Nueva Esparta State is formed of three islands, Margarita Island,Coche Island and Cubagua Island. You will more than likely see the brighter side of Margarita first. The east end of Margarita island has considerable resort development. The west end of Margarita Island is the Macanao Peninsula, an arid, undeveloped region with mountains in the interior and ringed by sandy beaches.

 

La Isla Margarita, known as the "Pearl of the Caribbean", is situated 38 km north east of the mainland of Venezuela and far from the track of Atlantic tropical storms. Its location as an island in the Caribbean sea offers lots of beaches to explore, some of them virgin. Margarita Island is divided into two sections tenuously linked by a 24 km. sand spit which separates the sea from the fascinating Restinga Lagoon National Park.

At its largest, Margarita Island measures 67 km from east to west ( Punta Ballena to Punta Arenas) and 32.4 kms. from north to south - 167 km. off shoreline liberally endowed with inviting beaches. The average temperature is 27 degrees Celsius and the annual rainfall averages 27 inches resulting in mostly arid landscapes with some wooded areas and fertile valleys. Over 300,000 people live on Margarita Island most of whom live in the eastern part where the capital of Asuncion and the shoppers paradise of Porlamar are located. The western part of Margarita island is called the Macanao Peninsula. It is sparsely populated and has seen little tourist development due to the limited availability of water.

The Guaiqueri Indians were the first settlers on the island. Columbus discovered the islands in 1498. It was an insignificant discovery at the time, but years later Cristobal de la Guerra and Pedro Alonso Niño found a hidden bed of pearls off Cubagua, and eventually went back to Spain with 80 pounds of them. This spurred the settlement of the small island, which became the first in South America.

On March 8,1525 the Crown gave Margarita to Licenciado Marcelo Villalobos and his family. They were entrusted to begin a settlement there. Marcelo Villalobos died before actually reaching the island, but his wife, Doña Isabel Manrique, governed there until 1535. The Villalobos' governed the island until 1593, when the last of the family died. It was then reinstated under the Crown.

Between 1535 and 1815 it had seventy governors. During the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries it was constantly raided by pirates and freebooters. This forced its inhabitants to build forts and castles to defend it. Legends affirm that Lope de Aguirre was the first adventurer to attack Margarita, in 1561. When the Independence movement started in Caracas in 1810, Margarita immediately joined it, and fought heroic battles under the command of brave men like Santiago Mariño and Juan Bautista Arismendi.

Margarita is the Greek word for pearl, and pearls are the subhistory of the islands which provided Spain with shiploads of wealth.

Margarita island is 43 miles long. It is actually two islands connected by a narrow Isthmus. The second Island is called Península de Macanao which is largely unpopulated.

Peninsula de Macanao is at the western end of Margarita, and Porlamar is south-east. The international airport del Caribe is on the southern rim of the island, and is a half hour to a 35 minute taxi cab ride from Porlamar. The islands' thick section is a three quarter circle from Porlamar to Juangriego, which is center-north. On that near full circle are Margarita's finest beaches, and a ride between the two towns is spectacular; twisted, cliffhanging roads that have the sea layed out in front of them, and have the green rolling hills behind.

The most important town on the island is Porlamar. Its original name was "Puerto de la Mar" but the people shortened it to Porlamar. Its extraordinary urban and commercial growth has taken place during the last fifteen years. It changed from a quiet fishermen village into a booming town with skyscrapers, excellent hotels, night clubs, large commercial firms, and luxurious restaurants.

Porlamar has 100,000 people. Cranes and hollow, tall structures bully Porlamar - the rest of the island is still subdued and quiet; the beaches dominate. La Asunción, the capital, is the nose of the fat face formed by Margarita's east side, and Santa Ana, a historical city, is the bridge of the nose. La Asunción has 12,000 inhabitants, and is the oldest town on the island. It was founded in 1561 in the Valley of Santa Lucia. It has several important structures, among which the Parish Church, built in the XVI century is outstanding and the old Convent San Francisco, also constructed In the XVI century, which is now used for the government offices. The Santa Rosa Castle, constructed towards the end of the XVII century, is another work of art full of history.

Although the island's capital is very small, it is easy to get lost if you drive through this quaint little colonial town in car. Walk along the boulevard and stop off at the Concejo Municipal, the Asamblea Legislativa, the Governor's Mansion, the cathedral and some of the government's offices. Across from the plaza, near the cathedral, visit the Nueva Cadiz museum. In the near courtyard you will find the best map of the island -a 33 foot-long scale model in raised relief- surrounded by water.

Pampatar, another wonderful colonial site, is east of Porlamar. It was founded in the sixteenth century. It now has 6,000 inhabitants. Its chief monuments are the Castle of San Carlos Borromeo, the Fortin de la Caranta and the Templo del Cristo del Buen Viaje, a deeply venerated image by all fishermen.

Finally, Punta de Piedra, the dock for the ferry to Puerto La Cruz, is located in south-west part of the island, very near to Peninsula de Macanao. The infrastructure of the island is in mint condition, and no ride is longer than an hour.

The flight from Caracas is under an hour about 45 minutes long. Once your in Margarita the ride to Porlamar is another half hour. There are actually two distinct sections of Porlamar. As your cab first enters the city limits the small, crowded somewhat rusted apartment buildings of the residents are visible.

The streets are jammed with stores, houses, cars, and people. Moving east on either Calle Zamora o Calle Igualdad, you'll pass several pedestrian thoroughfares that are strictly for shopping. Then, suddenly, you come to Hotel Bella Vista, and the streets become dotted with tourists, much less crowded, the rusted apartments become glass, shiny clothes stores, and you have reached the tourist section of Porlamar.

