CARACAS

According to aGoodDir International Directory, the capital of Venezuela is Caracas . The city was founded in 1567 by Diego de Losada in a mountain valley among the ridges of the Andean Coastal (Cordillera de la Costa). Various periods of Venezuelan history have left their mark on the architecture of the city. Now it perfectly combines modern high-rise buildings and buildings of the colonial period. The main historical sights of Caracas are concentrated near Bolivar Square, in the center of which stands a monument to the national hero Simon Bolivar. The Cathedral is located near the square (here are the graves of the parents of Simon Bolivar); Museum of Sacro de Caracas with objects of religious art; the building of the Municipality of the 17th century, on the ground floor of which the Santana Museum is located; the chapel of the Holy Rose, where in 1811 the independence of the republic was proclaimed; the National Congress Building, built in 1873; Casa Amarilla building of the 17th century (now the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located here); the neo-gothic church of Iglesia Santa Capilla from the 19th century; the church of Iglesia de San Francisco from the 16th century; the church of Iglesia de la Candelaria from the 18th century; the Bolivar House Museum, where Simon Bolivar was born in 1783; the Bolivariano Museum and the National Pantheon, where the remains of Simon Bolivar are kept. Be sure to visit the so-called ”

North of Caracas, on the slopes of the Avila mountain range, is the Avila National Park. You can get here from Caracas by teleferico cable car, by off-road vehicles or on foot along hiking trails. The park was created in 2002 to protect the mountainous forests surrounding the Venezuelan capital. For hikers, Avila National Park offers about 200 km of hiking trails and several campsites. There are several other parks around Caracas. To the west, the Avila National Park is adjacent to the Macarao National Park. (Macarao National Park), designed to protect the natural world of the shores of the main waterways of the environs of Caracas, as well as the biodiversity of the coastal mountains. South of Caracas is the GuatopoNational Park, which, like the Macarao National Park, protects the river basins that supply the capital of Venezuela with fresh water.

In the vicinity of the Macarao National Park, 60 km west of Caracas, in a mountain valley at an altitude of 1700 m, the city of Colonia Tovar is located. (La Colonia Tovar). It was founded in 1843 by German settlers, and today almost all of its inhabitants are of German origin. Everywhere there is a European spirit: most of the buildings are made in the German style, in numerous restaurants and cafes, the staff is dressed in traditional German costumes, and the dishes offered are mostly European.

LOS ROQUES

From Caracas you can go to the archipelago of Los Roques (Los Roques), which is located 160 km in the Caribbean Sea. Planes of local airlines fly from Caracas to the archipelago. In 1972, the archipelago was declared a national park. There are no roads and vehicles, large hotels and nightclubs, the main attraction of the islands is untouched nature. The rich underwater world attracts diving enthusiasts from all over the world. In the northeastern part of the Los Roques National Park, a special Recreational Zone has been created for tourists to live, while most of the islands of the archipelago are closed to the public or have restrictions on the time for tourists to stay. The Recreational Zone includes the main and only inhabited island of the archipelago – Gran Roque – and the nearby islands – Francisqui, Rasqui, Madrisqui, Cayo Pirata, Noronquises and Paints (Crasqui). On the island of Gran Roque there is an airport and the only settlement of the archipelago – the village of Gran Roque. Here are places for accommodation of tourists, which are called posadas. In general, the village of Gran Roque is a place to sleep and eat, and tourists spend most of their time on the beaches or diving, not only on the island of Gran Roque, but also on other more remote islands. In the remote corners of the archipelago, tourists are delivered by boat. In addition to beach holidays, diving, snorkeling, windsurfing and kite surfing, the archipelago will be of interest to lovers of fishing.

From the island of Los Roques, you can go west from the archipelago to the most remote archipelago of Venezuela – Las Aves. Las Aves is located about 400 km north of Los Roques. The islands of Los Aves are uninhabited. Due to their location (away from the mainland), they are practically unaffected by human activity. It is often said that the islands of Los Aves are the same islands of Los Roques, only as they were about half a century ago before the development of tourism. Here, as well as on Los Roques, sandy beaches are stretched, washed by crystal clear water.