The best place
for hiking close to Caracas
is El Avila National Park, a mountain range that separates
the city from the Caribbean coast.
Escorted by a professional guide, hike up to the summit
of El Avila Peak at 7,135 feet passing by the Hotel Humboldt.
Have lunch in one of the gourmet restaurants of the scenic
agricultural hamlet of Galipan and return to the city
on the recently reopened cable car. Forest and sub paramo
landscapes are traversed on the way to Oriental Peak (8,530
feet) and Naiguata Peak, the highest of this range at
9,071 feet. Resolved souls are rewarded with incredible
views of both the city and the coast. A little bit farther
from Caracas, the German founded village of Colonia Tovar
is the base to hike through bamboos and orchid-full cloud
forest to Codazzi Peak (7,956 feet)
From
Turmero, just 9 miles east of Maracay, traverse the Coastal
Range through the Henri Pittier National Park to the cocoa
growing town and beach of Chuao in 2 nights. Then head
by boat (or continue walking) to Puerto Colombia and Choroni.
Fly
to Valera and transfer overland through beautiful andean
valleys to the small and well-preserved colonial town
of Niquitao, founded in 1625. Then prepare to hike to
the summit of Guiriguay Peak (12,795 feet) or to La Teta
de Niquitao, Trujillo's highest at 13,143 feet. Stay at
the very nice Posada Turistica Niquitao.
Also
in the Venezuelan Andes,
the city of Merida is the base for unlimited hiking, trekking
and walking alternatives in the surroundings alpine-like
landscape of the Sierra Nevada and Sierra de La Culata
National Parks. Hike and horseback
ride through quaint and tiny villages passing by typical
homesteads and high paramos to charming Los Nevados (at
8,894 feet) in our 4 nights Andes
Adventure, returning down to Merida in the world's
longest and highest cable car system. Trip high mountain
passes, glacier lakes, moraines and dense tropical cloud
forest in the 5 nights Tisure
Hiking and Horseback Riding Adventure. Cross paramos,
cloud forests, small canyons and creeks plus coffee and
fruit growing plantations to reach the Llanos.
For the truly active, the 10 nights Andes
Multi-Activity Adventure combines hiking with mountain
biking and whitewater
rafting. Head to Venezuela's highest road pass (13,146
feet) near El Aguila Peak to visit wonderful paramo full
of frailejones and enjoy breathtaking views of the Andean
landscape and maybe find the bearded helmetcrest, the
only high altitude hummingbird in the world.
Located
in southeastern Venezuela, the amazing Lost
World region is another hiking, trekking and walking
destination, where after a very scenic boat trip, a short
hike goes to the very feet of Angel
Falls, the world's highest. Our 10 nights Auyantepuy
Trek and 5 nights Roraima
Trek allows to experience the eerie and unique landscapes,
flora and fauna of Venezuela's biggest
and highest
tepuis, ancient and flat top mesas rising steeply from
the savannah below. Virgin and seldom visited forest between
the Woypan Tepuy and the Pacaraima Sierra in the Venezuela-Brazil
border is toured in our 3 nights El
Pauji Trek. Deep forest, Pemon Indian communities
and awesome views of tepui landscape are part of the 5
nights trek from El
Pauji to Wonken.
Click here for a past client's perspective on hiking in the Andes.
Contact
us to include hiking in
a customized itinerary of travel to Venezuela.