The tourist part of the city is dominated by two streets: Avenida Santiago Mariño and Avenida 4 de Mayo. They are crowded with stores selling international goods, fast food joints and restaurants; off one of these streets will inevitably be your hotel. Stores selling Nike, Ralph Lauren, Polo, Finlandia, Lindt, line these streets and give it a real 5th Avenue texture. Avenida 4 de Mayo, east, leads to Pampatar, and the north-east rim where Margarita's best beaches are located.

Santa Ana: Founded also in the sixteenth century, it has 5,000 inhabitants. Its church was built in the seventeenth century. It is near Fortin España.

Juangriego: It is on a lovely bay, with clear and cool waters, it has about 9,000 Inhabitants and it is an active trading center. The Fortín de La Galera is a historically important building.

Punta de Piedras: With 6,000 inhabitants, it is a fisherman's village, and the ferry's terminal. It is also the seat of oceanographic investigations of Fundacion La Salle de Ciencias Naturales, which carries on interesting studies on the fauna and flora of the surrounding sea.

Boca del Rio: is on the Macanao peninsula, and it joins the rest of the island by means of a bridge crossing la Restinga and the Arapano isthmus.

San Juan Bautista: is an ancient agricultural and artesian town, where date palms are cultivated. With their leaves, hats and pocketbooks are made.

The city of Porlamar is worth exploring on foot (in the cool part of the day, that is), particularly the main streets- Calles Igualdad and Guevara. Calle Igualdad runs from the Bella Vista Hotel to the Plaza Bolívar, the city's largest plaza, a 6 block stretch, which is the site of tremendous building activity. Seven story apartment buildings and ubiquitous shops are everywhere. As elsewhere in Venezuela, the Plaza Bolívar is the social center of the city. Friends meet on its benches, hard fought chess games are played and guitars are popular. At one ends stands St. Nicholas Church whose huge dome is visible throughout the city. It is as the main church here, the site of religious festivals, particularly on December 5 and 6 (The Feast of St. Nicholas) and at Christmas.

A pleasant stroll along Calle Guevara (in front of the church) will put you at Porlamar's outdoor market on the coast. Along the way are jewelry shops and stores. The market which runs for five or six short blocks offers avocados, oranges and pineapples, plus fish and soft goods. Watch the women maneuver the baskets perched atop their heads.

Margarita is often called the island of pearls and the rich oyster beds yield unusually shaped pearls which are primarily pink in color, fairly small and come in unusual shapes. There are some shops here selling jewelry using Margarita's pearls. Also sold here are cultivated pearls from Japan. These come in whites, grays and blacks and are good buys too. However, don't overlook great buys in ceramic, wood carvings, woven hammocks and straw articles which often are attractive works of art. For pearls try first the Casa Avila, Calle Gomez 47 which owner Juan Avila Guerra operates from his home. He has bags of pearls and tosses them out on a green felt table as If they were grains of rice.

Shopping, of course, is dominated by the stores selling international duty free goods. The Avenues of Santiago Mariño and 4 de Mayo are stuffed with stores, and Calles Igualdad, Guevara and Macanao are also brimming with shops. Click here for more about Shopping.

Santuario de la Virgen: The legend says that the sacred image was found in the Cueva del Piache, in the former Valle Charaima, now called Valle del Espíritu Santo.

Isla de Cubagua: During colonial times Cubagua had its boom due to its rich pearl fisheries, which were soon exhausted. An earthquake destroyed the town. Now it is visited because of it quiet waters.

Isla de Coche: Eleven kilometers long by 6 kilometers wide, and a population of 5,000, it is devoted to fishing, salt mining, and tourism.

Columna Matasiete: A monument raised to commemorate the triumph of patriot forces over the Spanish army commanded by General Pablo Morillo, who had defeated the Napoleonic invaders in Spain.

Laguna Las Marites: A lovely lagoon, 12 kilometers from Porlamar, ideal for water-skiing, fishing and boating.

Bahia de Pedro González: Lovely fishermen's village, with quite waters

 

Margarita Island Forts & Castles

During the colonial days the spaniards built fortresses and forts to protect its ports from the pirates these constructions remaing as witnesses of that turbulent period of our history.

Castillo de Santa Rosa

Located on top of la Caranta hill in Pampatar, it was built between 1586 and 1595 it was originally meant to shut the access to Pampatar's shore along with the fortress of San Carlos however its task could not be performed as it was destroyed during attacks by Dutch pirates in 1626.

 

Castillo de San Carlos

This fort the most important of the island was built to protect the bay of Pampatar. Its constructión was carried out under the supervisión of cap. Carlos Navarro who gave it his name according to plans drawn by military engineer Don Juan Betin between 1664 and 1684.

 

Fortin La Caranta

Located on top of la Caranta hill in Pampatar it was built between 1586 and 1595 It was originally meant to, shut the access to Pampatar's shore along with the fortress of San Carlos however, its task could not be performed as it was destroyed during attacks by Dutch pirates in 1626.

 

Fortin España

Located on a hill the out skirts of Santa Ana del Norte, it is only a small guard outpost but proved to be of great importance to protect the road between JuanGriego and La Asunción.

 

 

Fortin de la Galera

Rising above the bay of the same name it was erected in 1811 by the Margarita Provincial Joint and given the name of la libertad (freedom) one of the struggle for Venezuela independence was held around its walls on august 8th 1817.

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