Chacachacare

Chacachacare is the outermost of the Bocas islands, close enough to Venezuela to see it clearly, and nobody lives there. A leprosarium operated on the island from 1922 until 1984, run by Dominican nuns, and its buildings, the doctors' houses, the church, the wards and the nuns' quarters, stand abandoned and roofless in the bush. A lighthouse built in 1897 still works on the western point, reached by a steep track.

Background

The island covers 360 hectares (900 acres) and lies at 10° 41' north latitude and 61° 45' west longitude, in the Bocas del Dragón, or Dragons' Mouth, between Trinidad and Venezuela. Christopher Columbus sighted it on 12 August 1498 during his third voyage to the New World, and his small fleet anchored overnight in Monkey Harbour. The nuns who cared for the leprosy patients were French Dominicans, and the island emptied after 1984. A Hindu temple founded in 1945 still holds occasional religious activities. The lighthouse tower stands 15 metres tall, painted white with a red lantern. Much of the island is tropical dry forest that loses its leaves in the dry season.

Source: Wikipedia, "Chacachacare"

Highlights

• The abandoned leprosarium - hospital buildings, church and quarters left empty since 1984.
• The lighthouse - the 1897 light on the western point, reached uphill.
• The salt pond - a hypersaline pond in the middle of the island.
• The empty bays - beaches with no development or facilities at all.

When to go

January to May is driest and calmest for the crossing. Boats must be chartered and the trip takes about an hour each way. There is no shade or water on the island.

What to expect

There are no facilities of any kind and everything must be carried. The abandoned buildings are unstable and entering them is risky. Boats are chartered privately and there is no scheduled service.

Nearby

Gasparee is east, and Chaguaramas is beyond it.

Key facts