Things to see and do Andes

This well-restored colonial house houses maps, coats of arms, colonial furniture, the bed of which slept the liberator and even préhispaniques ceramics. It was also in these walls that Bolívar signed, on 15 June 1803, the Decree of War at Death, which ordered independence officers to kill royalist.

Inaugurated in 1911 by Bishop Antonio Ramon Silva Garcia to celebrate the first centenary of the Declaration of Independence, the Diocese Museum moved in 1941 in this beautiful basilica, which contains a small collection of religious art, a mummy, a bell dated 909 and the portraits of successive bishops of Mérida.

A chapel was built in the centre of the giant patio at Caridad Hospital, dating back to 1918. The museum presents works by local artists, but also temporary exhibitions of the best collections of the country, or even foreign collections. Here you can see a creation of the founder Juan de Villegas. Concerts and theatre-club sessions are given every week in the chapel.

Transformed into a museum of the Tachira, the residence offers an exhibition on folklore, archaeology, history and crafts of this state which was Colombian until 1777.

This small amusement park located 7 km from Tabay, born in July 1984, presents the rebuilding of a Venezuelan village, as it was to be in the 1930 s. There is a typical church, a bank, etc. It's instructive on the art of living at the time, but a little kitsch and business! However, the Venezuelans love, as the high attendance during weekends shows (various bonuses in bonus).

Transport. Located 25 km from Merida via El Páramo or 40 minutes from Apartaderos. By car, find the sign that shows the road to the Paramo, 25 minutes away from Los Aleros. By bus, the stop is located on Calle 19 of Mérida between Avenues 3 and 4. By taxi, the price ranges from 50 Bs F and 80 Bs F, you can still negotiate a round trip.

This statue in the style of the 1970 s and signed by the architect Manuel de la Fuente, measuring 46,72 m high and weighs 1 200 tons. From the size of the statue of freedom New York, one can see by far that which reflects the sincere devotion of the Venezuelans. You can enter the statue to admire the landscape. We climb up to the neck, and then you reach your eyes on a scale. When the time is clear, it is possible to see the Sierra Nevada, and to the lake of Maracaibo.

On the lake, this park is a reconstructed village like the old pre-colonization time. The Indians show their way of life, their habitat, their traditional culture and crafts. This discovery can be completed with the Anthropological Museum of the Ateneo de Lagunillas on the Sugar Plaza.

Landscape and romantic waterfalls. On the other hand, the animals are a little in the dark. Notably the puma and the famous glasses bear (Tremarctos ornatus), a threatened animal from the Andes. To my knowledge, it has not been seen for five years, it is the 3rd largest bear among the 8 species. In the last two years, however, efforts are being made, both in terms of the spatial planning and the living conditions of animals.

The road stops and there is a green road climbing in the freshness of the páramo, 4 737 m, where some try paragliding. In the woods, monkeys and toucans give the reply. Hiking from Mérida to Mucuchíes. It was declared a national park in 1989.

Closed during our maintenance passage, however, we have sneaked a few testimonies of the past, with parts like trapiches (tool used to work the sugar cane).

It's here, on the Plateau plateau, that was created Merida the first time. In Plaza Bolívar you can rent a mule for a walk. If you have time… you can also visit a finca of cocoa and its museum. A relic of the time when, not so long ago, cocoa, sugar cane and coffee were living in the region.

In the 1960 s, only one Condor (Vultur gryphus) had the pleasure of flying in the Venezuelan sky, all were exterminated. The mission was then to incorporate the emblematic vulture into the Andean sky. We must remember that the Condor is on the badges of Bolivia, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador. Today 5 condors imported from Argentina fly up to 10 000 m in total freedom. The male that you will see in the cage answering the name of "El Combatiente" shares his prison with a female "Anicsi". The members of the association decided to offer him a company so that the two new lovers would breed.

