Isla Margarita, Venezuela

Isla de Margarita, the largest island of Venezuela's Nueva Esparta state, lies in the southern Caribbean off the country's north-east coast. More about Isla Margarita →

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Aerial view of a curving beach on Margarita Island with palm trees, turquoise water and the Porlamar skyline
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Cruise Ships in Isla Margarita

No ships are scheduled in Isla Margarita yet

New calls appear here as cruise lines publish them.

Where is the Isla Margarita cruise port?

Ships dock at the Puerto Internacional de El Guamache, a commercial port on the south-west coast of Margarita near Punta de Piedras. La Restinga National Park is about 23 km away by road, the Basílica del Valle about 38 km, Pampatar's Castillo de San Carlos Borromeo about 44 km and Playa El Agua about 56 km.

Cruise port
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Getting to the Isla Margarita cruise port

Laguna de La Restinga National Park → Puerto Internacional de El Guamache

23 km · ~24 min by car

Mangrove lagoon on the isthmus to the Macanao Peninsula.

Typical prices, approximate. Fares change with demand, traffic and time of day.

Taxi
Variesper vehicle
~24 min
Use a taxi arranged through the ship or a hotel, or a radio-dispatched taxi, and agree the fare before setting off. No fixed fare is published.

Typical prices, approximate. Fares change with demand, traffic and time of day.

Driving to the port

El Guamache is on the south-west coast of Margarita near Punta de Piedras, about 45 minutes by road from Porlamar, the main town, so most visitors take a ship tour or a pre-arranged taxi. The beaches, Porlamar and Pampatar are on the east side of the island.

Eating in Isla Margarita

Casual lunch per person
$10–20
Restaurant dinner per person
$15–40

Meal ranges are per person in USD for restaurants in Porlamar. Drink bottled water and ask for drinks without ice.

Where to eat

Porlamar

The island's main town, with Venezuelan and seafood restaurants along Avenida Santiago Mariño and the streets of the centre.

Playa El Agua

A promenade of beach kiosks, restaurants and bars serving fried fish fresh from the sea.

La Restinga

Simple seafood stalls at the jetty and on the sandbar, known for fresh oysters from the lagoon.

Destination

About Isla Margarita

Isla de Margarita, the largest island of Venezuela's Nueva Esparta state, lies in the southern Caribbean off the country's north-east coast. Cruise ships dock at the Puerto Internacional de El Guamache, a small commercial port near Punta de Piedras on the south-west coast, about 45 minutes by road from Porlamar. Ashore are long palm-lined beaches such as Playa El Agua, the mangrove channels of La Restinga National Park, the colonial fort at Pampatar and the pilgrimage basilica of the Virgen del Valle. Check your government's current travel advice for Venezuela before going ashore.

Climate
Hot and fairly dry all year. Average highs range from about 31 C in January to about 33 C in September, and nights stay warm at about 23 to 26 C. Rain is light, about 530 mm a year, falling mostly from June to December; March and April are the driest months.
Time zone
Venezuela Time
Currency
Venezuelan Bolívar (VES); US dollars widely accepted

Things to Do in Isla Margarita

Laguna de La Restinga National Park

This national park protects a maze of brackish channels and mangrove tunnels on the narrow strip of land that links eastern Margarita to the Macanao Peninsula. Local boatmen take visitors from the El Indio jetty through the mangroves, where herons, pelicans, frigatebirds and sometimes flamingos feed, and out to a long sandbar of shells facing the open sea. Simple stalls on the bar and at the jetty serve fresh oysters and fried fish. The lagoon is a Ramsar wetland. Boat trips are priced at the jetty.

Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Valle

The twin-spired basilica in the village of El Valle, just north of Porlamar, houses the much-loved image of the Virgen del Valle, patron of eastern Venezuela, and draws pilgrims all year round.

Castillo de San Carlos Borromeo

Built in colonial times to guard the bay of Pampatar against pirates, this star-shaped fort has four corner bastions and a dry moat that, set too high above the sea, could never be filled. It stands in the centre of Pampatar, one of the oldest towns in Venezuela, with wide views over the bay, and displays objects from the colonial period.

Playa El Agua

Margarita's most famous beach is a straight ribbon of golden sand three to four kilometres long on the north-east coast, lined end to end with coconut palms. The open sea brings strong, steady waves, so swim with care. A promenade behind the sand is packed with beach kiosks, restaurants, bars and craft shops, making it the best-equipped beach on the island.