Places to visit in the Recreation area

Madrizqui y Cayo Pirata Islands.

These keys are the closest to Gran Roque (15 minutes by boat). In Madrizqui there are some vacation houses built before the archipelago became a park. The most interesting feature is the beach located west of the key one of the most visited beaches. In the northern part there are small reef created lagoons, interesting for underwater swimming.
Among the most recommenced activities is the stroll along the beach to Cayo Pirata. These two keys are connected by a sand bar which creates a lagoon between them. There are some make shift housing in Cayo Pirata that belongs to lobster fishermen. During the lobster season (Nov- April) one can see growing ponds full with lobsters. On Thursday (Nov- April) at lunch time one can witness the entire process of weighing, selling and shipping of lobster. Many of the inhabitants here come from nearby Margarita Island with their fighting roosters which receive their training there. In Cayo Pirata one can perfectly imagine how life was in the archipelago fifty years ago.
 

The ride form mid Francisqui beach until La Piscina is a good opportunity to enjoy the internal landscape of the keys, where patches of red and black mangrove are outstanding including the fields of prairie alike vegetation with its inside lagoons. Some of these lagoons are about to dry up but before its very salty waters are dyed red with the hues of algae which can grow in this environment. Those who like geology can see in this key one of the most developed storm terraces of the archipelago which reaches a height of almost four meters.