Margarita, Coche and Cubagua
Islands conform the smallest Venezuelan state called
Nueva Esparta, its capital city is La Asunción
founded in 1565. It has been the strategic center of
Margarita Island, which has a 950km2 surface and a population
of 350.000 inhabitants. It is located in the inner part
of the island, just enough to make it inaccessible to
the pirates and to complicate the attacks of the indigenous
Caribbean rebels. |
Before the Spanish conquest, Margarita,
the same as the smaller Coche and Cubagua islands, which
are located in front of its coast, had strong relations
with the ferocious Caribbean indigenous and the peaceful
Arawaks and Guaiqueries, first inhabitants of the area.
At the present time it is the political headquarter
of the state. La Asunción is characterized by
maintaining its colonial houses and we must highlight
that here we can find the second oldest Church of South-America
and Santa Rosa's Castle, moreover, it is surrounded
by one of the two National Parks of the state, THE CERRO
EL COPEY NATIONAL PARK |
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The most famous religious place is at El Valle del Espiritu
Santo, where is found the Virgen del Valle sanctuary,
the chapel where the Margarita's and all eastern part
of Venezuela's patroness image is at. According to the
legend a Guaiqueri indian found the Virgin's beautiful
image in a hillside by the town. The enormous devotion
to this Virgin is evident at The Diocesan Museum, which
was built to keep the incredible volume of offerings that
have been accumulated along many years. Very close to
it we find Santiago Mariño's native house, where
one the most important Venezuelan heroes was born.
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| Porlamar is
usually the first destination for most people, founded
March 25, 1.536; it was initially a quiet fishing town,
that became a dynamic city of 150.000 inhabitants, with
wide boulevards, full of good restaurants, hotels for
all budgets, luxurious casinos and a very attractive night
life. Porlamar main activities are tourism and commerce,
therefore streets like Santiago Mariño and 4 de
Mayo avenues are full of stores that sell everything,
from a French perfume to local production t-shirts. The
beaches that highlight in this city are LA CARACOLA and
PLAYA BELLA VISTA. |
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| Its beaches are the biggest
charm of Margarita - there are more than enough -, and
due to their extension every visitor falls in love as
stands in front of its waves. The better known ones are
located at the north side of the island, PLAYA EL AGUA
and PLAYA PARGUITO are the most visited, both of them
are very extense and are connected each other, also with
small and continuous waves, where the visitors can enjoy
a good surfing session. These are the beaches with more
tourist potential because of their facilities and the
bunch of beautiful girls that enjoy their sun daily wearing
daring bathing suits. Behind the airport is located El
Yaque Beach, one of the fastest beaches in the world for
those who love sailing sports such as winsurf and kitesurf. |
Following the north-west route and a few
minutes from El Agua Beach, the landscape changes and
the beaches turn into smaller bays at the base of the
cliffs that surround the highway, there we get to fishermen
towns and their beaches that have the same name like Manzanillo
and Guayacan. Following the same road and without straying,
we get by Constanza's belvedere, where a relaxing and
paradisiacal marine view is appreciated in front of a
calm blue sea. It is worthy to take some minutes to contemplate
it.
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| The next more important city
in the western coast of Margarita Island is Juan Griego,
famous for its beautiful sunsets, as well as Caribe Beach.
Leaving Juan Griego and on the way to The Penisula de
Macanao, you can enjoy a pretty car ride and enjoy the
Taguantar coast, that offers a relaxing and paradisiac
view from where you can watch the distant mountains of
the Peninsula de Macanao. |
| Between Margarita and
the Peninsula de Macanao we find La Restinga National
Park, it is worthy to take half-day and enjoy its romantic
mangroove channels and watch the birds that inhabit
there.
For the younger ones, Margarita has thematic attraction
parks like Parque El Agua, Diverland and Waterland,
in the last one you can enjoy the unique experience
of swiming with dolphins |
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