, [email protected]) who is doing a World tour and was spending some months in Roques. Also Jordi Flo, another Catalan who lives there and makes these kind of (Tel. 0058- 414 394 2320, [email protected]). Also there is the possibility to save the flight at the yacht of Jordi or Alfonso, they pick you up at Cumaná or at isla Margarita and they bring you back to La Guaira (the port of Caracas).
Sleep, eating and trips could cost around 150U$ per person and day.

A nice place to drink something or eat in front of the beach is Aquarena (Tel. 0058-414 1311282, www.aquarena.com.ve).
Gran Roque has only a bakery and it’s really delicious, and good prices (moreover comparing it with the prices in Roques), it’s called Bella Mar and it’s in the middle street, and for lunch they make an abundant lunch for 8.000Bs.
We know that soon will be opened another bakery that belongs to a Catalan from Badalona.
What to seeIn the main island, in Gran Roque, there is not much to see, nothing. We only recommend to go to the lighthouse to see the views from the village from the top.

At the Gran Roque it is not recomendable to stay at the beach, in fact nobody stays there, everybody leaves the island in the morning with the boat trips to go to the neighbouring islands. The trips cost between 15.000Bs and 60.000Bs depending on which island we go to. They are all the same beautiful, with no big differences, the most far away is around one hour and a half, the closest one only 20 minutes.
When you go to close islands, the rental of umbrellas and diving ítems is not included.
To rent umbrellas, diving tube and glasses to do some snorkelling costs 25.000Bs. Everything can be rented at Oscar’s Shop, which is a small shop at the beginning of the village.

Another good option is go fishing, we recommend to do it with José Mata “Zapatón”, to find in the phone 0058-237 2211165 or through the posada Karlin.

For diving there are two options in Gran Roque: ADC (www.scubavenezuela.com, [email protected]), or with Arrecife Diver’s (www.divevenezuela.com, [email protected]).