Geo-Dive: Tailormade Scuba Diving Trips

Posada Natura Viva

The posada Natura Viva is right by the sea and has 16 rooms with two king size beds (3 of which are double rooms with a single bed on a split-level), 12 twin rooms and a junior suite with private terrace and direct access to the beach.

All rooms have en-suite bathroom with shower, hot and cold water, ceiling fan, satellite TV, mini-bar and safe deposit box.

A beautiful patio ornate by magnificent tropical plants is the striking setting which will greet you at the restaurant. The staple breakfast consists of coffee (American or espresso), milk, toast, jam, tropical fruit juice (tamarind, papaya, mango, pineapple, orange, melon…..), egg, ham and cheese.

Those who decide to spend the day on one of the neighbouring islands will be provided with a packed lunch with food prepared by our chefs, and thermos (cavas) with cool drinks (alcoholic beverages excluded) – on the chosen beach they will find a reserved area with beach umbrellas, set table and chairs, gazebos and beach towels.

Dinner will be mainly based on the selection of fish offered by the reserve: pargo, sea bream, barracuda and lobster (when is season, from November to May). The choice is widened by a selection Italian and international dishes as well as by red and white wines. Fresh bread is baked daily at the posada.

The Bar-co. The beautiful terrace, ornate by bougainvilleas always in flower, provides the perfect setting to enjoy the international cocktails and superb specials prepared by the Cuban-Venezuelan barman Rinaldo whilst relaxing on a deck chair admiring the striking sunset or sitting at one of the tables.

It is also possible to have a gourmet dinner on the terrace whilst listening to the international and Caribbean piano-bar, which is really a unique on the island.

Beach umbrellas, deck chairs, beach towels and thermos will be supplied for the excursions to the islands.

This posada has international telephone lines, internet access, letterbox (there is no post office on the island but the staff will arrange for your mail to be promptly sent from the mainland) and a main safe with individual deposit boxes.

The “El Rincon de la Arte”, a boutique selling typical local products within the posada, makes the ideal place to buy a special memento of your holiday from.

Location: Right by the sea
Rooms: 12 rooms, all with en-suite bathroom with shower and hot and cold water, ceiling fan, satellite TV, mini-bar and safe deposit box
Amenities: Restaurant, bar, shop, excursions
Diving: Ecochallenge

Other Posadas

Other Posadas are also available. Please get in touch for further details.

Los Roques National Park

Los Roques is a beautiful archipelago of coral islands lying within the Archipiélago Los Roques National Park. It consists of some 40 islands big enough to deserve names, and 250 other unnamed islets, sandbars and cays. The archipelago's white-sand beaches are clean and lovely and the coral reefs offer great snorkelling and scuba-diving. Covering an area of over 225,153ha, the archipelago is Venezuela's largest marine park and is well renowned for its variety of marine fauna. Just some of the many species include parrotfish, barracuda, red snapper, dolphin, shark, octopus, lobster and the near-extinct queen conch. Green turtles visit the beaches to lay their eggs, and the island of Dos Mosquises Sur is the home of La Fundación Científica Los Roques, a biological research station dedicated to preserving the green turtle populations in the region. The resident and migrant bird population of the archipelago exceeds 90 species and includes enormous gull colonies, boobies, frigates, pelicans, herons and scarlet ibis. No native mammals inhabit the area, but dogs and goats have been introduced on El Gran Roque. Many reptiles, including iguanas, chameleons and salamanders, live on the larger islands.

Diving

The first thing that a Diver will notice approaching Los Roques on board one of aircrafts shuttling between Caracas and the island of Gran Roque, is the reef which encloses the south part of the archipelago almost uninterruptedly. In fact, the south reef protects the “ensenada de los coralos”, a large area of the lagoon which is a nursery to several species of pelagic fish which come to these calm and shallow waters to breed.

Large fishGiven the scarcity of rainfalls, the island’s vegetation consists mainly of cacti and plants which can live well in a droughty environment such as the mangroves, which can reach up to 10mt in height and grow their roots in sea water. Mangroves roots are the perfect growth habitat for the many Species of fish (amongst which is the “carmiguana”) which us the aerial roots of these unique plants as a protection against predators.

