Lighthouses of Venezuela: Mainland

Located on the north coast of South America, Venezuela has a long coastline facing the Caribbean Sea. In addition, Venezuela administers a number of islands in a westward extension of the Lesser Antilles chain. The lighthouses of the Isla Margarita and Venezuela's other Caribbean islands are listed on a separate page. Isla Aves, a remote Eastern Caribbean island claimed and occupied by Venezuela, also has a separate page.

Only a small number of historic lighthouses remain in service in Venezuela, but there are many modern fiberglass or skeletal towers. Information on both active and inactive towers would be very welcome, and photos of many lighthouses are also needed.

In recent years, Venezuela has been carrying out a program to build a number of new lighthouses; the Isla San Carlos and Chimana Segunda light shown below and the Los Monjes light at right are all examples of these new towers.

Active lighthouses in Venezuela are owned by the navy and managed by the Oficina Coordinadora de Hydrografía y Navegación (OCHINA).

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 110.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Venezuela
Photos by various photographers posted by Alex Trabas. The Venezuelan photos are by Capt. Peter Mosselberger or Capt. Theo Hinrichs.
Leuchttürme Südamerikas auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.


2003 Faro Los Monjes; OCHINA photo
Dependencias Federales Lighthouses
Monjes del Sur (1)
Date unknown. Inactive since 2003. Approx. 11 m (36 ft) round stone tower with gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. At some point the lantern was removed and the light was displayed from a short mast. Now abandoned, the lighthouse is crumbling. Amateur radio operator YW5M has a photo (2/3 of the way down the page).
Monjes del Sur (2)
2003. Active; focal plane 87 m (285 ft); white flash every 10.6 s. 13 m (42 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with a red horizontal band, attached to a 1-story service building. This station is staffed by the Venezuelan Navy. An OCHINA photo is at the top of this page, Trabas has a photo by Capt. Theo Hinrichs, Wikipedia has a distant view, and amateur radio operator YW5M has a report of a 2003 DXpedition to the (then) new lighthouse. The light guides vessels entering the Gulf of Venezuela from the Caribbean Sea. Located at the summit of the easternmost of the Los Monjes Islands, three small islands in the mouth of the gulf about 50 km (30 mi) off the Colombian coast. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed; landing on the island requires permission of the navy. ARLHS VEN-003; Admiralty J6270; NGA 16852.

Zulia Lighthouses
Note: Zulia is the state surrounding Lake Maracaibo, a brackish gulf connected by a narrow strait to the Gulf of Venezuela.
Punta Perret (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 15 s. Approx. 23 m (75 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery. Fernando Catoira has a closeup photo, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. NGA lists a skeletal tower but gives the height as being only 8 m (26 ft); the concrete blocks seen in Catoira's photo may represent the ruins of a former light of that height. Located on a cape on the west side of the Gulf of Venezuela about 7 km (4 mi) south of the Colombian border. Site status unknown. ARLHS VEN-021; Admiralty J6272; NGA 16856.
Isla San Carlos (Lago de Maracaibo)
2005. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); white flash every 10 s. 15 m (49 ft) round fiberglass tower with lantern on a concrete base. Lighthouse colored orange with a single white spiral band. Capt. Peter's photo is at right, Junior Miller has a good photo, Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo, and Google has a satellite view. Like Monjes del Sur, this is one of a number of critical locations being equipped with new light towers by the Venezuelan Navy. The lighthouse is actually located on the Isla de San Bernardo, which is tenuously connected to the mainland via the Isla San Carlos, marking the west side of the entrance to the Lago de Maracaibo from the Gulf of Venezuela. Site status unknown. ARLHS VEN-001; Admiralty J6275; NGA 16860.2.
Maracaibo Channel Range Rear
Date unknown. Probably inactive, but still listed; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); green flash every 4 s. 39 m (128 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower appears abandoned in Capt. Peter's photo. Google has a satellite view. This is an outbound (northbound) range for vessels leaving Maracaibo. Located in the upper Lago de Maracaibo about 8 km (5 mi) east of Las Delicias. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J6283.1; NGA 16873.1.
Maracaibo Inner Channel Range Front
Date unknown. Probably inactive, but still listed; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); green flash every 1.5 s. 27 m (89 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower appears abandoned in Capt. Peter's photo. Google has a satellite view. This is, or was, an inbound (southbound) range for vessels entering Maracaibo. The rear light is (was) on one of the electric transmission line towers crossing the lake just north of the city of Maracaibo. Located 1.65 km (1 mi) north of the transmission line. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J6279.9; NGA 16872.

