Venezuela - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 878

Habitaciones Caribe C Vargas T 0243 993 1496.
Resembling the set of a slasher film, this bare-minimum
establishment offers the cheapest rooms in town, although
it's still vastly overpriced. A good option if you don't intend
spending much time in your hotel, the rooms all l have pr ivate
showers, fans and clean, if moth-bitten, sheets. BsF150
Hotel Monte Mar C Vargas T 0243 993 1173. A motel-
style complex set around a wide courtyard, this colourful
and relatively quiet hotel is a short stroll from the beach. All
rooms have en suite and wi-fi, while rooms on t he uppe r
floors have a/c. Ocumare's best mid-range option. BsF290

food stands as well as lancha -restaurants,
boats with rudimentary kitchens that
bring the meal directly to your sun
lounger. Food is expensive, however,
so it's a good idea to pack a lunch.
There are some good snorkelling spots,
although it's generally better around
Cayo Sal (BsF180). Lanchas also make
trips to cayos Muerto (BsF200), Pelón
(BsF140), Peraza (BsF140) and Varadero
(BsF200). You can combine multiple
spots on either a short (BsF1000) or long
(BsF1500) day-tour, which includes the
two-hundred-year-old shipwrecked Barco
Hundido , the questionably romantic
“tunnel of love” through thick mangroves
and Piscina Los Juanes, sapphire-blue
shallows where you can hunt for clams.

PARQUE NACIONAL MORROCOY
Gorgeous white-sand cays surrounded by
azure water are the highlights of PARQUE
NACIONAL MORROCOY , one of the most
popular national parks in Venezuela. The
300-square kilometre reserve, spread
primarily over water, was created in 1974,
but today it doesn't feel much like a
national park. Several areas have been
irresponsibly developed and the numerous
beachgoers are careless with their litter.
The park is home to nearly four-fifths of
Venezuela's aquatic bird species , as well as
several types of mammal.
Chichiriviche and Tucacas both serve
as bases for forays into the park. Neither
is particularly attractive, although the
profusion of decent budget accommo-
dation options and restaurants in
Chichiriviche makes it a better base for
further exploration.

11

CHICHIRIVICHE
Chichiriviche's spread-out format,
inordinately numerous liquorerías
and gritty street style render it an
unexceptional town. It nevertheless
attracts plenty of tourists who come
for its useful proximity to the cays.
Calle Zamora, the town's main artery,
dead-ends at the malecón, where most
activity is centred. By day it's bustling
with lancha passengers headed to the
cays; by night hippie street vendors
descend to sell handmade jewellery,
strum guitars and watch the fishing boats
rocking beside the sea wall.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
There is a total of 22 cays , or cayos, in
the park, most differing only in size and
facilities. Day-trips can be arranged by
most posadas for no extra charge, while
lancheros hawk trips from the malecón
end of Calle Zamora in the mornings. If
you want snorkelling gear it should come
included in the journey price for no extra
charge. Prices listed are for the boat, not
per person, and include return; all are
negotiable and a jokey attitude will be
a great help when bargaining.
Dotted with shade-giving palms, Cayo
Sombrero (BsF300), halfway between
Chichiriviche and Tucacas, is the most
popular of the cays, although with
beaches on all sides you can still find
uncrowded parts. here are numerous

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By bus Only three destinations are served from
Chichiriviche, of which Valencia has the most onward
connections, serving Caracas, Mérida, Coro and other
major cities. Buses arrive and depart 500m inland on
C Zamora. Sanare is a junction where a road breaks off
from the Coro-Maracay highway and heads to Chichiri-
viche. For routes between Coro and Chichiriviche, ask your
driver to let you off here. Move to the corresponding bus
stop, where you shouldn't have to wait more than half an
hour to hail a passing bus for either destination.
Destinations Barquisimeto (every 30min; 45min), Valencia
(every 30min: 1hr) and Puerto Carreño (every 30min; 45min).
All pass through Sanare junction.
Tourist information There's a red-roofed Corfaltur kiosk
outside the petrol station 50m inland from where the bus
stops on C Zamora, though it has no reliable schedule of
opening hours.