TRAVELING TO AND FROM ADÍCORA
There
are two airports that serve Adícora: one at Punta Fijo and one at Coro. Both
are about forty minutes from Adícora by car. Punta Fijo's airport is outside
the city and is listed on maps as Josefa Camejo, but to the airlines and travel
agents as Las Piedras (Airport Code: LSP). Coro's airport is located in the
city of Coro (Airport Code: CZE). It really doesn't matter which of these
airports you land in. Other than from the nearby Dutch islands of Aruba, Bonaire,
and Curaçao, there are no direct international flights to either of these
airports, so you will usually be flying through the international airport
in Caracas.
If you are combining a trip to one of the ABC (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao) islands with a stay in Adícora, there are daily flights at both airports; choose whichever airport is more convenient for you. If you are traveling with your own gear, you may be limited to a flight in a larger plane. Avensa/Servivensa, ALM and Air Aruba all have daily flights out of Las Piedras to Aruba and Curaçao, as do some smaller and charter airlines. Avensa often has good specials that aren't widely advertised, so you should check current sale prices as you are passing through an airport if you are considering a hop to or from one of these Dutch islands.
Flights within Venezuela, such as those from Caracas to Punta Fijo, will almost invariably be on the airline Avensa/Servivensa (Avensa serving domestic travel; Servivensa, international). If you fly from the U.S. (Miami or New York) on Servivensa, the domestic portion of your flight to anywhere in Venezuela, including Coro and Punta Fijo, is free. For example, flying Avensa New York/Caracas/Las Piedras is the same price as simply flying New York/Caracas. Avensa/Servivensa can be contacted in the US at 1-800-4-AVENSA; they speak both English and Spanish.
Avensa/Servivensa currently has agreements with major American airlines such as US Air and Delta, so you really should get a quote from them if you are leaving from anywhere in the United States. For example, they have offered sale fares as low as $650.00 round trip all the way to Las Piedras (Punta Fijo) from cities as far west as San Francisco and Los Angeles, with fares declining as you come east.
World Trade Travel, located in downtown New York City, will sell you international tickets on Avensa for flights originating in New York for a much lower rate than will the airline itself. (For example, one December I got a NYC/Caracas for $350 RT from World Trade Travel, while the airline quoted me $600.00.) These "bulk rate" tickets cannot be charged on a credit card (checks are acceptable) and are nonrefundable and non-reroutable, but you are allowed to change your dates of travel. I have purchased these tickets without any problems or catches. (A call to the airline vouched for the credibility of the agency, and a call to the Better Business Bureau found a clean record.) World Trade Travel is located at 150 Nassau Street, Suite 1227, New York, NY 10038. They can be reached at 212-766-2288 or by fax at 212-766-3260. There is no need to go to their office, as they will overnight your tickets.
TRAVELING WITH YOUR BOARD AND EQUIPMENT
If you decide to bring your own gear, check with your airline as what fees they charge for transporting a windsurfer. Avensa reports a $55.00 fee each way from New York to anywhere in Venezuela for a "surfboard". Their Miami office reports $45.00 from Miami or from Caracas to anywhere in Venezuela for a "surfboard" and $90.00 for a windsurfer. So, of course, what you want to do is pack everything nice and tight and declare your "surfboard" (no one-piece masts need apply). Avensa flies only large jets and getting your gear checked in Caracas should not be a problem.
THE AIRPORT IN CARACAS (MAIQUETÍA)
Most international travelers will have to fly into Caracas, Venezuela's capital and principal international airport, before connecting to Punta Fijo or Coro. (The airport is actually outside of Caracas near the coastal town of Maiquetía.) There are more daily flights from Caracas to Punta Fijo than to Coro, so be sure to check the schedules for both before deciding that a layover in Caracas is necessary. The majority of these flights are on Avensa. Check also Aserca Airlines, though it's tough to make reservations on Aserca from outside the country.