Faro San Carlos
Faro Isla San Carlos
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission

Maracaibo Inner Channel Range Rear
Date unknown. Probably inactive, but still listed; focal plane 39 m (129 ft); green flash every 1.5 s. 27 m (89 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower appears abandoned in Capt. Peter's photo. Google has a satellite view. Located just to the south of electric transmission line towers crossing the lake just north of the city of Maracaibo. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J6280; NGA 16872.1.
Bahía de Maracaibo Quay (Sur)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 4 s. 10 m (33 ft) hexagonal tower, painted red with a white horizontal band. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a quay in Maracaibo. Site status unknown. Admiralty J6287.

Falcón Lighthouses
Note: The state of Falcón includes the east side of the Gulf of Venezuela and the bulbous Paraguaná Peninsula, the northernmost extension of the Venezuelan mainland.
Punta Borojó
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); one long (1.2 s) white flash every 12 s. 15 m (49 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No closeup photo available, but Omar José Martínez has a very distant view, and a Google satellite view probably shows this light. Located on a sandy point of land on the south side of the Gulf of Venezuela. Site status unknown. Admiralty J6297; NGA 16875.
Punta Gorda
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 62 m (203 ft); flash every 10 s, white or red depending on direction. Approx. 58 m (190 ft) square skeletal communications tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo, but the tower is not seen in Google's satellite view. Located in an oil refinery and terminal on Punta Gorda, the southwestern corner of the Paraguaná Peninsula. Site status unknown, probably closed. Admiralty J6296; NGA 16876.
* Guaranao (Punta Fijo)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); two long (1.5 s) flashes every 12 s, red or green depending on direction. 10 m (33 ft) round fiberglass tower, orange with one white horizontal band. Capt. Peter has contributed a photo, and Google has a satellite view. The green sector guides vessels entering the Guaranao harbor on the south side of Punta Fijo, a city at the southwestern corner of the Paraguaná Peninsula. Located on a bluff overlooking the south side of the harbor and city. Site appears open, tower closed. Admiralty J6299; NGA 16879.7.
* Punta Macolla
1927. Active; focal plane 48 m (157 ft); white flash every 10 s. 41 m (135 ft) octagonal cast iron skeletal tower with central cylinder, lantern, and gallery mounted on a concrete base. An octagonal 1-story keeper's quarters with wood siding is incorporated in the tower. Dario Urdaneta's photo is at right, Andres Figueira has a fine closeup, Francisco Colina has a photo, another photo of the base of the tower is available, a 2002 postage stamp shows the lighthouse, and Google has a good satellite view. Figueira's photo shows that the lighthouse has been restored recently and is in excellent condition. We need more information on its history. It is said that the Dutch island of Aruba can be seen from the base of the lighthouse. Located on the north coast of the Paraguaná Peninsula. Accessible by hiking trail. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS VEN-018; Admiralty J6312; NGA 16896.
Faro Punta Macolla
Faro Punta Macolla
photo copyright Dario Urdaneta, courtesy of
Roberto Miranda; used by permission
* Cabo San Roman (3)
Date unknown, probably 2001 or later (station established 1928). Active; focal plane 34 m (112 ft); white flash every 6 s. 24 m (79 ft) square stone tower with lantern and gallery; the walls of the lighthouse are extended so that the tower has a trapezoidal profile. Idoia Rivas's photo is at right, Enrique La Marca has a good photo, Rahuld Barraez D'Lucca has a fine closeup, José Jaime Araujo also has a good photo, the Navy has a photo, Trabas has Capt. Theo's distant view, and Google has a good satellite view. The original 9 m (30 ft) tower was replaced sometime after World War II by a 15 m (49 ft) skeletal tower. In clear weather the new lighthouse is distantly visible from Aruba. Located on the beach at the northernmost point of the Paraguaná Peninsula. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS VEN-024; Admiralty J6314; NGA 16900.
* Punta Adícora
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 16 s. 17 m (56 ft) round fiberglass tower with hexagonal lantern and gallery, mounted on a round stone base. Tower painted with red and white horizontal bands; gallery painted with red and white horizontal bands. José Cherubini has a photo, Ángel Ravelo Rodríguez has a nice photo, an excellent closeup is available, the Navy has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a point of land in the beach resort town of Adícora, on the east side of the Paraguaná Peninsula. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J6428; NGA 16904.
Punta Taima-Taima
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 59 m (194 ft); white flash every 7 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) hexagonal metal tower, colored orange with one white horizontal band. The Navy has a photo, but the lighthouse is not seen in Google's satellite view. Located on a rugged cape about 15 km (9 mi) northeast of La Vela de Coro. Site status unknown. Admiralty J6434; NGA 16912.
Puerto Cumarebo (?)
Date unknown (station established 1874 but inactive for many years until 1932). Inactive since 2006. 11 m (36 ft) masonry tower, painted white. No further information available, and Google's satellite view of the town does not reveal the tower. Puerto Cumarebo is a port town about 25 miles east of Coro. Site status unknown. ARLHS VEN-026; ex-Admiralty J6436; ex-NGA 16916.
Punta Tomoro
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 45 m (148 ft); white flash every 6 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower, colored orange with one white horizontal band. The Navy has a photo, but the lighthouse is not seen in Google's satellite view. Located on a prominent cape about 15 km (9 mi) northeast of Puerto Cumarebo. Site status unknown. Admiralty J6438; NGA 16920.
Faro Cabo San Roman
Faro Cabo San Roman
photo copyright Idoia Rivas, courtesy of Roberto Miranda
used by permission
Cayo Noroeste
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 6 s. 12 m (39 ft) round fiberglass tower, painted with orange and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a small cay about 6 km (3.5 mi) northeast of Los Boquerones. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty J6442; NGA 16932.
Cayo Borracho (3)
Date unknown (station established 1930). Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 8 s. 14 m (46 ft) round fiberglass tower with octagonal lantern and gallery. Tower painted with red and white horizontal bands; gallery painted with vertical red and white stripes. This lighthouse is a twin of the Isla Chimana Segunda light pictured below. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo, Cristian Bracci has a distant view from the sea, and Google has a satellite view. The original light was replaced in 1937. Located on a small cay about 15 km (9 mi) north of Chichiriiviche. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty J6444; NGA 16936.

