Some 150 kilometers north of Venezuela's central
coast is a marine ecosystem of exceptional beauty and ecological
value: the archipelago of Los Roques. The archipelago forms a
National Park which is the largest marine park in the Caribbean Sea
with an area of 2.251 km², spreading 46 kilometers from East to
West and 26.6 kilometers from North to South. Los Roques is similar
to coral atolls of the Pacific Ocean and is made up of 75 keys of
old coral origin, and thousands sand bars, all peacefully arranged
in a oval shape around a shallow central lagoon.
All keys have a metamorphic rock base completely
covered by Carbonatic rocks and silt with the exception of Gran
Roque: the 3 hills (max. 130 meters) were formed by a tectonic
process which produced the springing of a rock platform from the
bottom of the sea. This emerging platform rose from depths close to
1000 meters. Evidence of this vertical movement of the bottom is
the existence of abrupt slopes around the archipelago. When this
platform emerged from the bottom and placed itself between 1 and 50
meters from the surface, the reefs began to develop themselves.
While the corals died by natural means or by exposure outside the
water, the calcareous residue of their skeletons remained
deposited.
Los Roques harbors about 61 species of corals, 200
species of crustaceans, 140 species of mollusks, 45 species of
echinoderms, 60 species of sponges, 92 bird species and 280 species
of fish. Additionally four globally endangered sea turtle species
nest regularly on the islands.
The archipelago of Los Roques is one of the most
beautiful, best preserved and special spots of the Caribbean and of
the world. While staying in Los Roques it is a must to get on a
boat and drive out to the keys: unbelievable white sandy beaches
surrounded by a sea of turquoise green to deep blue are waiting for
the explorers which spend some hours with swimming, snorkelling,
relaxing and enjoying frozen drinks and Barracuda
sandwiches!
To log the earthcache walk up to the light house
and you will have an unrivalled view of Gran Roque, the landing
strip and the three lagoons that occupy the west side of the
island: take a picture of the panorama with your GPS and send your
answers to our profile email: