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Araya: beach tourism and salt history

Araya: beach tourism and salt history

October 2019 · 6 min read · Anzoategui State

I invite you to take a walk through the town of Araya in the Sucre State - Venezuela. It is a small town with barely ten thousand inhabitants. The average annual temperature is 27 degrees Celsius with little rainfall. There, usually, sun and beach tourism is done. So we will start answering the question of how to get there.


To visit Araya, the departure is from Cumaná. If you move with a vehicle you can embark on the pier at the mouth of the Manzanares River on a ferry called "La Palita". That ferry makes a 1-hour cruise and you can enjoy the Gulf of Cariaco where dolphins eventually swim next to the ferry. It is a wonderful show.

You can also reach the Araya Peninsula through peñeros boats (typical boats of the region) and the crossing takes approximately 20 minutes. Those boats are called by the locals "Tapaítos". They are not very comfortable but very fast. The departure pier is in Cumana, also at the mouth of the Manzanares River and reaches the town of Manicuare. From there you have to make a transfer by land in Pick Up or by taxi that lasts approximately 10 minutes.

Currently there are other more modern vessels (fiberglass) to make the sea transfer to Manicuare However, they are very similar to the one shown in the photograph.

Pick up transport

Where to Stay


I suggest three inns in Araya. Laguna Sal Inn that is on El Progreso Street, Plaza Bolívar sector. It is nice, neat and well attended.

The Araya Mar inn is located on El Castillo street in front of the beach. It has several tourist services and conversing with the owners you can make visits to other nearby beaches with taxi service that they recommend.

And the Araya Wind Inn, which is also on El Castillo Street, is located further west of the beach. The atmosphere is extremely nice and familiar. These inns offer the best tourist services in the area.


It is important to bring cash from Cumana since in the town of Araya the banking service is not good and although you can use debit and credit cards in many places they do not have services for this type of transactions.

What to eat and where


The inns have restaurants that offer various types of menu. In the area, fried fish is usually eaten, very fresh, since it is a fishing area and the garnish can be varied: rice, banana slices, avocado, salads, yucca, etc. There are also small food stores in front of El Castillo Beach or El Boulevard Beach.

Source: Venezuela para el mundo


Typical breakfasts are stuffed and breaded arepas that can be purchased in several places. There are also bakeries but no tables to sit and eat. People almost always supply water, juices, arepas, empanadas or sandwiches, among others, and go to the beach to enjoy the first meal in the morning watching the crystal clear waters of the sea.

Tourist attractions


Generally people go to Araya to do sun and beach tourism. The busiest times are Easter and the month of August. The rest of the year the beaches are more clear. It is very important to use a good sunscreen because the sun is very intense.


The most appreciated beach is called the Castle since the ruins of the Santiago de Arroyo Castle are located there; a military building built by the Spaniards in 1623 under the responsibility of Juan Bautista Antonelli. This Castle has no tour guides. Only when traveling in tourism groups is it possible to have a guide describing the history of the place.

The length of the beach is 500 to 600 meters and camping is not allowed.

Source: Photographs of the Salazar family. Open exposure

The inscription says:

Welcome to Araya Royal Fortress Santiago de Arroyo de Araya
Located on the hill Daniel, named like this because Daniel de Mujerol, a Dutch pirate who hanged Araya's salt flats, was hanged here. In 1622, the construction of such an important Fortress was ordered, being in 1623 when the work began, carried out by the engineers Bautista Antonelli, Juan Bautista Antonelli and Cristóbal Roda.
The main objective of this Fortress was to protect the salt marshes of Araya from the constant incursions of Dutch, French and English pirates.
It was demolished in the year 1762 by order of the Kings of Spain due to the high cost of its maintenance. Currently, the pertinent procedures are being carried out before the Institute of Cultural Heritage (IPC) to achieve its restoration, since it was declared a National Historic Monument on October 31, 1960.

Everlasting Guardian
Fulfilling in the Caribbean its Legendary firmness Mission on the beach to consecrate its height Imposing fortress a watchtower clinging to the sea is observed for its Everlasting Guardian fortitude does not faint historical value for its greatness conserves the Araya Peninsula by Alejandro Millán.
February 2012
Courtesy of Posada Araya Mar
Posada Villa Bonita
Churuata Chichi
Tourist Office of the Municipality of Cruz Salmerón Acosta

If you are curious and adventurous, you can visit one of the most important Salt Lagoons in Latin America and the world called Laguna Madre. There is not much to see as a tourist landscape but you should know that it is one of the most important production gaps in America since the time of the Spanish conquest. Margot Benacerrat, Venezuelan filmmaker, made an excellent documentary, in the salt pans of this town, with the extraordinary film "Araya". She won the critics' prize at the Cannes Festival in 1959 shared with “Hiroshima mon amour” by Alain Resnais.


Source: Channel Youtube Revista Transas

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El Boulevard beach is a very serene beach and is located on the east side of El Castillo beach. There, almost always, the Arayans themselves enjoy. Its name is derived from being located in the vicinity of a tourist corridor, it has little waves and little vegetation.

Los Muertos beach is located east of Araya and is the most recommended for lovers of water sports such as windsurfing, skysurfing and bodyboarding, among others. You have to travel by vehicle to get to this beach.


Source: turismosucre.com.ve / Photography Dr. Rosendo Acosta from his book “Sucre, a little piece of paradise in eastern Venezuela”

There are other very beautiful surrounding beaches like Punta Arenas but for now I invite you to stay in Araya to enjoy adventure tourism.


I hope that one day, when the conditions of Venezuela improve both politically, socially and economically, we will visit and enjoy the sun and beach landscapes in the Araya Peninsula.

Welcome to Araya

All photographs are my own. You can check in Imgur Here; except for Empanadas Venezuela para el mundo; Video of Araya. Fragment; and Photography Los Muertos Beach Photography Dr. Rosendo Acosta

Thank you for reading. Welcome, your comments.

Infinite greetings and until an upcoming post.

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