Aves de Barlovento

The swell gradually dies down in our wake. Our catamaran once again heads into a lagoon, and the boat can feel the seabed getting closer to its hulls and the flow of the water becomes more gentle. She will soon be able to rest…

We gaze in wonder at the scenery. Before us, there are shades of blue which we have never seen.

We gently zigzag between the unmapped and unmarked reefs. 

Not far from our destination, birds take off: pelicans. On the other side there are red-footed boobies, and elsewhere there are terns… a multitude of birds! 

So where are we? We have arrived in “Aves de Barlovento” 

This atoll is well named, as “aves” means “birds” in Spanish. 

Once again we are alone in this small Venezuelan corner of paradise. There’s not a single boat to annoy us! The scenery is magical, with hectares of samphire stretching across the coral seabed. I am delighted to see that hundreds of boobies nest here! 

I can spend hours just lying on a floral carpet, trying to get close to the juvenile birds. They still have lots to learn.  And so do we, because these are the kind of places where it all began and where true reality exists! There is nothing else to do but just admire Mother Nature, so beautiful and so generous.