Hosted by The Programa Andes Tropicales, this is an ideal way to take a walking and horseback tour of the Andes. The area involved is within two national parks in Venezuela; the Sierra Nevada and Sierra la Culata. Along your chosen route there will be a network of supported lodges for your stays. At these points you will have the opportunity to take part in activities that cost little yet contribute directly to the local economy, while offering you the opportunity to enjoy the culture.
Trips can be tailor-made for your schedule and depart year-round. A suggested five-day itinerary is provided with the information and booking link:
We support a network of traditional rural lodges, or mucuposadas, in the Andes where visitors can walk and ride horses between the homes. The area involved is within two national parks (Sierra Nevada and Sierra La Culata) and
in the middle, the valley of Mucuchíes. A baquiano (guide)
will be your companion on the trails both by foot or riding. typical bedThere are interesting things to do at each place, and plenty of scenery along the way. The routes cross different ecosystems and altitudinal belts and you will also feel various temperatures
depending on the routes you choose. In the High Andes, there are potatoes but at the lower range the cultures are varied (yuca, sugar cane, ocumo, etc.) At each stop there are activities that take from two to five hours to complete, and the costs of each activity is not much. The homes are clean and the food is very nice. Since your money is funneled into the local communities and homes where you stay, you are assured of being treated as a very important guest.
A SUGGESTED 5-DAY ITINERARY
Day 1: Mérida – Mitibibó
Arrive at airport in Mérida, go to Mitibibó (elev. 3380m), have lunch, hike and ride horses through surroundings, dinner and lodging.
Day 2: Mitibibó – El Banco Valley
On horseback leave Mitibibó. On this stretch you see a typical potato-growing valley. Lunch at Mucuposada Agüita Azul, tour the surroundings, then have dinner and lodging here.
Day 3: El Banco Valley – Misintá
On this stretch you go to the Misintá Valley, crossing over the high Andes belt through Muruzoque Heights. You will be in a glacier landscape interspersed with lakes and giant frailjón plants, at an elevation of more than 4000 m. Lunch during trip. Descending to Misintá on the upper limits of the farming area, you will go along the Camino Real, a trail used since Spanish colonial times, built over trails made by local Indians, arriving at the town of Misintá, where you will spend the night and have supper at the Mucuposada “El Gavilán.
Day 4: Misintá – Mérida
Breakfast, tour of the local area, lunch, then transporation back to Mérida for your return flight.
