Making the most of Isla Margarita
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Cruise ships use El Guamache port. If more than one ship is scheduled, your vessel may instead anchor and tender passengers ashore.
Around the port are 120 vendor stalls in attractive palm-frond-roofed booths, selling jewellery, art, T-shirts and a wide selection of handicrafts. Their handmade goods are priced in US dollars, pounds or euros, so visitors remaining at port do not need to change money into bolivars.
Cruise visitors can use a small, pleasant and very clean beach without charge. It has clean toilets, and shaded lawn chairs, jet skis, paddle boats and banana boats are available for hire. The beach is reserved for cruise tourists, so local islanders do not use it.
Porlamar, the island’s main town, is about 45 minutes from port.
Taxis are available at port, along with 3 tour operators running trips to the island’s main attractions.
Take a printable map.
Sightseeing
La Isla Margarita, the “Pearl of the Caribbean”, lies 38 km north east of Venezuela’s mainland and away from the route of Atlantic tropical storms.
This Caribbean island has many beaches to discover, most of them untouched. Margarita is split into two parts, loosely joined by a 24 km. sand spit that separates the sea from Restinga Lagoon National Park. At its widest extent it runs 67 km east to west, from Punta Ballena to Punta Arenas, and 32.4 kilometers. north to south, with 167 km. of coastline richly supplied with inviting beaches.
Average temperature is 27 degrees Celsius, with annual rainfall averaging 27 inches. The result is a largely arid landscape, alongside some wooded areas and fertile valleys. More than 300,000 people live on Margarita Island, mostly in the east around Asuncion, the capital, and the shopping paradise of Porlamar.
Macanao Peninsula forms the island’s western part. Limited water supplies have kept it sparsely populated and largely undeveloped for tourism. Wild deer, goats and hares inhabit the mountainous interior, while local fishermen are the only usual visitors to its sandy beaches.
The island’s biggest city, lively Porlamar, is famous for shopping but also has cultural sights, especially near shaded Plaza Bolivar. Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Francisco Narvaez, on Calle Igualdad’s corner with Calle Fraternidad, holds Venezuelan art, concentrating on sculpture, paintings and seriagraphs by the Margarita-born artist after whom it is named. The museum opens daily.
Near the old market on the waterfront, Faro de la Puntilla stands at the end of Calle Fajardo.
Getting around
A lively beach beside the cruise terminal has picknick tables, toilets, jetski hire and more. Together with nearby shopping, it makes a relaxing cruise stop.
Car, scooter and bike hire is inexpensive and rewarding. It is straightforward to hire a car at port for a scenic circuit of the island.
A rented taxi is about $25 per hour.
Food and shopping
Set aside a day for duty-free shopping in Porlamar. Marino and 4th of May Avenues, plus Guevara and Gomez Boulevards, are particularly good for distinctive handcrafts, new fashions and real pearl jewellery. Visitors also seek out Larina and Aurora Streets for market and shop bargains on clothing, jewellery, liquor, perfume and shoes.
Money
Venezuela uses the Bolivar fuerte (BsF), introduced on January 1, 2008 to replace the old bolivar at 1 BsF for 1000 old Bs.
Visa and MasterCard are widely used. Upscale restaurants, hotels and shopping centres generally take American Express and Diners Club. Merchants always request ID for credit-card payments, though a passport is enough. ATMs are available throughout the country.
USD are accepted around the cruise terminal, but not elsewhere.
Staying connected
Spanish is Venezuela’s official language.
Customer WiFi is increasingly available at cafes, and even smaller towns normally have at least one place with more or less decent connections.
For police, ambulance and firefighters, most of the country uses the single emergency number 171.
Opening Hours and
Shopping hours are Mon-Sat 0900-1300 and 1500-1900.
New Year’s Day (1 Jan); carnival (Feb); Holy Thursday; Good Friday; Declaration of Independence (19 Apr); Labour Day (1 May); Battle of Carabobo (24 Jun); Independence Day (5 Jul); Birth of Simón Bolívar (24 Jul); Columbus Day (Oct); Christmas Day (25 Dec).