Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine October 2017 | Page 356
LOS ROQUES - ISLANDS FOR QUIET GET-AWAYS Although the Los Rogues archipelago, which consists of 350 islands, cays, and islets covering an area of 40.61 square kilometers is located only 80 miles north of La Guaira on the Venezuelan mainland, the 70,000 people that visit the islands each year are assured a quiet and peaceful get-away as the islands themselves have a total population of less than 2,000. The main attraction of Los Roques is the Archipelago de Los Roques National Park which covers an area of 225,153 hectares of sea and land, including 40 islands and over 250 coral reefs. This means that although the islands may be quiet, there is never a shortage of activities, which include snorkeling at the many beaches and scuba diving, which some divers have described as being a paradise. Windsurfing and kite-surfing can also be done over the shallow waters of the smaller islands located close to Gran Roque. In the evenings or mornings, a short hike up a hill close to ‘town’ will provide some excellent views of the sunset or sunrise over the beautiful Caribbean waters. One of the reasons the islands provide a quiet get- away for tourists, is the fact that although some yachts do stop there, no ferries will take you to the islands, so all visitors must take a 40 minute flight from the mainland on small planes to a small airstrip on Gran Roque. The peaceful surroundings does not mean that you cannot enjoy one of the great pastimes that visitors to some of the larger, busier islands in the Caribbean enjoy. By all means, you can sip a delicious mojito whilst sitting on a beanbag inches from the sea, at one of the beach bars at Gran Roque.