If you think that you have taken enough sun, and would like to do something different, we recommend you a hiking tour to La Sierra, Margarita Islands highest mountains.

There are two ways to go there: from La Asunción, or from San Juan. After San Juan there is Fuentidueño and Las pozas de San Juan. This place is very popular between the locals for taking a bath close to the small rivers that are there. It is also the place where the Excursion to the mountains starts. There are many guides in Fuentidueño that offer the trekking tour. We at Cela Spanish School, make this excursions since years with Sr. Antonio.

He lives very close to the Pozas and knows every single path, and shows animals and insects. You will taste tropical fruits and learn about where they grow. In the rainy season: from november until march you can take a bath in one of the little waterfalls that are on the way.

After the excursion that usualy takes 3 hours, Sr. Antonio will invite you to his house and offer you an arepa (venezuelan typical corn bread) with chicken and dulce de lechoza, a sweet made from green papayas.

Every taxi driver on the island can take you to Fuentidueño and Las Pozas de San Juan. You can contact Sr. Antonio through Cela Spanish School, we will be pleased to put you in touch.

Arepas (round, flat buns made of corn dough) are available in different types: filled with chicken, different sorts of cheese, egg, etc. You will find them all over the island in so called “Areperas”.

Empanadas (stuffed, deep-fried dough) are usually filled with cheese, chicken, shark meat, beans, etc. They are a common snack especially at the beach. You will sure find restaurants at the beach as well but you should definitely look for one of the Empanada stands to try one of them.

The Spanish School CELA offers cooking courses on a regular basis where you can learn how to prepare Venezuelan specialties.

Perro caliente (hot dog): You will find a hot dog stand at every corner as it is a common snack for the local people.

Hamburguesas (hamburger) probably belong to the best and most delicious type of fast food in Venezuela. They cannot be compared to the hamburgers made by the well-known fast food chains. In Venezuela you can buy hamburgers at every street corner and you can order them with whatever you like such as fried egg, sausage, bacon, meat, onions and a big selection of sauces.

Borders: The country possesses borders with the Caribbean Sea to the north, Guyana and the Atlantic ocean to the east, Brazil to the south, and Colombia to the west.
Oficial Language: Spanish

Currency: Bolívar (2,15 USD)

Religion: catholic

Population: according to the last census (2001) Venezuela has 23.232.553 inhabitants

Venezuela has 24 states and the capital city is Caracas with 2.079.596 inhabitants (2001)

Clima: The weather in Venezuela is very varied. The country is located in the intertropical zone and the wind comes from the northwest and southeast. The rainy season is from May until October and the dry season from November until April. The average temperature is 1º-9º C in the Andes and 38ºC in the rest of the country.

Surface: Venezuela has 912.050 Km2 and more than 314 islands.

You can find further information about Venezuela under the following links:

Venezuelan Statistic Institute

Foundation Empresas Polar

Government of Venezuela

Some of the most interesting and famous beaches are:

Playa El Agua: the most known beach on the island. The water is warm and the sea is choppy. There are many shops, restaurants, exchange offices and car rentals. The area is very touristic.

Playa Parguito: it is right beside Playa El Agua, just a bit further north. The beach has some restaurants und the waves are big. It is an excellent beach for surfing.

Playa Manzanillo: it is a very calm and tranquile town situated in the north of the island.  The water is cold and calm. In the late afternoon you can see the fishermen coming in with the fish they caught that day.

Playa Puerto Cruz: Puerto Cruz is the beach near to the Dunes Hotel. The beach is long, the water is warm and choppy. There are only 2 little restaurants there, because most of the visitors are guests in the all inclusive hotel.

Playa Zaragoza: it is very nice beach located a few 100 meters from Playa Puerto Cruz. The sea is quiet and calm. There are a few restaurants in nice houses built in colonial style.

Playa Caribe: one of the most popular among the Margarita visitors. It is close to Juan Griego, in the north of the island. There you can see an amazing sunset. The water is warm and the sea choppy.

Playa El Yaque: close to the airport and famous for the good conditions to practise wind and kite surfing.

Playa La Caracola: this beach is in Costa Azul, between Porlamar and Pampatar. The beach is not great to go for a swim, but in the mornings and afternoons no traffic is allow on the beach which makes it a nice place for jogging, biking, etc.

Playa La Restinga: This long beach with warm water can be reached by boat in the Restinga Lagune. From there you will have a fantastic view of the north of the island and Macanao.

Playa Punta Arenas: Punta Arenas is the furthest beach on the island. It is at the end of the Macanao Peninsula. The beach is very long and big, but there are no amazing differences compared to the other beaches of the island.

The visit of the above mentioned beaches is part of our excursion program in Cela Spanish School on Margarita Island.

Margarita Island is located at the north east of Venezuela 30 minutes by plane from Caracas, the capital of the country. The island has an aera of 1071 km2 and 315 kms of coasts. The capital is La Asunción, a small town in the center of the island. Margarita has 422.688 inhabitants. The island is part of the state of Nueva Esparta, consisting of the islands Margarita, Coche and Cubagua. The currency is the bolivar. 1 US$= 2,15 Bolívares.

Official Language is Spanish

The weather is warm and sunny the whole year. It does not vary much, 27º - 38 ºCelsius. In the winter (from November to January) the weather is more pleasent and fresh. During the rainy season there are some rainfalls at night or in the early morning, but close to the midday the sun comes out, so you can go to the beach every day of the year on Margarita Island.

The life on the island is quiet and tranquile. There is crime like everywhere else in latinamerica, but not at a high rate, as opposed to other cities in the country. It is recommendable to take care of your personal belongings and to be careful with people that you do not know well.

Margarita Island’s industry is fishing and tourism. It is a small but modern island with many shopping malls and oportunities for leisure and relaxation.

You will find more info on the official website of the airline http://www.venezolanaonline.com

Soon they will offer other destinations: Barcelona, Puerto Ordaz, Valera, Valencia and Bogotá, Curazao, Lima, Panamá, Santo Domingo, and Trinidad.

The airline is on time and has good air fares.

Karl Weidmann´s oficial web site http://karlweidmann.com

Regarding flights in Venezuela, you can book them by checking the websites of the Venezuelan airlines. At this time we do not recommend to fly with Aeropostal or Conviasa as their flights are often delayed by 3 hours or more.
Here you will find a list of Venezuelan airlines:

Laser Airlines: punctual and reliable
Avior Airlines: please confirm your return flight
Aserca Airlines: Same as Avior
Rutaca: little airline with several destinations

Santa Barbara Airlines: also offers flights to Spain, Portugal and Ecuador

Aerotuy: Canaima and Los Roques.

Conviasa: Try other choices first
Aeropostal:

Accommodation can be provided in local host families or apartments.

There are also flights from Margarita Island to Trinidad and Grenada with the following Venezuelan airlines:

Conviasa, Trinidad and Grenada, daily
Avior, Trinidad, daily
Rutaca, Trinidad (new)

Most of this airlines offer online booking through their homepages - just click on the name of the airline and you will be directed to the main page.