La Tortuga Island
lies north of Anzoátegui state, some 46 nautical
miles from the Unare Lagoon.
It has an area of 58 square miles, being only surpassed
in size by Margarita Island,
half a hundred miles to the east. Although its shape resembles
that of a turtle (tortuga), the name comes from the wealth
of turtles that used its beaches to nest. A beautiful
and attractive natural place, it is very flat with 148
feet above sea level as its highest elevation. The underwater
outline descends whirling in the south side and just 6
miles from the coast it is 3281 feet deep. The fishing is abundant as in almost all the islands of Venezuela.
The
marine life is half way between that of ocean islands
with coral reefs, like Los Roques
Archipelago National Park, and that of continental
islands, located closer to the mainland, as are those
in the Mochima and Morrocoy National Parks. The proximity of La Tortuga to the mainland
and its size make it one of the most likely Venezuelan
islands to experience a tourist development of importance
in the years to come. Make sure to visit this totally
untouched area before that happens! Experience La Tortuga's
solitary, virginal and white sand beaches and scuba
diving by charter yacht or sailboat from Puerto
La Cruz, Margarita or
Higuerote (just two hours drive east from Caracas)
or fly over for the day.
Contact
us to include the island
of La Tortuga in the Caribbean in a customized itinerary
of travel to Venezuela.