Carabobo (Puerto Cabello Area) Lighthouses
Isla Guaiguaza (Goaiguaza)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 8 s. 12 m (39 ft) hexagonal pyramidal tower, painted with orange and white horizontal bands. Capt. Peter has a photo, but the light is not conspicuous in Google's satellite view. Located on a small cay about 3 km (2 mi) west of the entrance to Puerto Cabello. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty J6448.4; NGA 16956.
Punta Brava (2)
1864 (reconstructed 1901). Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); white flash every 10 s. Approx. 24 m (79 ft) square concrete tower incorporating 4-story keeper's quarters, topped by a short skeletal tower. Lighthouse painted with red and white bands. A photo is at right, Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo, Marcos Moreno has an aerial photo, a 2002 postage stamp shows the lighthouse, and Google has an excellent satellite view. This is Venezuela's oldest light station. The lighthouse had to be rebuilt after a disastrous fire in 1893. In the original design (seen in Huelse's historic postcard view) a taller square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery was built atop the concrete tower, raising the focal plane to 50 m (164 ft); we do not know when this structure was replaced with the present shorter tower. NGA lists the current tower height as 35 m (115 ft), which is clearly too high. In 2005 the Navy established its hydrographic research station in a modern building at the base of the lighthouse. Located on a headland just north of Puerto Cabello, the major port of northwestern Venezuela. Site and tower closed (naval installation). Site manager: Estación Hidrográfica de Puerto Cabello. ARLHS VEN-027; Admiralty J6448; NGA 16964.
Puerto Cabello Pier M-7
2006-07. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); red flash every 6 s. 14 m (46 ft) hexagonal pyramidal fiberglass tower, mounted on a masonry base. Lighthouse painted red with one white horizontal band. Google has a satellite view. Located at a corner of the commercial quays directly opposite the Naval Quay light (previous entry). Site status unknown. Admiralty J6449.5; NGA 16961.3.

