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Sites of Interest |
La Mucuy
Recreational Area, the Visitors
Center at Laguna de Mucubají,
the Merida Suspended Cable Car (the
longest in the world), the
Bolívar Peak, Espejo, Humboldt,
Bonpland and lagoons.
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Activities |
Mountain climbing in the Andes,
excursionism, camping, picnics,
high season trout fishing, cable
car use, guided visits.
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Recommendations |
Before beginning your excursions
along different park routes,
request an INPARQUES permit at
the control posts. Request a
trout fishing permit. Follow the
recommendations provided by the
park rangers. Spend the night
only in areas indicated for this
use by INPARQUES.
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Located in
the central part of the Andean Range in the
eastern region of the country corresponding to
the Rangel, Libertador, Campo Elías, Santos
Marquina, Aricagua and Cardenal Quintero
municipalities of the State of Mérida and the
Pedraza, Bolívar and Sucre municipalities of the
State of Barinas. Access to the park is
available along the following two routes: the
TransAndean Highway from Barinas or Valera and
the Pan American Highway from El Vigía.
Orographically, the park consists of two
mountain chains: the Sierra Nevada de Mérida,
where the highest points in the country can be
found, including the Bolívar Peak (5.007 m), the
Bonpland Peak(4.883 m), La Concha Peak (4.920
m), El Toro Peak (4.755 m) and El León Peak
(4.740 m). The second mountain range is known as
the Sierra de Santo Domingo, where the Mucuñuque
Peak (4. 672) is located.
Other features of the landscape include the
glacier formations still in existence and the
numerous lagoons of glacier origin.
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Tourist attractions |
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 Vegetation
and Flora
The area has various types of forests and Andean
páramos as well as a elevated endemism level.
The forests boast an abundance of orchids,
bryophytes and pteridophytes. Sone endemisms
include: the pino aparrado, the manteco negro,
the frailejonote, the coloradito and the
cafecito species. Abundant arborescent
pteridophytes, epiphytes and orchids,
cordoncillo, yagrumo, sai-sai and the pino laso.
At lower altitudes we find species such as the
laurel, the majagua, cedro de montaña and the
anime. On the páramo, the frailejones are the
most representative species along with the
chispeador and the coloradito.
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 Fauna
Bioclimatic diversity and a variety of
vegetation have given rise to an extensive
variety of habitats that provide refuge and food
for a large number of faunistic species. Some
are these are at danger of extinction such as
the oso frontino, the only South American
representative of the ursid family, the venado
caramerudo del páramo, the paují copete de
piedra, the gallito de la sierra, the puma, el
conejo de páramo and the jaguar.
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 Hydrography
It is comprised of
three principal hydrographic basins and sub-basins
along its two sources. Two drain into the
Maracaibo Lake basin through the Chama and
Nuestra Señora rivers and eleven drain into the
Orinoco River large river basin through the
Apure. Numerous lagoons with glacier origins can
be found throughout the park, of which the most
notable include: the Mucubají, La Negra, Los
Patos, La Canoa, Los Anteojos, El Rincón, El
Royal, La Verde and El Suero.
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