Federal Dependencies of Venezuela

Key facts

• Region: The Caribbean
• Sovereignty: Non-sovereign islands administered directly by the Venezuelan federal government — they belong to no state
• Capital: Gran Roque, seat of the Francisco de Miranda Insular Territory (the Los Roques archipelago)
• Currency: Venezuelan bolívar (VES)
• Languages: Spanish
• Main airport: LRV — Aeropuerto Los Roques, on El Gran Roque
• Best time to visit: December to April, the dry season; the Caribbean hurricane season runs June to November

Overview

The Federal Dependencies are roughly 600 islands, cays and islets in the southern Caribbean that belong to Venezuela but to no Venezuelan state: they are administered directly from Caracas. Between them they cover about 342 km² and hold only around 3,000 permanent residents, nearly all of them on Gran Roque in the Los Roques archipelago. La Tortuga is the largest island and is uninhabited; La Orchila, Blanquilla, Los Testigos and Isla de Aves — Venezuela's northernmost point — complete the group. Los Roques is the best known of them and was declared a national park in 1972, which is why its cays, mangroves and coral flats are still close to untouched.

Airports

Los Roques Airport (LRV) on El Gran Roque is the only airport with scheduled passenger service. It takes small aircraft only — there is no runway for anything larger — with a handful of daily flights from Caracas (CCS, Maiquetía) about 150 km to the south, and some service from Porlamar (PMV) on Margarita. No international airline flies here, so the group is reached by connecting through mainland Venezuela; the same small aircraft carry the mail, the groceries and the day's passengers.

Main cities

Gran Roque is the only real settlement: a single sandy street of low houses, roughly 60 posadas, a school, a clinic and a few small restaurants. There are no towns on the other islands at all — La Tortuga, La Orchila and Blanquilla have no permanent civilian population, only fishing camps, naval posts and the occasional seasonal family from Margarita.

Places to go

Within Los Roques, the cays carry the beaches: Francisquí, Crasquí, Madrisquí and Nordisquí for swimming and snorkelling, Cayo de Agua for the walk across a sandbar at low tide, and Dos Mosquises for the turtle project. La Piscina is a shallow lagoon calm enough for children. Beyond the archipelago, La Tortuga and Blanquilla offer genuinely empty beaches and clear visibility for diving, Los Testigos a small fishing community, and Isla de Aves a wildlife-only nature reserve that visitors cannot land on.

Getting there

Cheapest cached round-trip fare into Los Roques, refreshed every 6 hours:

Where to stay

Practical information

Frequently asked