The Andes Family Tour is a great opportunity for families to enjoy together the sites and sounds of Venezuela’s countryside. This tour was designed for persons of all ages and abilities, making sure that our guides lead at a pace that is comfortable for each family. On this tour, the group will get the opportunity to experience the breath-taking beauty of the majestic Andes and the surrounding culture; together they help showing Venezuela as a very unique place.
Your Itinerary:
Day 1: Caracas
Upon arrival to Caracas's international airport, a bilingual Natoura representative will meet you, provide you with your flight tickets & tour vouchers, and assist you in your local hotel transfer.
Day 2: Caracas - Merida
You will transfer on your own to the national airport.You will fly to Mérida from Caracas arriving around midday. Upon your arrival, you will be met by our representative, who will transfer you to your hotel. You have the afternoon to relax or explore the city on your own.
Day 3: San Jose
We will pick you up early in the morning in order to begin the San Jose Tour. Once we’ve packed up the jeep, we will embark upon a tour boasting exposure to a large variety of ecosystems. Our first visit will be to verdant cloud forest, where we’ll visit a rushing waterfall. Our next stop is the picturesque Andean village of Jaji. After touring the village, we will ride mountain bikes to begin our decent down to a xerophytes ecosystem. On the way, we will visit a small sugar cane mill to observe the production of “panela”. Next, we will travel to the curious salt Lake, Lagunillas, the only one of its kind in Venezuela.
Traveling through verdant coffee country, we will visit the coffee museum and present-day coffee farms. Afterwards, we will take a winding switchback road, ascending from 460 m to 2,290 m. Finally, we will arrive at the remote Andean village of San Jose, which seems to have been lost in time. We will spend the night at an idyllic Andean chalet with trout ponds. This lodge, run by the notoriously talented cook and conversationalist Martin, is of superb quality in food and accommodation. 4 hours by jeep, 1 hour hiking, 1.5 biking. L/ D.
Day 4: San Jose -Tostos - Acequias
We will eat a tasty breakfast with Martin and then descend into the beautiful valley of Tostos either on horseback or by foot with mule support (one of the most enjoyable ways to walk in the Andes), enjoying the surroundings of eucalyptus trees and beautiful rivers. There we will have direct contact with the villagers. Around us, farmers plow with oxen while villagers grind their corn by hand in order to make the typical “arepa” over a wood-fed fire. From Tostos we will arrive at Acequias, a friendly mountain village even more remote than San Jose. There we’ll visit ruins of an Indian village dating back to the times of Machu Pichu. The night will be spent at a small inn located in Acequias. 4 hours by horseback/5 hours by foot. B/ L/ D.
Day 5: El Morro - Los Nevados
After a satisfying breakfast, we will depart on foot for 8 km to El Morro, another mountain town. There you’ll take a thrilling jeep ride to Los Nevados, a village lying behind Pico Bolivar at an altitude of 2,700 meters. This town, which seems to have been left a century behind, boasts one of the smallest Bolivar squares in Venezuela. Your visit to Los Nevados will be of a more cultural nature, having direct contact with the locals in town, sleeping in their homes, sharing meals with them, and even having a few beers in a small local cantina. 3 hours hiking, 3 hours by jeep. B/ L/ D.
Day 6: Alto de La Cruz
Starting the day with a typical Andean breakfast, our energy will be replenished for a trek on mules over a peaceful, colorful mountain trail leading to the cable car station. We will witness the change of scenery from a mountain cloud forest to the páramo region as we reach the Alto de la Cruz at 4200 m. From there we have a wonderful view of the impressive Bolivar Peak, the highest in Venezuela. Taking the cable car back to Mérida, we’ll have a chance to rest our weary legs and relax, all the while taking in the panoramic views. We will arrive mid-day; you will be dropped off at your posada where you can relax and enjoy the afternoon.
*Optional: If you are not tired or need some more action, we can take you paragliding! Your experienced pilot secures your harness, lays out the parachute behind you, and as you run towards the edge of a cliff. Suddenly, a wind comes and lifts the chute- and your feet leave the ground. Suspended in the air over the canyon far below, you’ll spend an hour airborne. Peacefully floating, steering and twisting over the canyon walls and crevices, you’ll see the Rio Chama lying in the valley below, patch work sugarcane fields to one side, and rays of the setting sun warming your body. Gently, your pilot will bring you down to the ground. 4 hours by mule, 1 hour cable car ride. B/ L.
Day 7: Paramo Tour
This is one of our most requested tours. From Mérida, we will travel a scenic route by exciting mountain roads towards the Andean páramo. Along the way we will visit tranquil colonial Andean villages and enjoy the drinks and delicacies they have to offer. In the paramo range, we’ll find the velvety frailejon (rabbit ears to children), found everywhere along the páramo. There are 65 endemic species of this relative to the daisy found in Venezuela, and botanists think the area was the dispersal center for all frailejones. One of our first stops will be the Andean Condor's station. The staff at this station is making a bold attempt to build up the population of the world’s largest bird. A large Condor can have a wing span up to 3.5 meters.
Next, we will travel up the Pico El Aguila (4,125 m), the highest point in Venezuela reachable by car. There we will be able to take in the panoramic views of the Andean peaks and sit down to a warm Andean lunch. From there we shall visit the Laguna Mucubaji Park (3,800 m) of the Sierra Nevada National Park system. Hiking to Laguna Negra, about 4 km, we will enter a microclimate, which due to its special setting receives more rain and humidity than the surrounding páramo area. This extra humidity gives life to an interesting diversity of plant species, adding color and greenery to the wind-swept páramo region.
Laguna Negra is a beautiful site on a clear, calm day. The black water forms a perfect mirror reflecting the trees on the mountainside. After enjoying the tranquil scenery of the Laguna, you will journey to the summit just past Pico El Aguila, where you will stay overnight at a typical colonial village. A horseback ride to the Laguna Negra can be arranged for a minimal additional cost. 4 hours by jeep, 3 hours hiking. L/ D.
Day 8: Mucuchies - La Musui
After a hearty breakfast, we will drive back to Pico El Aguila and continue on to the village of Mucuchies. Just beyond the village we will find the path leading us to the remote hot springs of La Musui. This is a great walk with the majestic Andean peaks soaring up to the clouds off in the distance. We will spend the morning at the hot springs and have a picnic lunch. We will return to Mérida in the afternoon and you will be dropped off at your hotel. 4 hours by jeep, 2 hours hiking. B/ L.
Day 9: Transfer to Caracas - End of Services
You will be picked up at your posada in time to be transferred to the airport in order to check in for your flight back to Caracas.
NOTE: If the cable car is not available, an alternative program for the return will be provided.
Notes:
Airfare is included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- Transfer from and to airport
- Tour transportation with 4WD
- Bilingual guide
- All meals and soft drinks during the trip
- First aid
- Permits for National Park
- Radio communication
- Mountain biking
- Horseback/mule riding
- Ticket for cable car (San Jose Tour II)(if available)
- Overnight(s) at Chalet/Posada during the tour
Price does not include:
- Domestic flights (we can arrange them)
- Lodging in Mérida (we can arrange this)
- Optional tandem paragliding (we can arrange this)
- Items of a personal nature
- Meals, tours, or other services not listed on the itinerary, or alcoholic beverages
- Tips to local staff, nor any expenses incurred in preparing for the trip such as but not limited to non-refundable airline tickets or insurance or additional expenses encountered as a result of flight delays, cancellations, or missed connections.
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Venezuela
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