The Andes & The Llanos
The Venezuelan Andes
The city of Merida is perched on a mesa between two ranges. It has a spectacular backdrop of snowy peaks, and the world’s longest cable-car. The area above the Merida valley is characterized by the breathtaking paramos (high plains), deep blue lakes, and small Andean villages, seemingly hanging on the mountainsides.
Animal-watching in the Llanos
Known as the "Serengeti of South America”, the sprawling grasslands of Los Llanos are home to river otters, cabybaras, anacondas, and howler monkeys. Spanish settlers established the first cattle ranches in Los Llanos in 1548, known as “hatos”. Today, amid the more exotic wildlife, thousands of cows still roam the range, driven by cowboys known as llaneros.