One of the main tourist attractions in the state of Mérida, a favorite spot for visitors when they come to the “City of Knights” on vacation, is the cable car, the longest and highest in the world, with a route of 12.5 km and reaching a height of 4,765 meters above sea level.

Route

This engineering feat, with more than 60 years of history, runs from the city of Mérida to the summit of Pico Espejo in the Sierra Nevada National Park.

🚠First section: it departs from Barinitas station (1,577 m above sea level) and arrives at La Montaña station (2,422 m above sea level), where you can see “the sleeping giant” in front of you, a mountain shaped like the face of a giant lying down, looking up.

🚠Second and third sections: arrive at La Aguada station (3,452 meters above sea level) and Loma Redonda station (4,045 meters above sea level), respectively. During this journey, you can see the valleys of Mérida below and Pico Bolívar, the highest point in Venezuela, above.

🚠 Fourth section: the cable car heads towards Pico Espejo (4,765 meters above sea level), the fifth station, where you can feel the characteristic cold of the summit and, looking down, you can see the La Negra and La Colorada lagoons and, on the right-hand side, Pico El León.

Activities

At the Barinitas base station, you can enjoy the viewpoint towards the Sierra Nevada National Park, as well as a varied gastronomic offer, an art gallery, and other products of excellent quality.

At the 2nd station, La Montaña, visitors begin their ascent and can enjoy the cloud forest trails and the sight of birds such as the Andean toucan.

At La Aguada Station, you can walk along the trails and feel the soft but super-resistant texture of the frailejones.

Recreational activities are allowed at Loma Redonda Station. From there, you can hike to the town of Los Nevados (about 5 hours). You only need a special permit from Inparques, which you can request at the Barinitas station.

At Pico Espejo station, you will find the monument to the Virgin of the Snows, from where you can see Pico Bolívar and, to the sides, Picos Humboldt and Bomplant.

Mérida Cable Car System, an emblematic work with history 

It was reopened on April 29, 2016, with each cabin having a capacity to carry 60 people, plus the cabin attendant, unlike the old ones, which could only carry a maximum of 40 occupants.

They operate at a speed of 5 meters per second, and the entire route has a total of 5 stations.