Nueva Esparta (Isla de Margarita)

Key facts

• Region: The Caribbean
• Sovereignty: State of Venezuela — one of the country's 23 states, not a sovereign nation
• Capital: La Asunción; the main urban centre is Porlamar
• Currency: Venezuelan bolívar (VES)
• Languages: Spanish
• Main airport: PMV — Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport, 12 km west-southwest of Porlamar
• Best time to visit: late February to May is driest, with the least rain; the trade winds peak from December to March, which is what makes El Yaque a windsurfing destination; the wetter months run May to November

Overview

Nueva Esparta is a Venezuelan state built out of three islands off the country's north-eastern coast: Margarita, by far the largest at 1,020 km², plus Coche and Cubagua. Margarita is the most developed island in Venezuela — duty-free shopping, a long list of beaches, and the windsurfing and kitesurfing scene at El Yaque. Cubagua is where the Spanish pearl fisheries of the 16th century were worked to exhaustion, and its ruins are still there. The archipelago sits outside the main hurricane track and stays warm year-round, which is why it works as a beach break in almost any month.

Airports

Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport (PMV) is the state's gateway, sitting 12 km west-southwest of Porlamar and handling nonstop flights from Caracas (CCS) and a handful of other Venezuelan cities. There is also a car ferry and a passenger ferry from Puerto La Cruz and Cumaná on the mainland to Punta de Piedras, on Margarita's western tip, which is often the cheaper way across. Coche and Cubagua have no airports; you reach them by boat.

Main cities

Porlamar is the commercial centre and the largest city, with the shopping and hotel concentration on the south coast. La Asunción, a short distance inland, is the official capital and the island's oldest settlement, home to the cathedral and the fortress of Santa Rosa. Pampatar, to the east, keeps its colonial fort and a waterfront restaurant strip. Juan Griego, on the north-west coast, is the sunset town, and El Yaque, by the airport, is a village organised almost entirely around wind and kite surfing. Punta de Piedras is the ferry port.

Places to go

Playa El Agua and Playa Paraíso are the two best-known south-coast beaches. La Restinga National Park, a mangrove lagoon between Margarita and the isthmus, is seen by boat. Pampatar's Castillo San Carlos de Borromeo and La Asunción's Castillo de Santa Rosa are the two colonial forts worth the detour. El Yaque for wind sports, Juan Griego for the evening light, Playa La Punta on Coche for a quiet beach, and the ruins and deserted beaches of Cubagua for a day trip with no facilities at all.

Getting there

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

Where to stay

Practical information

Frequently asked