Coro (Venezuela)

By | July 8, 2022

The city of Coro is located in the western part of the Caribbean coast of Venezuela in the north of the Falcon state. It is located on a sandy plain at the base of the narrow isthmus of Medanos, which passes into the Paraguana Peninsula. In the Arawak language, “koro” means wind, and in fact, the sea breeze is constantly felt in the city.

According to PRINTERHALL, Coro was founded by the Spaniards in 1527 and was named Santa Ana de Coro. Santa Ana de Coro became the first capital of the new Spanish colony – the province of Venezuela, but was later given to Germany and lost its significance. Kororegained its importance during the development of trade with the nearby islands.

Old town of Koro – one of the best preserved in the country. Here, along the cobbled streets, there are buildings of the 18th and 19th centuries, in the architecture of which Spanish and German styles are intertwined. In 1993, the Old Town of Korowas inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Among all the buildings of the Old Town, the Cathedral stands out, which began to be built at the end of the 16th century. At the time of its construction, the cathedral was a stronghold of Catholicism in Latin America. Today it is the oldest and one of the most famous cathedrals in Venezuela. In Koro you can also walk along the old street of Calle Zamora, where there are colonial-style mansions and numerous churches from the 17th-19th centuries, among which is the church of San Clemente with a wooden cross of Cruz de San Clemente, placed on the site of its foundation cities. The museums of Coro are interesting: the Art Museum, the Art Gallery, the Museum of Family Traditions, the Religious Museum of Lucas-Guillermo-Castillo and the Museum of Ceramics and Natural History. But the surroundings of Koro are of the greatest interest. Be sure to visit the Xerophilous botanical garden, where plants from the dry regions of the world are collected . West of Koro is the city of Urumako. (Urumaco), famous for the fossils of ancient animals found here. The arid climate of this part of Venezuela does not allow microorganisms to decompose ancient remains. In Urumako, the remains of a side-necked turtle were found – the largest turtle that ever lived on earth (its length reached 3 m), and a huge rodent that lived in the Miocene era, which weighed up to 700 kg. All finds can be viewed at the Urumako Paleontological Museum. Another popular archaeological site is located east of Koro. This is the Archaeological and paleontological park of the city of Taratara. In this place, scientists have discovered the most ancient human remains in Venezuela, who lived 15 thousand years ago. Also in the park you can see petroglyphs about 14 thousand years old.

South of Coro are the Sierra de San Luis mountains, on the slopes of which the Sierra de San Luis National Park is located. The mountains are made up of limestone rocks, which have been washed out by underground waters for many millennia, which led to the formation of numerous caves. The park contains the country’s largest underground lake, La Cueva del Rio Acarite, and the Quebrada del Toro cave, 1,200 meters long, with underground rivers, stalactites and stalagmites. The caves are inhabited by guajaro birds and bats. In addition, in the local mountainous area there are many original mountain villages and towns. A series of dunes stretches along the northeastern borders of the city of Koro Los Medanos de Coro National Park. This is the only desert landscape in the country. The park occupies about 91 thousand hectares within the isthmus of Medanos. The local dunes reach a height of 40 m and move under the influence of the wind. In addition to sand dunes, the park also protects coastal salt marshes. In the park, you can ride camels and ride down the slopes of the dunes.

Further north stretches the country’s largest peninsula – the Paraguana Peninsula. (Paraguana Peninsula). The desert peninsula is covered with shrubs and cacti, and in the middle of it, the so-called “Santa Anna Hills” (“El Cerro Santa Ana”) “grow” – small mountains covered with forests, from the top of which you can see the Caribbean coast and islands. On the east coast of the peninsula stretches the beaches of Adicora, El Supi, Tiraya and Las Cumaraguas, famous among windsurfers. In this part of the coast, steady northeast winds constantly blow, allowing you to sail with a sail.