The Caracas airport complex is actually made up of two airports, each side by side, a domestic and an international facility. Due to the fact that you have to clear yourself and your baggage through customs when landing in Caracas, you will have to pick up your bags and recheck them again when making your connection (including connections from Servivensa to Avensa). It is a good idea to change money prior to leaving the international airport (see Money and Currency).
Upon picking up your baggage and gear, you will subjected to the rather Orwellian experience of standing with all your worldly goods behind a line painted on the floor while unknown personages decide your fate from behind a two-way mirror. If you are not deemed a national threat or otherwise worthy of further investigation, a green traffic signal alights and you are free to walk proudly on sovereign Venezuelan soil. If you get the red light... let's just hope you don't get the red light. (In reality, the red light is usually reserved for Venezuelan nationals whose bags will be checked in an effort to extract duties on consumer goods; if checked, simply be friendly and forthright).
To meet your domestic flight, take a left upon exiting the international airport and head east along the sidewalk that takes you to the domestic terminal, which is about 300 meters away. If you have a lot of gear you might opt for the aid of a baggage carrier, a horde of whom will descend upon you once you exit the airport. For this service you will be charged about US$5.00. The domestic terminal is clearly marked, in English and Spanish, regarding arrival and departure gates and counters, and, unlike the country as a whole, it is not hard to find airline and service employees who speak some English.
If you have a layover at Caracas' international airport, located in Maiquetía, I suggest not going into the city of Caracas unless you know someone there. It's an expensive cab ride, and the city's bad reputation is not undeserved. Follow the suggestion of the Lonely Planet guide and stay in the nearby town of Macuto, which you can reach by cab. At the Hotel Alamo [tel. (031)46-1236] you will get a clean, simple room for about $20.00. If you want something nicer, try the Hotel Santiago, which will run you only slightly more. They are located near each other on the Avenida La Playa, overlooking the water, and both have decent restaurants attached.
ONCE YOU'VE LANDED IN CORO OR PUNTA FIJO (LAS PIEDRAS)
Once you land at one of the airports serving Adícora, you have a couple of options. Cheapest is to take a cab to the local bus terminal, Coro and Punta Fijo both have one, and then to take a local bus to Adícora. If your Spanish is a shaky and you're a travel weary, your best bet is to get in a cab, negotiate a price, and head straight to Adícora. A cab from either airport will cost you about US$25.00. You can also prearrange for a pickup at the airport by Alex at Windsurfing Adícora. He has a Jeep Cherokee with a roof rack for boards and plenty of room for all your gear. The cost is $25.00.
After a long-anticipated wait spanning many years, ferry service between the Peninsula region and the ABC islands is scheduled to be reinstated as of January 1, 1998. The ferry runs from Vela de Coro (just East of Coro) to Curaçao, Curaçao to Aruba, Aruba to Punta Fijo and then back, with one leg of the journey traveled per day. Travel time is five hours between Punta Fijo and Aruba and six hours between Vela de Coro and Curaçao. Price for passengers is $65.00 round trip, autos are $150.00 extra. In Venezuela contact N.H. Import Export, Punta Fijo, tel. (069)451-291, or Zona Franca de Paraguaná, Punta Fijo, tel. (069) 48.1080 or, in Coro, Intercomunal Coro, tel. (068)78.537; in Curaçao, A.B.C. Ferry, tel.(599)(9)465-0411; in Aruba, Nautilus Shipping, tel. 33-700. Current schedules and information can also be found at http://www.netvenezuela.com/ferry.
The bus terminals in Coro and Las Piedras both host several lines of bus companies traveling to all points in Venezuela, including Caracas, Barquisimento, Valencia, Maracaibo, San Cristobal, Mérida, and beyond. Prices are extremely cheap by American standards. Executive buses (ejecutivo) are a bit more expensive, with very new, airline-like interiors and assigned seating. They are kept extremely cold with powerful air conditioning, so be sure to have appropriately warm clothing (sweat shirt, long pants) should you choose to travel on one. Trips to far-flung cities can be very long (13 hours to San Cristobal) and are usually overnight. Food and drink are available en route. Major bus terminals are also route anchors of local por puesto lines (see Local Bus Service).