Gran Roque (the capital of Los Roques).

During their stay the majority of visitors dedicate the morning to visit the keys and set aside the afternoon to go for a ride somewhere in Gran Roque. The most interesting is the one going up to the old light house and its best to see it between 17:30 and 18:30 in the evening to enjoy the beautiful sunset lights. Start in the back part of the town in the dry area. During the way up you can appreciate the rock mass which makes up the Gran Roque. The wide variety of cactus (melon cactus) and prickly pears is outstanding. Half way along the road there is a small water course where one can observe the cliffs on the north side of the island and two small rocky islands called Los Morritos. These rocks have white patches because of the guano droppings left by birds when they nest or simply when they stop here. The last part of the way up is quite steep; a little before reaching the top the ground becomes white due to the remains of carbide which the light house used to operate with. The view from the light house is simply magnificent. In the horizon you can see the closest keys: Francisqui, Madrizqui and Cayo Pirata, Esparqui, Rabusqui, Crasqui and the Noronqui, but on a clear day you can see mount Avila on the main land (part of Caracas) also the island of Orchila can easily be distinguished. The light house built between 1870 and 1880 operated until the mid 50´s. At present it shows the passage of time and hopes that some of the projects for its restoration will come through.

From the light house there is an unrivaled view of Gran Roque, the landing strip and the three lagoons that occupy the west side of the island. These lagoons become filled with water by an existing crack in the farthest storm terrace; two of them are bordered by a thick dark mangrove forest and the closest one to the town was a salt lake where salt was obtained for the salting of fish. Currently the construction of the landing strip and the border wall of the town prevent it from drying up completely. From the light house there is a small trail that leads to a mountain top with a little cross: it is called Calvary where a ceremony takes place on May 4th, a custom brought over from nearby Margarita island. For joggers there is a track that runs out from the town’s main street (1st street), it goes out to the services area and comes back to the base of the light house until the back part of the town. Very early in the morning and at sunset this track is the meeting place for the lovers of the sport. The beach at Gran Roque is not visited very much by swimmers or bathers, because of the many boats anchored there. The real beauty is located on the nearby keys with magnificent beaches and nature. The Autoridad Unica has carried out several efforts to recover this beach with limited success. Anyhow this beach continues to be an attractive promenade ideal for a good walk, where the traditional fishing boats are next to modern fiber glass boats. After the basket ball court there is the fisherman’s harbor, where they untangle their fishing hooks at the first thing in the morning and make the baits in the afternoon. The beach is full of sea birds which dip into the sea for their food constantly. The beach of Gran Roques is one wonderful place to enjoy the sunset, and the night life is full of real romance. See Map of Gran Roque.