In the north of the city, the garden of the Faculty of Sciences, a true living museum, was created in 1991 by the University of the Andes (U.L.A.), which then yielded 44 hectares to its headquarters. You can see the Sierra Nevada. Its limits range from the northeast to the road leading to Los Chorros de Milla, by the south at Alberto Carnevali avenue and by the east at the Faculty of Forestry. At weekends you can enjoy the.

This path in the middle of the coffee trees is a nice walk to walk to the village. Convenient to go to Grados camp for example. Willmar of the Posada Posada can take you to you, he will tell you about the riches of the flora, like the Corozo, a palm whose fruit similar to a little mango is used by the elders because of his anti-inflammatory virtues; The Fiqué, a delicate and fine cactus cactus whose fiber is used to make ropes. Opposite, to go back to Altamira, turn left at the La Quinta sign (hamlet).

To go, put your boots together, take food for 2 days and leave early. The stone chapel of the Virgin of Coromoto du Tisure is indeed 4-5 a. m. on foot. To access it, exit San Rafael towards Apartaderos (for example self-stop). Just a few kilometres away, go to La Mucuchaché bridge. On the right begins the splendid walk (you will pass the La Ventana pass at 4 200 m above sea level, before turning towards El Tisure) to the sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin which safeguards the artist during construction. The church, completed in 1954, houses a treasure of Andean art, sculptures of the calvary and the Holy Sepulchre. Let's say that Sánchez was born in 1900 and still created two other chapels, in 1964 and 1966.

In perfect condition, it houses an interesting museum which covers the whole history of coffee, its culture and its development. From the hacienda, you can take a detour to the charming village of Santa Cruz de Mora, to purchase a good quality homemade coffee. To get there, if you are not transported, pass through Lagunillas. 

Suddenly, completely anachronistic observatories are lost, lost in solitary mountains only chatouillées by an insignificant road. At 3 600 m altitude, under an ideal sky, you can still go to see the stars. The visit lasts 1 hour 30 and includes the museum facilities, two videos, and then a guide accompanies you on two observatory domes only to discover the telescopes. If the weather conditions are there, it is possible to observe the sky through the small telescope located in the museum. For those who wish to observe a night, you must be in the facilities before the closing time. Think of hot clothes because it can easily make 5 ° C.

After a quick passage to Inparques, which will relieve you of some bolivars, you access the lake of Mucubají lying at 3 550 m above sea level, surrounded by frailejones and often… fog. It is the second largest lake in the Andes, the first being the Laguna Santo Cristo, 2 hours of mules from Mérida. Mucubají Lake is very generous with tasty trout, which can be fished from March to October, subject to a permit you will get to the ministerio de Agricultura y Tierra (about 50 Bs. F the year). Its waters come from the melting of the quaternary ice.

If you decide to camp here, you will be charged a few hundred bolivars per person per night, and 20 Bs. F per tent. There is no shower but you use the sink and toilets to débarbouiller you. Remember that in December temperatures fall easily below 0 ° C.

If you decide not to camp, continue 1 hour towards Laguna Los Patos, a rise that you will be rewarded by the fact that in all likelihood you will have the lake and surrounding area for you alone. If you're insatiable, you're going to plant a flag at the top of Pico Pico, but try to get up-to-date information from Inparques on the way to go because it's really not clear in places.

In the vicinity of this lake, it is possible to rent mules to explore the surroundings, that is, the first Laguna Negra (Black Lake) in 1 hour 30 round-trip (40 Bs F), a splendid mountain lake of glacial origin, its name is due to the shadows that reflect it. The path runs through the magnificent landscapes of the Venezuelan páramo. If you walk, count 2 hours and try to leave early in the morning to avoid fog.

The co-operative coopérative proposes other routes, such as Laguna Patos (2 hours round trip, 50 Bs. F) or 3 hours on foot, Laguna Victoria (2 hours 15, 50 Bs F) or a small walk at Mirador (30 Bs. F). The presence of a guide is mandatory for all exits (40/50 Bs. F). Open from 6 am to 16 pm.