From Coro, you can go along the Caribbean coast to the eastern part of the state, where the main attraction of the state, the Morrocoy National Marine Park, is located. (Morrocoy Marine National park). The park is located about 150 km from Coro and covers an area of 32,090 hectares, covering part of the east coast of the state between the cities of Chichiriviche (Chichiriviche) and Tucacas (Tucacas) and part of the Gulf of Triste (Golfo Triste), where there are about 35 small coral islands. The nearest airports to the park are in the cities of Valencia and Coro, and the country’s capital, Caracas, is about 220 km from here. People enter the park from the cities of Chichirivichi or Tukakas.

Morrocoy National Park is one of the most famous protected areas in the country. It was opened in 1972. It is protected by picturesque beaches surrounded by coconut trees, mangroves and coral reefs. Adjacent to the park is the Cuare Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the largest bird sanctuaries in the world. In general, about 80% of Venezuelan waterfowl live in the national park and reserve.and almost 70% of the migratory birds recorded in the country are herons, flamingos, red ibises, boobies, pelicans, cormorants, hawks, hummingbirds and many others. The largest number of birds can be seen in the mangroves and salt lagoons of the reserve. The best time for bird watching is morning or evening. But Morrocoy National Park is famous for more than its birds, the hills surrounding the coast are home to mammals such as jaguars, ocelots, anteaters, howler monkeys, raccoons, including kinkajou, opossums and agouti rodents, and coastal waters are full of a variety of corals and sea inhabitants. In the park you can go water skiing, snorkeling, diving (and the calm waters of this part of the Caribbean Sea are suitable even for unprepared divers), surfing, kayaking or boating. Excursions are carried out mainly on local fishing boats “penero” (“penero”), catamarans and trimarans. Among other things, the white beaches of the coral islands are a great place to relax: here you can sunbathe and swim all day long. To accommodate tourists, Morrocoy National Park has built first-class hotels, traditional small hotels – “posadas” are also offered for accommodation. Most often, tourists stop in the cities of Chichirivich and Tukakas. Here, in addition to places to stay, you will find restaurants and shops, and in Tukakas – even a casino.

City of Chichiriviche (Chichiriviche) is located at the northern edge of the park. There are several interesting sights in its vicinity. First of all, this is the Cuare Nature Reserve – one of the largest bird sanctuaries in the world, and one of the best places for bird watching. Also not far from Chichiriviche are the so-called caves (in fact, these are dips in the earth’s crust, the bottom of which is filled with water): The Cave of the Virgin, where you can see dozens of statues of the patroness of these places, which is especially honored by fishermen, the Holy Virgin del Valle, and the Indian Cave (Indian Cave), where the petroglyphs of the Indians dating back to the 4th millennium BC have been preserved. From Chichiriviche you can go to the nearby islands of Cayo Muerto, Cayo Peraza, Sal (Cayo Sal), Pelon (Cayo Pelon) and Sombrero (Cayo Sombrero). The most popular of these islands is Sombrero. There are two picturesque beaches with rentals of sunbeds and umbrellas, places for overnight stays and a restaurant with seafood dishes. Sombrero Island is famous among snorkelers. The rest of the listed islands also have beaches, however, they do not have developed infrastructure.

From the city of Tucacas, you can also go to the islands, including the largest island of the Morrocoy National Park – Punta Brava (Punta Brava). There is a bridge from Tucacas to the island of Punta Brava. On the beaches of the island you will find sunbeds, umbrellas, boats and kayaks for rent. The only drawback of the local beaches is that they are overcrowded on weekends. The next most popular island in the vicinity of Tucacas is Playuela. There are sun lounger and umbrella rentals, a restaurant and two beaches: Playuela, the largest, and Playuelita, a smaller beach whose waters are often used for training divers. Other islands with developed infrastructure include Paiclas, whose quiet and shallow waters are suitable for families with children, and Boca Seca (Boca Seca) is a great place for snorkelling. In addition, you can relax on the more “quiet” beaches of the Pescadores, Tucupido and Los Juanes islands (owners of their own boats come to Los Juanes, here you can buy freshly caught lobsters, oysters and fish).

Coro (Venezuela)