Organized tours

A score of travel agents have settled in the city, taking advantage of the tourist dollar. Many can be found on Paseo Colón: Some have their own offices, while others nestle in handicraft shops, hotel lobbies etc. They offer tours to anywhere in the country, from the Gran Sabana to the Andes, but it’s cheaper to arrange one from the local center (Santa Elena de Uairén and Mérida, respectively). It may, however, be worth giving some thought to regional tours, principally around Parque Nacional Mochima. One-day tours are standard, but longer trips can be arranged with some operators. Tours usually include snorkeling (equipment provided), but may also feature fishing, scuba diving, water sports and the like. Note that boat trips are also organized from Santa Fe and Mochima, and they may be cheaper from there.

Boat excursions to the nearby islands of Mochima have become popular with visitors (mostly Venezuelans) and depart regularly every morning from the three central piers, between the tourist office and Plaza Colón. They are either transportation-only trips or more complete tours that may include snorkeling, lunch and drinks.

One of the most popular trips includes Playa El Saco and Playa Puinare (both on Isla Chimana Grande) and Playa El Faro (on Isla Chimana Segunda), all with food facilities. An additional attraction of Playa El Faro is iguanas. The tour costs US$7 to US$10 per person, transportation only.

Another popular tour goes to Islas Arapo and Arapito, and includes an hour’s snorkeling in La Piscina between the two islands (equipment provided). The boats depart from Puerto La Cruz’ waterfront from 9 to 10 am and return about 5 pm; tours cost around US$25 per person, including a lunch and soft drinks.

Some of the most popular insular beaches (including El Saco and El Faro) have boat services, so you don’t need to take a tour and can choose to stay on one beach. Boats depart between about 8 am and noon from the city waterfront and return in the afternoon sometime between 2 and 5 pm. The roundtrip fare to El Faro or El Saco is US$4 to US$6 per person. There may also be some boats to Isla de Plata, but you can get there more cheaply from Guanta.

Lolo’s Diving Center (Ph. No. 67 39 63, 65 66 35), in the Marina Puerto La Cruz, and Explosub (Ph. No. 65 36 11, Ph. No./fax 67 32 56), in the Gran Hotel Hesperia, are major local diving schools that organize diving courses and tours.

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