Spanning nearly the entire
continent of South America from north to south, Venezuela
claims the northernmost reaches of the mighty Andes mountain
range. Venezuela’s Andes are located in the central-west
portion of the country and encompass the states of Merida,
Tachira and Trujillo. Our Scenic Andes Adventure travels
the countryside by jeep for those with general or a special
interest in the area. Unique hotels llike Los Frailes
based on a 15th century monastary add to the experience
as do the family run haciendas.
The
foothills’ cool, misty forests support an amazing
array of diverse bird and plantlife where orchids, bromeliads
and heliconias provide habitat for hummingbirds and the
beautiful Andean cock-of -the-rock bird. For the best
chances of success take our Bird Watching Tour to visit
the species like the Andean Condor. At higher altitudes,
unusual fauna, cirques and moraines predominant in glacial
landscapes dominate semi-desertlike paramo. In between,
the Andes are laced with icy rivers, streams and trout
laden lakes, carpeted in lush valleys of evergreen and
deciduous forest and graceful alpine meadows The area
and climate are perfect for hiking, trekking, mountain
biking, paragliding, hang gliding or horseback riding.
A circuit is travelled by mountain bike with experienced
guides and local lodges along the way.
The Sierra Nevada National
Park was the second park ever created in the country.
Nestled in the heart of the Andes Range, it is the only
place in the country that has snow-covered peaks throughout
the year. The highest Venezuelan summits are found here:
Bolivar Peak (5,007 m), Humboldt (4,920 m), Bonpland (4,942
m), La Concha (4,920 m), El Toro (4,755 m) and El Leon
(4,740 m). It is a natural area of exceptional beauty,
ideal for excursions and mountain sports and the setting
off point for Los Pueblos Trek and Los Nevados Trek.
Day tours include, a city
tour of Merida, a morning in the main market, a ride in
the world’s highest (4,765 m) and longest (12,5 km)
cable car or teleferico, a visit to the highest point
in the Venezuelan highway system (the freezing Paso del
Aguila at 13,146 feet) and experiencing the Paramo.
Merida, capital of the
Andes, is a bustling university town where comfortable
hotels, a wealth of restaurants and nightlife, and local
markets ideal for arts and handicraft shopping are indicative
of Venezuela’s modern-day culture. Juan Rodriguez
Suarez founded the city in 1558 and now it has 365,000
inhabitants (mainly students, farmers and merchants).
Nestled in a valley surrounded by five of the Andes' highest
peaks, Merida (elevation 5,332 ft) is the gateway to all
of our Andean adventures. The average temperatures are
70°F or 21°C during the day and 55°F or 13°C during the
nights.
A picturesque land rich
in traditional culture, Venezuela’s Andes host a
myriad of environments from dense, tropical cloudforests
to rugged, snow-capped peaks. The hard working, resourceful
and religious Andean people are hearty souls, many of
whom still live by and farm the land much as they have
for centuries. Burrows are still a primary mode of transportation
between most mountain villages, and electricity still
has not found its way to some of the more remote locations.
Paved roads link Merida with neighboring cities such as
Barinas, Trujillo, San Cristobal and Valera while scheduled
air commercial service is available to the most important
cities in the country.
Contact
us to include a tour of the Andes in a customized
itinerary for travel in Venezuela.
