November 16, 2004 -- The North Coast of Venezuela looks out on the Caribbean and up to Central America. The lazy days, hot sun and strong breezes make for good vacation time and a smart alternative to the more developed Caribbean destinations. Small islands just off the coast specialize in island-time relaxation, incredible deep-sea fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling and inexpensive lodging with serious local flavor.
Tara Tours (tel. 800/327-0080; www.taratours.com) put together a "Venezuelan Express," a seven-night air-inclusive trip that takes you through Caracas and ships you out to pretty Margarita Island for four days of water sports and beach living. Double occupancy at the five-star Hilton Caracas and Hilton Margarita cost $1,330. Four-star accommodations at comparable resorts run $1,195. For departure dates from January 1 to March 31, 2005 add $100. Over Christmas holidays from Dec. 9 on add $280. Most United States major gateways are available. For New York, Boston and east coast departures, add $80 to the total price. Air transportation is by American Airlines. Venezuelan departure taxes come to $20 and are not included. Neither is the $62.95 for U.S. departure and security taxes or a travel and land insurance cost of $84. Who wants to think of incidentals when one can think about the easy waves from your beachside resort on Margarita Island, known for water activities, long, pretty beaches and friendly people. Margarita Island is blessed with two national parks and three nature reserves. Exploring is half the fun. Sitting on the beach doing nothing can be just as pleasurable. If you want to skip Caracas, a seven-night trip to El Agua beach on Margarita costs $1,087 if you travel from Miami from Jan. 3 to April 16, 2005, which happens to be Venezuela's high season. Tara Tours also offers a la carte packages for you to travel to Caracas and do the rest yourself.
Doing the rest yourself is fairly easy in Venezuela. Many tour operators offer day trips from Caracas or one or two night excursion packages to Margarita Island and Los Roques, a small island off Venezuela's coast with incredible vegetation and scuba possibilities. LTA (www.tuy.com, e-mail: tuysales@etheron.net) specializes in trips to the outer islands of Venezuelan and has been taking travelers on yacht and boat cruises to offbeat destinations for years. Their trips to Los Roques, located 90 miles north of Caracas, cover many of the islands 50 keys and incredible coral reef. Local guides provide local knowledge to your surfing, snorkeling or nature watching needs. A day-tour from Caracas costs $141 and includes airfare, lunch and excursions. If you decide to stay the night or book an overnight trip through LTA to Los Roques, a double room with airfare and excursions costs $320 per person. You can also rent a yacht from UTA to accommodate your fishing or scuba desires.
Finally, Traveland (tel. 800/323-6336; www.traveland.com) has a discounted trip to Margarita Island. A seven-night eight-day package usually $999 is currently available for $699. Departures are for Tuesday or Wednesday and the above price is out of Miami. Of course, other departure cities are available for an additional price. This well-priced package includes round trip airfare from Miami, two nights in Caracas, all air transportation, ground transports and five nights at a five-star resort where all meals and drinks and sports activities are free.
If you have concerns over safety issues while traveling in Venezuela, be sure to read through State Department's Consular Information Sheet at http://travel.state.gov/travel/venezuela.html.
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