A bit of history and curiosities about this paradise in the Caribbean.

The Los Roques archipelago is one of the most important coral systems in the Caribbean Sea, considered by many experts, tourist and professional athletes as a true paradise, an idyllic place and Posada Macondo wishes to invite you to live an experience that will be remembered among the best vacations of your life.

Its extraordinary landscape characterized by the different blue tones of its waters (a pleasant turquoise color predominates), the extreme whiteness and fineness of the sand, the green of the mangroves and, its ecosystems rich in special fauna and flora, make it the Los Roques archipelago a paradise that invites its protection and conservation.

Location of the Los Roques archipelago

Off the central coast of Venezuela, some 166 km away, is located in the South Caribbean Sea, the Los Roques Archipelago National Park, a huge coral reef that preserves one of the largest coral coasts (barriers) on the planet, in fact, one of the most beautiful activities you can do in this magical place in Venezuela, is precisely snorkeling and diving (also the best kitesurfing of the Caribbean), where you can admire a whole underwater world that will simply surprise anyone. This 2024 book your next vacations to Los Roques with Posada Macondo.

This archipelago is made up of some 42 flat and desert islets (coral islands), better known as “cays” that surround a marine lagoon of about 400 km², populated by a great variety of birds, turtles and various beautiful marine species to see, living in perfect harmony in a place where time never seems to pass.

Its pristine and “hidden” beaches, protected by coral reefs, were an ideal refuge for pirates during the period of the conquest of the United States. Los Roques has interesting stories about pre-Hispanic times that are told by tour guides here. Discover this wonderful dreamlike place, and feel the adventure and relaxation on your vacation in Los Roques, Venezuela with Posada Macondo.

Gran Roque island – The small town of paradise

Between the 17th and 18th centuries, Dutchs and Antilleans landed on these white sands, which came to exploit the mangroves of the Los Roques Archipelago to produce coal. Since 1900, fishermen came from the Isla de Margarita and founded the town of Gran Roque, which owes its name to its splendid hills formed by large igneous rocks. This is the “main” island and it is practically the only one where there are man-made buildings, in fact, it is home to the best inns and Posadas in Los Roques, among which is Posada Macondo.

The Dutch Lighthouse – Los Roques

There is little historical information about Los Roques, however, there is one that dates back to 1842 when a lighthouse was built, placing this island in the modern chronicles. On the highest part of its hills, a lighthouse was erected by order of the government of Antonio Guzmán Blanco, the work was commissioned to the Dutchman Cornelius Boyé in exchange for a concession for the exploitation of lime and natural products from the island of Gran Roque.

The tower (the lighthouse) consisted of a truncated pyramid-shaped iron structure that is about 12 meters high. Over time, the structure was eroded and in 1896 it was completely covered with lime masonry, leaving its four original windows and a circular roof with a wooden base. Personally, at Posada Macondo, during your vacation in Los Roques, Venezuela, we recommend a visit to the Dutch lighthouse, because the view would surprise any photographer and make him/her feel on another planet. In a true paradise where time stands still, isolated from everything. The best deals of the 2024 for flights and holidays in Los Roques.

A path that begins at the foot of the hill climbs the lighthouse with a semi-steep walk that can last about 15 minutes.

The view from the lighthouse is impressive and you can see the closest bays and appreciate the beauty and grandeur of the Los Roques Archipelago, one of the most important National Parks in Venezuela and in the entire Caribbean Sea, this, together with the attention, the hospitality, the abundant and delicious Mediterranean food and typical of the place (based on fresh fish of the day), will make your stay in Los Roques the most memorable Caribbean vacation of your life, which will make you feel nostalgic from the first day of your departure.

Dozens of idyllic cays (coral islands)

There are hills in the Los Roques archipelago that rise to about 130 meters high, on the island of Gran Roque, from these hills it is perhaps where the splendor of this idyllic place is best appreciated. If you have a drone, we encourage you to bring it and take some of the best pictures that you can boast with everyone when you return from your vacation in Los Roques with Posada Macondo.

