Mérida and the Andes

Mérida, a lively university city set in a high valley of the Venezuelan Andes, is the country's mountain capital and the gateway to its most dramatic highland scenery. Above it rise the snow-dusted peaks of the Sierra Nevada, including Venezuela's highest summits, reached by the Mukumbarí cable car, one of the highest and longest in the world, which climbs in spectacular stages towards Pico Espejo at over four thousand metres. Around the city stretch a landscape of green valleys, mountain villages, waterfalls and the strange, beautiful high paramo moorland with its giant frailejón plants. Blessed with a spring-like climate, adventure sports and Andean charm, Mérida is a wonderful base for exploring the mountains.

The landscape

• The Mukumbarí cable car - one of the world's highest and longest.
• The Sierra Nevada peaks - Venezuela's highest snow-dusted summits.
• The paramo moorland - the high moors with giant frailejón plants.
• The mountain villages - the Andean valleys, villages and waterfalls.

When to go

December to April, the drier season, is generally the best time for clear mountain views, the cable car and highland walking, when skies are most often bright; Mérida's high-altitude spring-like climate is pleasant year-round, though the wetter months bring more cloud. Clear mornings offer the finest views of the peaks.

Before you go

Mérida sits at high altitude, so the thin air on the highest cable-car stages and mountain walks can be felt, and clear peak views depend on the weather; the cable car's operation can also vary. As the gateway to the Venezuelan Andes, with a record-breaking cable car, snow-dusted peaks and strange paramo moorland, though, Mérida is a genuinely spectacular and rewarding mountain destination.

Nearby

The Sierra Nevada, the paramo and the Andean villages lie around the city.