Mérida: Venezuela's Andean adventure town

The town

Mérida's centre is a grid of streets around the Plaza Bolívar and the cathedral, with markets, cafés, bookshops and posadas. The Mercado Principal is the place for local cheese, sweets, crafts and a hearty Andean breakfast. Heladería Coromoto, the ice cream parlour once listed by Guinness for the most flavours in the world, is a fun stop, with flavours such as trout or avocado alongside the classics.

The Mukumbarí cable car

The **Mukumbarí** is one of the highest and longest cable cars in the world, climbing in stages from the town to Pico Espejo at more than four thousand eight hundred metres. The views of glaciers, peaks and the valley below are extraordinary on a clear morning. Go early, move slowly at the top, and turn back if you feel unwell, because altitude sickness is real at that height. It closes for maintenance from time to time, so check before you go.

The páramo and villages

The road northeast from Mérida climbs through the **Sierra Nevada National Park** and the Páramo de Mucuchíes towards the Pico del Águila pass, one of the highest road passes in the country. Along the way, stop at the stone chapel of San Rafael de Mucuchíes, built by the artist Juan Félix Sánchez, and the Laguna de Mucubají, a glacial lake with an easy trail to the Laguna Negra. Villages such as Mucuchíes, Apartaderos and Jají have craft shops, trout restaurants and posadas with fireplaces.

Jají, a short drive west of town, is a restored colonial village of white houses, wooden balconies and a pretty plaza. Los Aleros is a recreated Andean village of the 1930s, popular with families.

Adventure and hiking

Mérida has long been Venezuela's adventure capital. Local operators run paragliding flights from Las González, canyoning, rafting and mountain biking, plus guided treks into the Sierra Nevada and multi-day hikes to Los Nevados, a remote village reached on foot or by mule. Choose established operators, check equipment and insurance, and ask about the weather before you commit.

Food

Andean cooking is hearty and warming. Try **pisca andina**, a soup of potatoes, milk, egg and coriander usually eaten for breakfast, **arepas de trigo** made with wheat flour, fresh trout from mountain farms, and **dulces abrillantados**, glazed milk sweets sold in the markets. Look out for **calentado**, a warming drink, and local cheeses.

Getting there

Mérida's airport has had irregular service for years, and El Vigía, about an hour and a half away, is the alternative when flights run. Many people travel by road from Caracas, a long journey of ten hours or more, or fly to Barquisimeto or Maracaibo and continue overland. Check the latest flight options and road conditions before you plan, and avoid travelling by road at night.

Staying safe

Mérida is generally calmer than the big cities, but take normal precautions: keep valuables out of sight, use taxis recommended by your posada at night, and read your government's advice on the Andean border areas near Colombia, which carry extra risks. Fuel and power shortages can still affect the region, so carry some snacks, a torch and extra cash.

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