Nearby activities
Some of the things to see or do in the nearby area; within walking distance or a short drive from Isla de Oro.
LOS CANALES GOLF CLUB
One of the most spectacular golf courses in the country is located just minutes away from Isla de Oro. It sits right on the beach, facing the Caribbean, and within walking distance from Isla de Oro: Los Canales Golf Club opened its doors in 1991. It has a full 18 holes, all of them with either oceanview or view of the canals. Playing here is a once-in-a-lifetime experience: Much of the course is located by the water, with spectacular views of the sand and the ocean. At one point in the game, as you move from one hole to the next, your caddy will transport you to the other side of one of the canals in a small boat. And speaking of boats: If you don't want to drive to the golf course ... and don't want to walk either ... then you can also choose to arrive by boat. From the Isla de Oro marina, the ride is 5 to 6 minutes through the canals to the docks of the golf course. They will watch your boat while you play golf and you can then return back to Isla de Oro the same way you came: By boat, through the canals.
LOS CANALES GOLF CLUB
Av. La Playa,
Urb. Los Canales,
Rio Chico
Tel: (0212) 751-7191 , 753-8708
email: loscanalesgolf@cantv.net
Our contacts: Luis Puchades, Esau Mújica and Alejandro González
HOMEMADE MILK AND CHEESE
On "la recta", the 7 kilometer straight road which leads to Isla de Oro, you will find a couple of farms who sell homemade milk and cheese. Look for two handwritten signs saying 'QUESO'. For milk, show up early. Cheese, in the other hand, is usually available all day.
RIDE BAREBACK ON THE BEACH
Sometimes a local ranch hand shows up with two or three horses to rent them out to beach goers. The rate is Bs 5,000 per horse per half hour. If he is not around when you need him, his farm is about two miles down the road from Isla de Oro, passing the turn to Mercedes de Paparo. Just ask for Miguel.
FRESH FISH AND "GUACUCO"
On most weekday mornings, at around 10 or 11, look for the small boats that land on the beach near Isla de Oro. They are the local fishermen bringing in their catch. Bring a bucket with you, meet them right on the beach and choose your fish as it comes in fresh. Prices are negotiable but always cheaper than buying in town.
Also check out Guacuco, a small shellfish which is sort of a mini-Oyster and which is found in warm waters from Mexico to Brazil. It is popular for its high nutritional value and Isla de Oro's beach has tons of them (literally), which are harvested by locals, cleaned on the spot and then sold in town. To find out more about the guacuco, click here. The meat can be bought by the kilo in plastic sacks, or you can bring your own live Guacuco's home. Sometimes the Guacuco is sandy - to get them to spit out the sand, keep them in water overnight and put flour or cornflour in the water. As the live Guacuco's eat the flour, they spit out the sand and tomorrow's seafood dish will taste a lot better as a result.
For the more adventurous: Snails. Not escargot, but the larger, meatier kind of sea snails. They live in the Caribbean ocean, right in front of Isla de Oro. To find them, bring a bucket with you and just keep walking out into the ocean until the water is approximately at chest height. Walk around a bit until your feet touch something that feels like a stone. Chances are that what you feel is NOT a stone (since we have hardly any stones in this stretch of the beach) but a snail which is half-buried in the sand, and you just stepped on its shell. Dive in and dig it out, then keep doing so until your bucket is full. These are edible snails. No one will sell them, ever, so they only way to get them is to "harvest" them yourself and they are out there for the taking.
ULTRALIGHT FLIGHTS
During high season it is normal to see a couple of ultralights on the beach between Isla de Oro and Flor de Mayo, our neighbors to the East. These planes can be rented (with pilot) and it is quite a sight to see Isla de Oro, the beach and the canals from the air. Sample photos here: photos from the air.
If the ultralights are not around or if you arrive outside high season, just call their owner and book a flight. His name is Jose Gregorio and his phone numbers are: 0414 - 333 2787, 0414 - 317 9875 and 0212 - 753 8938.
CRAB FARM
The local blue crabs are everywhere, as you will see if it rains hard and they come out of their holes. They are tasty and you can ask any of the local boys to catch a few for you.
Apart from the ones that roam wild, they are also commercially farmed. A large operation farming crabs for export is located less than 2 miles from Isla de Oro. They export to Puerto Rico and welcome visitors.
THE LOCAL CHOCOLATE FACTORIES
You will need a car for this one, as the local chocolate factories are not within walking distance. There is one in San Jose de Rio Chico and another near the bridge on the way to Mampote. The latter has a sign and is reached by a fairly long dirt road. Barlovento chocolate is the best in Venezuela, and Rio Chico was for centuries the center of the trade. In the 1800's, when Rio Chico was home to one of the earliest railroad lines in the country, it was made with French capital by investors who needed an easy way to get the chocolate wealth exported to Europe. The two local chocolate factories still carry on the old tradition, and you must not miss a visit to one of them or both. The chocolate is right up there with Godiva, but the prices are not.
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