Morrocoy

Morrocoy National Park covers 32,000 hectares of Caribbean coastline in Falcón State, most of it water: a shallow inner lagoon fringed by mangroves, and beyond it a scattering of coral cays (cayos) with white sand beaches and calm, reef-protected water. The park is reachable by road from Valencia or Caracas, which makes it more accessible than Los Roques — and occasionally more crowded on holiday weekends.

Each cay has its own character. Cayo Sombrero is the most visited — developed enough to have a restaurant, quiet enough on weekdays to feel private. Cayo Peraza is smaller and wilder, with better snorkelling. Cayo Muerto (despite the name) is the preferred anchorage for yachters passing through.

The Cuare Wildlife Refuge adjacent to the park is worth a morning: boat tours through the mangroves pass through roosting colonies of scarlet ibis and pink flamingos — the kind of spectacle that makes people put their phones down.