Henri Pittier National Park

Henri Pittier was declared in 1937 as the country's first national park, covering a block of the coastal range that rises from the Caribbean to over two thousand metres in a few kilometres. That gradient packs a great many habitats into a small area, and the bird list is exceptional, well over five hundred species, around forty per cent of the national total. The Rancho Grande biological station on the pass has been a research base since the 1930s, and Portachuelo pass is a known migration bottleneck.

What you actually see

• The cloud forest - wet forest on the ridge with tree ferns, bromeliads and epiphytes.
• Portachuelo pass - a migration bottleneck where birds and insects funnel through.
• Rancho Grande - the biological station on the pass, in use since the 1930s.
• The bird list - well over five hundred species in a small area.

When to go

December to April is the dry season and the best for the roads. The rains bring cloud and mist to the ridge, which is when the forest is at its most atmospheric. Migration peaks in autumn and spring.

Honest expectations

The mountain roads are narrow, winding and in poor condition. Cloud on the ridge often closes the views entirely. Facilities inside the park are very limited.

Nearby

Choroni is north, and Maracay is south.