Andean Mountains Special: My Guide for Enjoying Merida to the Fullest!

Rashel Cedeño De Abreu
Apr 22, 2020
5 min read

MERIDA

Merida in Mexico is famous for its prominent Mayan architecture, Merida in Spain for its Roman monuments, but Merida in Venezuela is one of the main cities of South America’s Andean Region and is famous for being home to the world’s highest cable car.

This city, that shares the same name as the Merida State, is nationally recognized for being the city of the gentlemen too. This fame is given because of the hospitality of its citizens and even its name is a tribute of that. It is officially Santiago de los Caballeros de Mérida (Santiago of Merida’s Gentlemen).

This escape to the Andean mountains is always a pleasure for every traveler, so I will recommend some of the most breathtaking places that cannot be missed from the towns of Merida.

Mucubají Lagoon

As soon as you get to Merida, the environment is totally different. The road is uphill with a spectacular view to the mountains. The smell of the pine tree welcomes you and the cold temperatures hugs you. The first stop in the Andean paramo is to the Mucubají Lagoon for horse riding, as it is a very characteristic activity of the region. The horses are trained and there is always a guide to help you through the path if you wish. The scenery is just magical, the foggy mountains, the blue lagoon, and the pine trees. Totally worth the stop.

Next ahead is to continue to drive uphill, for the highest elevation of the highway, Pico El Águila (Eagle Peak), to stop for a hot coffee and admire the altitude of 13,510 ft. But one must be very careful when moving around the mountain, as the altitude sickness can give you nauseas and dizziness. But it is ok, as the view to the immense mountain and the cars going up the small road can give you a soothing feeling.

San Rafael del Páramo de Mucuchíes

The highest town in Venezuela, San Rafael, is another must stop. This town at 12,000 ft above sea level is where I stayed my first night as it has some of the coziest inns and it is close to many touristic places, such as the popular Chapel made of stones, and inside of it, images of Venezuelan virgins, Our Lady of Coromoto and Our Lady of the Valley, are displayed.

Llano del Hato National Astronomical Observatory

After spending a few hours driving around the town of Apartaderos, we headed to a major point of interest for those interested in the beauty of astronomy. The Llano del Hato National Astronomical Observatory is a facility at the closest optical observatory to the equator and serves to investigation organization. It has four large telescopes that have been used to detect at least 50 minor planets.

During my visit, I got to see how they open the dome and close it, and I even got to see a Nebula through the telescope. Then I headed to the main building that has a restaurant inside to have a delicious Pisca Andina. The top of this building also serves as a major point to see the stars. They can be seen without a telescope as the sky is almost always clear and there is little to nonlight pollution.

The sky was absolutely stunning that day I went. I could even see a satellite and a galaxy. The stars looked like if it was a screen above me that was showing a photoshopped constellation, but it was not. It was real and I had it right there. Countless bright stars, as many as there are sand grains in the beaches at the coast, illuminating the mountains surrounding us. Pure magic.

COROMOTO ICE CREAM SHOP

Everyone has to make a small stop to go to this ice cream shop owned by a Portuguese immigrant family that made their little shop into a record holder of the most amount of flavors for ice cream with 860 different options. It was only until 2011 that another ice cream shop exceeded them in quantity.

Because of economic reasons, it now only offers around 20 flavors per day, but I could see all the different options in a big wall they have with the creative names they gave to each flavor. I tried Coca Cola and Doritos flavors, and I also went back to have a third flavor of arroz con pollo (rice with chicken). It is extremely weird, but they are not bad at all!

A superb experience for sure. Not recommended to those that have indecision problems.

Mérida Cable Car

Last, but not least: The Merida Cable Car. This engineering marvel has a record for being the highest cable car in the world with approximately 15,700 ft above the sea level, and the second longest, with five stops throughout the hour-long journey, up to the Sierra Nevada of the Andean Mountain.

It was built in the 50's but it stopped running in the 2000's due to maintenance reasons, and it was reopened in 2016. Four months later, my mom and I, of course, prepared the trip to go visit it during Spring time, as it was my very first time at the city of the gentlemen.

The altitude and the cold are two main factors for having to take a few precautions when planning to go! Do not eat too much, and do not move too fast, otherwise, you will get height sick, which could lead to other complications. But believe me, the risk is worth it!

This structure was born after the desire of reaching the peak of the Mountain, as before that, travelers had to do a hiking trip, which they still do for the sake of the adventure, one that I would love to do some day.

The journey starts at the Barinitas Station (1,640 msl), where I was received with folkloric dancers with national attire and live music. Here you enter the cabins that have a capacity of 60 people and are super sophisticated with a computer guide that starts giving you all sorts of information about how the trip is going, and you have an incredible view to the city.

Then, the first stop is at the Mountain Station (3,453 msl). It was sadly foggy at this point, which meant I could not enjoy the view that much. The cabin felt like the start of a thriller movie, as you couldn't see anything, but either way we left the cabin to go to the view area.

Then we go back to the cabin to go up to the second stop, at the La Aguada Station (3,452 msl), where the foggy climate was disappearing and we could appreciate the amazing view to the Andean mountains, and the big monk plants (in Spanish: frailejon), which are unique in the world and exclusive of this region.

Loma Redonda Station (4,045 msl) is the next destiny, it has a beautiful sideview area surrounding by mountains and lagoons, such as the Laguna de Anteojos. There are horse-riding activities and plenty hiking areas.

Then the last stop is at Pico Espejo Station (4,765 msl), where there is a building with a few shops to get something to eat, and a coffee or a hot chocolate. Then on the outside, there is a path that leads you to a Virgin Mary statue. When I got to this point it started snowing and the whole area looked so beautiful. It was my first time seeing snow and that made the trip ten times better.

The whole trip felt so magical and I couldn't be happier, or feel more blessed to be able to travel to this small corners of my country to appreciate how many beautiful sites it has. It was an amazing experience.

I hope you enjoyed it and I will leave more pictures at the gallery for you to see!