These hills have several monuments, one of which is the Gran Roque lighthouse built around 1800, another characteristic monument is in the background, a kind of Calvary or Via Crucis, a religious monument that every May 4, the people of Gran Roque makes a religious procession to that place.

In the Los Roques archipelago you can see two seas, to the south: the calm waters enter the archipelago, to the north we find the oceanic sea and in the background there are beaches where the waves of the Caribbean Sea arrive.

Cayo Pirata – Discover the best beaches in Los Roques

You will also see that there are three internal lagoons, a lagoon to the south that borders the airstrip (from where we will receive you and help you, giving you a warm welcome to the paradise of Los Roques and ours, yours Posada Macondo) and it is also the entrance to the village of Gran Roque. In the background we can see the closest bays, Cayo Madrisquí and Cayo Crasquí, which are two excellent beaches, impossible to explain in words, behind these two coral islands (cayos or cays) is Cayo Pirata, which is a community of lobster fishermen. In its season it is a spectacle to see the collection of these locusts and how these creatures are gathered in their pots.

Holidays in Los Roques are always full of activity, joy, culture, sports and relaxation, and with Posada Macondo you will find the best deals on flights, packages and holidays to Los Roques, at the best price.

You can also see a parade of volcanic hills. On the other side of the island we find these volcanic rocks. The experienced sailors of the Los Roques Archipelago can accompany you (if you want) on an excursion to the cliffs to observe its beauty up close. There are several external caves and other underwater caves. Posada Macondo, for your vacation in Los Roques has a direct commercial alliance with the owners of the best diving center in Los Roques, where you will live the best snorkeling and diving experience in this Caribbean paradise: Los Roques with professionals PADI and SSI certified instructors. Find the best deals and prices of 2024 for snorkeling and diving in Los Roques, Venezuela.

In the crust of the rocks of the cliffs you can see different bands of color, which are outcrops made up of various types of volcanic rocks that are approximately 65 million years old, these hills were raised from the seabed thousands of years ago by a tectonic process, and are highlighted by the steep underwater slopes that are found around this unique and envied Venezuelan archipelago throughout the world.

Botutos and Boca de Sebastopol

The botuto was what the indigenous and Hispanic Indians of Venezuela were looking for in these islands, here are thousands of botutos. However, although they are not currently endangered, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has considered them in the “VU” (Vulnerable) state, and although it is considered a gastronomic delicacy, we invite you to maintain and preserve it as a species.

Until 1987, the environment of the Los Roques Archipelago was characteristic of a community of artisanal fishermen, since then tourist activities have injected a different dynamic into the archipelago, but always without altering the natural beauty, as any action that may alter or destabilize the impeccable and perfect natural beauty of this paradise in the Caribbean, has been strictly prohibited, conserving itself as an ideal place to spend the best beach holidays – What are you waiting for ? Book your vacations to Los Roques with Posada Macondo.

The waters, beaches, cays and islets of the Los Roques Archipelago constitute one of the most popular destinations in the world for the practice sport fishing and fly fishing, another of the activities most requested by our dear guests of Posada Macondo in Los Roques is the kitesurfing. The numerous bays of the archipelago and its environment formed by shallow and moderately deep channels, provide a variety of habitats ideal for feeding and protecting species such as the “pez ratón” (or bonefish), which only the most fortunate can catch one in their holidays in the Los Roques Archipelago, as part of one of the activities of relaxation, fun, action, adventure and an exquisite gastronomic experience in Los Roques.

Cayo Sal – Fly fishing in Los Roques

Cayo Sal (a spectacular cay – coral island) is located on the edge of the Los Roques Archipelago forming the “southern barrier”, where it is possible to meet the most important pre-Hispanic molluscs in the Caribbean, which generally consist of the botuto, which is the most large gastropod (sea snail) found in the Caribbean and, in the Los Roques Archipelago there was a huge population of this specimen, perhaps the largest in the entire Caribbean Sea.

The Venezuelan aborigines discovered the exquisite properties of the meat of this mollusk very quickly, and aroused great pleasure in consuming it for 300 consecutive years, leaving huge empty shell shells in various bays of the Los Roques Archipelago, as a monument to this exploitation that it lasted 300 long years. There are currently millions and millions of botuto shells exploited during the pre-Hispanic era, without a doubt, something impressive to see as mounds of Cayo Sal.

