mochima national park

I only visited Mochima for one day/2 nights and found the national park dead average and the town of Mochima to be very unappealing. I didn't find the beaches here were able to come close to matching those in other places along the coast in Venezuela, particularly in nearby Rio Caribe which has the beautiful Playa Medina and a much nicer town to go with it. The people in this town are some of the most unfriendly I've come across in Latin America (and I've visited all 19 countries in the region and 100's of places within them); They live off tourism but act as if they don't want the tourists around, treating them like mobile cash dispensers and with almost pure disdain. This is not just my opinion, but that of the wider group of tourists I met, both Venezuelan and foreign. It's exactly the same in Morrocoy (Chichiriviche) but Choroni (Henri Pittier) and Rio Caribe are much better in regard to the treatment of tourists and general ambiance. There is no beach in the town of Mochima so you'll need to take a boat to the beaches. Transfers to Playa Blanca (one of the two main beaches) are roughly $6 for the boat). Beware of any boat captain who wants to take you on a "tour" of the region for a higher price as it's most likely a scam. They will breeze past a whole range of beaches, caves etc. for a total of about 20 mins and you'll end up paying about 2 to 3 times what the transfer costs. A proper tour should last 3 hours and include snorkeling, dolphin sightings etc and cost roughly $20 for the boat. There are seeming very few guides offering a genuine tour so you'll need to ask around (ask at Pousada Girasol or Vincenta). If they don't have snorkeling gear and it's not included in the price then don't go near them. Also, make sure you agree on precisely what you're going to see and how long the tour will last as, in my experience, Venezuelan "guides" will invariably do the absolute bare minimum required to get the job done and couldn't give a damn whether the client is satisfied or not.One or two days in the park should be enough. Avoid any town along the coast, including this one, in peak season if possible as they become intolerably crowded and you get the baboons from the nearby cities visiting and playing music from their cars at deafening volumes every night until 3am.

I have family members living in puerto la cruz and go there once a year; granted I wouldn't go to this area just to visit the Mochima national park ( a stretch of small islands and coastal beaches ) as the area has become somewhat dangerous with armed bandits.but if u are there then definitely rent a boat and enjoy over 50 small islands with nice beaches and food huts providing local seafood. Fishing is decent as well as the scuba diving ( if u can find a shop to rent equipment ).visit the canals to see expensive mansions; go to the mall directly by boat or travel a couple of hours to tortugas islands that are very isolated and has best fishing ever..

Mochima is a marine national park full of tiny islands reminiscent of Phi Phi, Thailand. There are at least 40 great dive sites including 3 wreaks all within a 30 or 40 minute boat ride from Puerto La Cruz. The best months in terms of water temp and visibility are june - nov. Apart from the coral reefs teeming with life (which are everywhere) you will also find lots of interesting rock formation´s, swim throughs, caves, and thermals. There are some good operators like Bahia Divers (PADI) in Pto, La Cruz or Scuba Diving Margarita (SSI) from Margarita Island who offer day trips and courses. Your other option is to rent tanks and charter a small boat and go exploring. For non divers there are many shallow reefs for snorkelling, and year round calm water if you just want to chill on the boat while the divers are under. A lot of the islands are uninhabited but there are a few with beaches and restaurants when you want a break.If you are coming from outside with foreign currency you will find you get a lot more bang for your buck here than anywhere else in the Caribbean.There are resort style hotels right on the water in Puerto La Cruz or Cumana with pick up service for divers. Another option is to choose one of the many bed and breakfast posadas in Mochima itself and get back to nature.

im from ireland and when i arrived in mochima i was glad as i had just left caropina and it was rought as hell .i stay in a rented house and it was great but after you have took all the boat rides and seen the beaches it was boring .theres no nighr life to talk about and the peope well then just behave like most vinos but im glad i see it and was over the moon to get out of there .and travel on to the island of margarita .saying that mochima was the most safest place i went to on my visit to venezuela .

Even if visibility was not great on our second day at this park, it offers amazing diving locations and very nice beaches for non divers. In particular i recommend Puinare beach and the late night party of El Faro beach.

The village Mochima is a good base for the Mochima National Park (the website www.mochima.org (in Spanish) is about the national park rather than the village), if you stay here we can recommend Posada Girasol (see tripadvisor too). The village lies on a beautiful, huge and calm (!) laguna that is perfect for canoeing, make sure the little dive an canoe-shop in the 'main' street in Mochima is open to provide you with all you need, and from the little port or from Posada Girasol you can start for boat trips to see whole wonderful schools of dolphins in the open sea as well as to truly caribbean, catered (whole fried fish, lime, fried banana (tajada), arepas and salad) or uncatered beaches that can only be reached by boat, as well as for diving or snorkeling. The Areperia and two to three restaurants in Mochima are all very good.

Desde a vila bem tranquila e segura , as ilhas lindas com aguas transparentes :-) Os passeios sao bem baratos , um dos poucos lugares que gostei na venezuela

Lugar abençoado, com mais de 9 opções de praias, uma mais linda que outra, mar limpido e azul. passeio de lancha e até passeio com golfinhos

Salí de Margarita con ferry hacia Puerto la Cruz con unos amigos que me convencieron de hacer un full day por el Mochima. Por suerte acepté. Bien vale la pena, es un viaje tranquilo en lancha techada. Las playas bien bonitas.

Um dos lugares de praias mais lindas da América do sul, águas transparentes, ilhas belíssimas, lugares incríveis a se visitar, sem falar no valor dos passeios, muito baratos.

Las mejores playas e islas con diversidad de sitios desde donde abordar los diferentes peñeros que te llevan a las islas. Su belleza natural es inigualable.

Conheci apenas uma praia (Playa El Saco). Água azul transparente, e bem próximo da areia há um pequeno recife de corais que vale o mergulho. Várias espécies de corais, esponjas e peixes. Lindo! A praia não tem sombra, mas há barracas e cadeiras para alugar. Para chegar a essa e outras praias há barcos de linha saindo de Puerto la Cruz.

Si aun no conoces mochima, no dejes de plinificar tu viaje esto es una maravilla natural. bellisimo, el agua cristalina.

Las playas son hermosas, los paseos en lancha con necesarios la primera vez que viajas, luego solo vas a la isla que hayas escogido para disfrutar tu día. Utiliza los lancheros oficiales, los que te esperan al llegar que no te dejan ni caminar son mas costosos.

Las playas son bonitas y la Playa La Piscina es muy tranquila para los niños. Sin embargo y el motivo de mi critica es la de proteger a posibles turistas nacionales o internacionales sobre el peligro de robo y atraco a mano armada. Muy peligrosa situación. Espero les sirva esta información ya que en el sitio es muy dificil que se las digan.