Faro de Punta Brava; OCHINA photo
Puerto Cabello Pier M-32
2006-07. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); red flash every 9 s. 12 m (39 ft) hexagonal pyramidal fiberglass tower, mounted on a masonry base. Lighthouse painted red with one white horizontal band. Google has a satellite view. Located at a corner of the commercial quays about 1 km (0.6 mi) southeast of the Pier M-7 light (previous entry). Site status unknown. Admiralty J6449.7; NGA 16961.7.
Puerto Cabello Naval Quay
2006-07. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); green flash every 6 s. 14 m (46 ft) hexagonal pyramidal fiberglass tower, mounted on a masonry base. Lighthouse painted green with one white horizontal band. The Navy has a photo, and Google has a satellite view of the quay. Located at the southwest end of the main navy pier at Puerto Cabello. Site and tower closed. Admiralty J6449; NGA 16961.
Fortín Solano
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 168 m (551 ft); three white flashes every 15.5 s. 10 m (33 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available; Google's satellite view shows the tower on the slope northeast of the fortress. The Fortín Solano, built starting in 1766, is one of the best-preserved colonial-era fortifications in Venezuela. Carlo Bianco has a photo of the fortress, but like nearly all photos it shows the south side of the structure, hiding the navigational light. Located on a high ridge overlooking Puerto Cabello. Site and fortress open, tower closed. Admiralty J6447; NGA 16976.

Vargas (La Guaira) Area Lighthouses
Note: La Guaira, the capital of the state of Vargas, is the principal port of Venezuela. It has a population of about 275,000 and lies only 30 km (19 mi) northwest of the national capital, Caracas.
Puerto La Cruz
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 321 m (1053 ft); white flash every 10 s. 12 m (39 ft) round fiberglass tower, painted with orange and white horizontal bands. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo, and Google has a satellite view. This is one of the world's highest lighthouses. Located on a mountaintop just west of Puerto La Cruz and about 60 km (38 mi) west of La Guaira. (This Puerto La Cruz should not be confused with a much larger port of the same name in eastern Venezuela.) Site status unknown. Admiralty J6453.5; NGA 17037.
Catia La Mar (Escuela Naval)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 99 m (325 ft); white flash every 9 s. 12 m (39 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower, painted red with a white horizontal band. Trabas has Capt. Theo's distant view, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located at a vertical cliff in front of the Venezuelan Naval School in Catia La Mar, about 12 km (7.5 mi) west of La Guaira. Site status unknown. Admiralty J6453.8; NGA 17039.
La Guaira South Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); red flash every 3 s. 12 m (39 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. The lowest story of the tower is covered with a brick veneer. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo (also seen at right) and Google has a satellite view. Located on a very short breakwater on the south side of the entrance to the harbor of La Guaira. Site status unknown. ARLHS VEN-011; Admiralty J6459; NGA 17068.
La Rada (La Guaira Inner Breakwater)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); red flash every 2.5 s. 10 m (33 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower, painted red with a white horizontal band. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo, a sunset photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the inner breakwater of La Guaira harbor. This pier is used by the Venezuelan Navy. Site and tower closed. ARLHS VEN-037; Admiralty J6460.3; NGA 17069.
La Guaira North Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); green flash every 3.7 s. 10 m (33 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower, painted green with a white horizontal band. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the north breakwater, which is the main breakwater protecting the harbor of La Guaira. Site status unknown. Admiralty J6459.5; NGA 17064.
Caraballeda
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); green flash every 8 s. 6 m (20 ft) round strongly conical fiberglass tower, painted with green and white horizontal bands. Trabas has Capt Theo's photo, Kevin Vásquez has a photo, Julio Finalet has a view from the sea, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the main breakwater at Caraballeda, about 12 km (7.5 mi) east of La Guaira. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J6461.5; NGA 17073.

La Guaira South Breakwater Light
La Guaira South Breakwater Light
photo copyright Capt. Theo Hinrichs; used by permission

Naiguatá
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white, red or green light depending on direction, 1 s on 1 s off. 16 m (52 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower, painted with blue and white horizontal bands. This directional light guides vessels approaching the marina of the Puerto Azul resort at Naiguatá, about 10 km (6 mi) east of La Guaira. Trabas has Capt. Theo's view from the sea, and Google has a satellite view. Located in in the water just offshore near the marina entrance. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS VEN-015; Admiralty J6461.6; NGA 17076.
* Club Puerto Azul (2)
Date unknown. Active (probably privately maintained); focal plane about 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 11 s. Approx. 13 m (43 ft) round strongly conical concrete tower, painted with blue and white horizontal bands. The club has a closeup photo, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse replaced a light atop one of the nearby high-rise condo towers. Located near the base of the marina breakwater. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Club Puerto Azul. Admiralty J6461.85; NGA 17077.
Punta Camuri-Grande
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); flash every 3 s, white or red depending on direction of approach. 10 m (33 ft) masonry tower painted with yellow and black bands. No further information available. Located a short distance east of Naiguatá. Site status unknown. ARLHS VEN-003; Admiralty J6461.9; NGA 17080.
* La Sabana
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft) (?); white flash every 7.5 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) hexagonal tower, colored orange with one white horizontal band. A photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a point of land on the west side of La Sabana. Site open, tower closed. NGA 17082.

