El Avila

Once at the top of the mountain. You can go down a dirt road (very jumpy old road) to a near town called Gallipan. You pay 2,500 bolivars for a 15min ride in a 4×4 truck with 6 people more or walk the distance, about half and hour.

At the town you’ll find a big set of stores selling from flowers to preserved fruits and marmalades. Try the “Sandwich de Pernil”, you’ll have to wait for the trucks to pick you up, it was a long queue that saturday, the weather is nice, you can see the caribbean from Gallipan, is cold too, so take a jacket with you.

Pictures of Gallipan

Finally on saturday I got to go up there. You’ll need to go to the teleferic base, is called “Avila Magica”. They charge 39,000 bolivars for a two-way trip. The trip upwards take near 20 minutes, prepare the cameras because you’ll be able to snap shots of the city and the forests in the Avila’s sides. At the top there is a long walk with food and snacks stores, two restaurants and a plaza near the old Humboldt Hotel where there are shows for kids and adults.

El Avila Teleferic

El Avila Avila Magica

In my visit to Caracas on 2005 I got to hike El Avila to Sabas Nieves, a Forest guard post. It’s a trail that a lot of people from the city does over the weekend. It was full of people of all ages and even parents with their babies. The hike took about two hours and the view is impressive. You can check at my Journal Entries photoblog the pics I took that one time.

I want to go up but using the teleferic this time! I hope to find the time and a good sunny day. Caracas is cold this time of the year and there’s use to be mist and clouds covering the top of El Avila.