The carmiguana is a sort of tiny sardine which is not bigger than 5-6 centimetres, and is one of the first links in the food chain of the local fauna. This fish live in shoals of thousands, if not millions, and tend to prefer shallow waters hence predators (whether they are fish or birds) have to get very close to the beaches and the mangroves in order to attack and it is possible to see this small fish being simultaneously attacked by air and by sea.

A Diver who never dived the Caribbeans but has been to the Red Sea or to Australia will easily spot the beauty of this place at first sight………….. the seabed does not have a range of colours as wide as the above locations, however, the variety of hard and soft corals is second to none. Gigantic sponges inhabit the several coral gardens which for thousands of years have found in Los Roques the perfect environment to develop into one of the largest reefs in the world.

Dive Centre

Ecochallenger offers one of the best diving services available in Los Roques National Park.

Ecochallengers are affiliated to F.V.A.S. (Venezuelan Federation of Diving Activities), SSI and P.A.D.I. and their instructors are highly qualified and trained under the strictest rules of safety and professionalism. Working in Venezuela for many years, in 2000 they opened a new diving centre in Gran Roque, just near one of the most well known posadas, offering daily personalised programmes to dive the archipelago’s spectacular reef. This centre is currently a reference point for all sea lovers, organising day and nocturnal dives, offering a tank refilling service and renting top-quality diving equipment. They also have courses for divers of all levels and hold meetings regarding all the diving activities available within the Park.

Anyone interesting in diving will have to provide a F.V.A.S.-approved certificate stating the level of preparation achieved in using diving equipment, such as the carnet issued by one of the following organisations: PADI, NAUI, SSI, YMCA, NASD, BRITISH SBACQUA.

For safety reasons and in accordance to the National Parks’ Regulations, diving alone is strictly prohibited. The minimum allowed is two people and the maximum is ten, always accompanied by a “DIVEMASTER” (either an Instructor or a Guide). In the event of groups of more then 10 people, these will be split in two or more groups, each one accompanied by a DIVEMASTER.

Diving excursions take place daily at 9.30am and 2pm and returning in the afternoon.

We suggest that you request any additional equipment during the booking process in order to guarantee its availability.

Last but not least, please do bear in mind that your last dive cannot take place during the last 12 hours before your flight back.

Land Tour - Caracas to Canaima

5 days/4 nights

DAY 1 – UK/CARACAS Arrival in Caracas. Transfer to the Hotel Gran Melia (5*) and accommodation in your reserved room. Bed and breakfast basis..

DAY 2 – CARACAS Breakfast. The whole day will be spent touring the city (lunch not included).

Overnight stay at the hotel.

DAY 3 – CARACAS/CANAIMA In the morning, transfer to Caracas airport and flight to Canaima. On arrival you will be transferred to your accommodation at the lodge near Canaima Lagoon. Lunch will be followed by followed by an excursion by boat to the beautiful Salto Haci, Ucaima and Golombrina waterfalls which give rise to the lagoon, then back to the lodge where dinner will be served and you will stay overnight.

DAY 4 – CANAIMA After breakfast there will be an excursion to the Salto del Sapo, one of the few waterfalls in the world where it is possible to stand behind the water curtain by walking through a path that the erosion created into the rocks. Lunch and the afternoon will be at leisure.

DAY 5 – CANAIMA/CARACAS After breakfast you will fly back to Caracas airport, where our staff will assist you either to catch your fly back to the UK or to continue or your holiday with your chosen seaside extension

Prices per Person - 2010

Other Prices

Notes

PRICES INCLUDE: International flights (Iberia, Air France, Lufthansa, Tap), first night on arrival day at Hotel Melia Caracas, bed and breakfast basis, internal flights Caracas, Grand Roques, Caracas, return airport transfers. 6 nights in double sharing room at Posada Natura Viva, full board, daily boat excursions with lunch box, 11 guided boat dives, return airport transfers.

PRICE DO NOT INCLUDE: Drinks, Los Roques marine park fees (approx US$ 14.00), personal extras

DEPARTURES: Daily

Prices are subject to change, and can at the time of booking therefore be lower or higher than those published, depending on the flights cost and exchange rate between British Pound and other currencies.

Geo-Dive Opinion

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