Miranda Lighthouse
Cabo Codera
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 168 m (551 ft); white flash every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) mast rising from a round fiberglass tower centered on a round 1-story equipment room. Round tower painted white; the equipment room is painted with red and white vertical stripes. A closeup photo and a second closeup are available, and Google has a satellite view. Located atop a very steep headland about 100 km (65 mi) east of Caracas. Site and tower closed. ARLHS VEN-031; Admiralty J6469; NGA 17084.

Anzoátegui (Puerto la Cruz Area) Lighthouses
Islas Piritu (Isla de Afuera)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); white flash every 10 s. Approx. 18 m (59 ft) round cylindrical tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. Trabas has Capt. Peter's distant view, and Google has a satellite view. The Islas Piritu are two islands lying about 7 km (4.5 mi) offshore northeast of Puerto Piritu. Located at the western end of the western island, Isla de Afuera. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS VEN-016; Admiralty J6478; NGA 17088.
Isla de Adentro (Islas Piritu East)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 7.5 s. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) round cylindrical tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. Trabas has Capt. Theo's distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the eastern end of the eastern island, Isla de Adentro. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J6478.2; NGA 17088.5.
Isla Borrachitos del Este
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 116 m (381 ft); white flash every 15 s. Approx. 11 m (36 ft) hexagonal fiberglass tower, painted red with a white horizontal band. Trabas has Capt. Peter's distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a small but high island obstructing the western approach to Puerto la Cruz, about 12 km (7.5 mi) west northwest of the port. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J6479; NGA 17089.
La Borracha (Cayo Borracha)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 381 m (1250 ft); white flash every 6 s. Approx. 14 m (46 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted orange with one white horizontal band. Roberto Rojas has a photo, and the shadow of the tower is visible in a Google satellite view. La Borracha is a high island about 5 km (3 mi) long located 15 km (9 mi) northwest of Puerto la Cruz. Located at the highest point of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J6479.5; NGA 17090.
Isla Chimana Segunda (2)
Date unknown (station established 1931). Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); white flash every 10 s. Approx. 15 m (50 ft) round fiberglass tower with octagonal lantern and gallery. Tower painted with red and white horizontal bands; gallery painted with vertical red and white stripes. Matt Hamm's photo is at right, Rafael Mendez has a closeup, Juan Figueroa has another photo, and Google has a satellite view. The island is located in Mochima National Park. Tours are available from Puerto la Cruz to the beach below the lighthouse, known as Playa el Faro, where there is shelter for day visitors. Located on a bluff at the west end of the island, roughly 40 km (25 mi) northeast of Puerto La Cruz. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Parque Nacional Mochima. ARLHS VEN-030; Admiralty J6481; NGA 17140.