Another thing that we can see in Cayo Sal are the various lagoons where dams were built with corals about 400 years ago, for the extraction of salt in the 18th century in the colonial era, which was later sold directly in Europe.

Cayo Dos Mosquises – Los Roques

Cayo Dos Mosquises is located in this exceptional geography, and the Los Roques Scientific Foundation’s marine biology station has been operating there for over 45 years. A spectacular place to visit and take aerial photos, in general, everywhere in Los Roques, it is impressive to take photos, especially from drones, a great device for your vacation in Los Roques with Posada Macondo. Book to get the best deals and prices.

Fall in love with sea turtles on your vacations

For more than 25 years, scientists from the Los Roques Archipelago and other parts of Venezuela have collected eggs and turtles that roam the beaches of the National Park and transfer them to a room specially equipped for temporary breeding.

They remain in the tanks for a year or a little less, then a plate is placed on their fin and, finally, they are taken to the shore to be released into their natural world, because when the turtles are adults they are said to return to the territory where they were born.

The Scientific Foundation of Los Roques does this work because sea turtles have many natural enemies, such as ants, crabs, lizards, birds, some fish and even some humans too… Of course, of the 1,000 “baby” turtles that are born, being in in their natural marine environment, statistically only 2 can survive due to the enemies they have.

Los Roques – ecology and ecotourism or ecological tourism

In the Los Roques Archipelago National Park, if 150 turtles are born in the Los Roques Scientific Foundation, statistically a maximum of 5 could die (3.4%). This perseverance and dedication have allowed the release of more than 20,000 turtles in their environment. If you wish, you can tell us to coordinate a boat trip (excursion) from Posada Macondo directly to this wonderful small island (Dos Mosquises Cay) and fall in love with sea turtles on your vacation in Los Roques, Venezuela.

Dos Mosquises is a very exceptional cay – coral island in terms of pre-Hispanic archeology of the Venezuelan islands, on this small, low, sandy island, which is only about 500 meters long and less than 400 meters wide, scientists have continuously worked since the year 1982, to investigate, conserve and preserve the flora and fauna of the Los Roques archipelago and, therefore, its extreme simplicity and natural beauty. With Posada Macondo you can book the best vacations and do real ecotourism in Los Roques.

Pre-Hispanic idols: a history of thousands of years

One of the highlights of Dos Mosquises is the discovery of hundreds of human figures, largely denoting women, made by the pre-Hispanic indigenous peoples of Venezuela. The interesting thing is that they were practically only found in Dos Mosquises. These figures are often called pre-Hispanic “idols”.

Another curious fact is that Dos Mosquises, in the past was not the same, in the sense of size and vegetation, it is interesting to see that there is a line of shells, these shells were originally discarded near the sea, indicating that the island from at the time the natives abandoned it, towards the time of the conquest, it grew by about a third, that is, if today it is a small island, in the year 1500 it was still much smaller, probably at least a third the size of today.

Paradise in the Caribbean: an amazingly beautiful underwater world

The Los Roques archipelago is not only magically heavenly on its surface, but it also has an incredibly blue sea, a variety of incredible colors that would surprise anyone, as well as the attention, hospitality, good food and accommodation of the Posada Macondo You will feel at ease, like at home (or better), but in an earthly paradise in the Caribbean Sea having the best vacation. Book this 2024 at the best price.

With a snorkel mask it is possible to admire a world simply impossible to imagine, no matter how much you we write in this cultural article of Los Roques. This beautiful National Park has more than 300 varieties of fish and various marine creatures, the largest coral reef in the Caribbean and much more. But not only that, there are also several varieties of very beautiful birds, which you can meet on your vacation in Los Roques with Posada Macondo.

To conclude, the Los Roques archipelago is a place so complete and difficult to describe, that you simply have to experience for yourself, appreciate it with the 5 senses and let yourself be enveloped by the maximum and sublime natural beauty that this paradise has for offer, along with that of warm, humble and friendly people.

What are you waiting for to live the best holidays in Los Roques with Posada Macondo?