La Tortuga Island

La Tortuga is the second largest Venezuelan island after Margarita and it has no permanent population at all: about a hundred and seventy square kilometres of flat scrub, salt flats and coral, ringed by white beaches and with sandbanks and cays off its western end. Fishermen camp on it seasonally. Visits are made by chartered boat or light aircraft, and everything, including water, has to be brought in.

What you actually see

• The empty beaches - long white sand with no development of any kind.
• The western cays - sandbanks and small cays off the island's western end.
• The turtles - the nesting turtles that gave the island its name.
• The clear water - snorkelling and diving on undisturbed reef.

When to go

December to April is calmest for the crossing. The island is exposed with no shelter from sun or weather. Trips need chartering and settled conditions.

Honest expectations

There are no facilities whatsoever: no water, no shade, no buildings. Everything must be carried in and out, including waste. Crossings are long and weather dependent.

Nearby

Higuerote is south on the mainland, and Margarita is east.