Sucre Caribbean Coast Lighthouses
Punta Arenas (Punta Arena)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); white flash every 12 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) hexagonal (?) fiberglass tower, upper half red and lower half white. Miguel Hernández has a view from the sea, and João Abel Gonçalves has a sunset photo, but the tower is not seen in Google's somewhat fuzzy satellite view. Located near the tip of the Araya Peninsula, which shelters the harbor of the state capital, Cumaná. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS VEN-043; NGA 17144.
Faro de Chimana Segunda
Faro de Chimana Segunda, December 2005
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Matt Hamm
Morro de Chacopata
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); white flash every 15 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) square skeletal (?) tower painted with orange and white horizontal bands. No photo available. Google's satellite view suggests that the skeletal tower has been replaced by a solid fiberglass tower. This light guides vessels in a narrow passage between the mainland and the Isla Coche. Located at the tip of the wedge-shaped Chacopata Peninsula. Site probably open, tower closed.
Admiralty J6490; NGA 17148.
Carúpano (Cerro Miranda) (4)
Date unknown (station established 1887). Active; focal plane 57 m (187 ft); white flash every 9 s. 13 m (43 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with gallery, painted with orange and white horizontal bands. No current photo available. This is the fourth skeletal tower to be built on this site; the others were built in 1887, 1907, and 1948. Michel Forand has a postcard view of the original tower, and Huelse has the same view. Located on a hilltop behind the harbor of Carúpano, a seaport near the base of the Paria Peninsula in northeastern Venezuela. Site status unknown. ARLHS VEN-029; Admiralty J6510; NGA 17184.
Puerto Santo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); white flash every 12 s. 12 m (39 ft) round fiberglass tower, colored with orange and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but the light is barely visible in a Google satellite view. Located on a small island off a headland at the west end of a hammer-head shaped peninsula sheltering the harbor of Puerto Santo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty J6509.8; NGA 17190.
Cabo Tres Puntas
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 193 m (633 ft); white flash every 5 s. 15 m (49 ft) square skeletal tower (?), painted with orange and white horizontal bands. The Navy has a distant view, but Google has only a very distant satellite view of the cape. NGA describes this light as a fiberglass tower, so it's possible the Navy photo shows an earlier tower. Located on a prominent cape on the north side of the Paria Peninsula, about 50 km (30 mi) northwest of Güiria. Site status unknown. ARLHS VEN-005; Admiralty J6514; NGA 17194.
Punta Mejillones
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 43 m (141 ft); one long (1. s) white flash every 12 s. 12 m (39 ft) round fiberglass tower, colored with orange and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Punta Mejillones is a needle-sharp promontory, part of a ridge that continues underwater as a dangerous reef perpendicular to the coast. Located on a rock, a summit of the submerged ridge, about 25 km (15 mi) northeast of Güiria. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty J6515; NGA 17195.

Sucre Gulf of Paria Coast Lighthouses
Note: The Gulf of Paria is a broad but relatively shallow sound between Trinidad and the east coast of Venezuela. It is connected to the Caribbean Sea to the north by a strait called the Dragon's Mouth (Bocas del Dragón) and to the Atlantic on the south by another strait called the Serpent's Mouth (Boca del Serpiente).
Macuro
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 76 m (249 ft); white flash every 4 s. 6 m (20 ft) hexagonal tower, painted red with a white horizontal band. The Navy has a distant view, but Google has only a fuzzy satellite view of the harbor. Macuro is the easternmost town on the Paria Peninsula, about 15 km (9 mi) west of the Dragon's Mouth on the south side of the Paria Peninsula. Located high on a promontory on the east side of the harbor. Site status unknown. Admiralty J6518; NGA 17196.
Güiria (Recalada Güiria, Güiria Landfall) (2)
2010 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); white flash every 10 s. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) square tower with lantern and gallery. Omar Salazar has a January 2011 photo of the lighthouse in silhouette, and the shadow of the original lighthouse is centered in a Google satellite view. The new lighthouse is apparently close to the location of the old one. Located on a slope above the sea about 1 km (0.6 mi) northeast of the harbor. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J6524; NGA 17210.
Güiria East Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); red flash every 9 s. 9 m (30 ft) skeletal tower mounted on a round, vase-shaped white concrete base. The skeletal portion of the tower is red. Carlos Olmo Bosco has a view taken from a ferry arriving in Güiria from Trinidad, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located at the end of the long, curving east breakwater of Güiria. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty J6525; NGA 17212.

Delta Amacuro Lighthouses
Isla Cotorra
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white flash every 10 s. 12 m (39 ft) round fiberglass tower, colored with orange and white horizontal bands. No photo available, and Google has only a very fuzzy satellite view of the area. The Isla Cotorra is on the south side of the Gulf of Paria; the light here helps guide vessels into the Serpent's Mouth, the strait between Venezuela and the southwestern tip of Trinidad. Located at the northern tip of the island. Site status unknown. ARLHS VEN-028; Admiralty J6615; NGA 17227.
Punta Barima (Isla Corocoro)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); white flash every 10 s. 15 m (49 ft) square skeletal tower, painted with orange and white horizontal bands, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. Trabas has a distant view by Capt. Theo, but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located just off a promontory on the south side of the southernmost entrance to the Orinoco River. Admiralty J6800; NGA 17242.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Venezuelan Caribbean | East: Trinidad and Tobago | Southeast: Guyana | West: Colombia

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Posted July 7, 2003. Checked and revised January 6, 2012. Lighthouses: 51. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.