El Páramo
A drive up through the Páramo’s alpine tundra ecosystems is a must on any visit to the city of Mérida, Venezuela. The views are spectacular, the small villages historic and colorful, each with its requisite plaza and church. There are highlights to enjoy all the way up the curvy road leading to Sierra Nevada National Park and beyond along the Trans-Andean highway. If you have a car, the road is well-marked, and it’s easy to find the landmarks listed below. On visits to Venezuela, I’ve done the Páramo drive a number of times, and it’s always a highlight. If you’re not driving, hotels and hostels offer this trip with various types of vehicles and groups sizes. Local tourist information centers should have this on the list as well. Below are some of the typical stops.
La Loca Luz Caraballos
A statue of La Loca Luz Caraballos (the crazy lady Luz Caraballos) can be found at Apartaderos, the highest town in Mérida. As the poem of Andrés Eloy Blanco describes, the woman went crazy after the death of her husband and five sons who had followed Simon Bolivar to war when he passed through the Venezuelan Andes. This legend is known throughout the region, and it is said that “la loca” wanders the Páramo foever in search of the family she lost.
Chapel of Our Lady of Coromoto
Near the National Astronomical Observatory is the famous replica of the stone chapel dedicated to the Virgen of Coromoto built by Juan Félix Sanchez (1900 – 1997) in San Rafael de Mucuchíes. Sanchez was born in San Rafael de Mucuchíes, and in his life created many works, mostly of stone and natural materials. Most of his time was spent in relative solitude in remote Tisure, accompanied by his lifetime partner Epifania Gil. (They never married.) Together they built the original chapel in Tisure. The chapels were put together by hand using local stone and without cement. It is a work of art in itself, and a restful place to sit and relax for a while. Further down there is a monument to a local Mucuchíes breed dog who was trained and handed over to Bolivar and served him faithfully.
Pico El Águila
Just before lunch, we visited Pico El Águila, where you could really feel the altitude (13,123 feet). There is a beautiful chapel there in the clouds as well. Apartaderos and its surrounding area has a number bed and breakfast options that would make an amazing weekend getaway!
Laguna de Mucubají
Our last stop was the Laguna de Mucubají, just inside the Sierra Nevada National Park. This beautiful lake is the jumping off point for a number of hikes and horseback rides into the mountains to other lakes and lagoons, lookout points and views of thousands of frailejones (Espeletia), a typical plant with white soft leaves, the high-altitude plant with a thousand uses!
Another split in the road heading out of the city leads to La Culata, with picturesque farmhouses and their surrounding fields, guest houses, and a few small villages. The mountains loom in all directions, and there is often a soft fog hanging over the vallies. We had a long walk down this mountain on our last day in Mérida before heading to the bus station for another overnight bus back to Caracas.
