Isla de Margarita: Getting there & around

Almost all major national airlines fly into Aeropuerto Internacional del Caribe General Santiago Mariño. There are about 20 daily flights to Caracas with various carriers, including Aeropostal, Aserca and Avior. There are scheduled direct flights to Barcelona, Carúpano, Cumaná, Maracay, Valencia and Maturín among others, and indirect flights to just about anywhere else in the country. Aereotuy and Rutaca fly to Los Roques. Avior flies directly to Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Isla de Margarita has links with the mainland via Puerto La Cruz and Cumaná from the ferry terminal, Punta de Piedras, which is located 29km (15.5mi) west of Porlamar. The ferry terminal also has small boats to Chacopata from Porlamar itself. Small buses regularly shuttle between Punta de Piedras and Calle Mariño in Porlamar. Tickets for the Conferry ferries can be bought at the office or at the Punta de Piedras ferry terminal. Tickets for Gran Cacique are also available in the Porlamar office, and in Punta de Piedras. Frequent small buses run between Punta de Piedras and Porlamar.

Conferry (www.conferry.com; Calle Marcano, Porlamar) runs a ferry service between Punta de Piedras and Isla de Coche, operating daily - check the website for timetables.

Porlamar is the island's transport hub, from where frequent small buses (called micros or busetas ) service towns and beaches around the eastern part of the island. Public transport on the Península de Macanao is poor.

Renting a car or scooter is cheap and rewarding. There are at least a dozen car-rental companies opposite the airport's international terminal and many have offices in Porlamar. Scooters and bicycles can also be hired at several places in Porlamar.