Avila National Park, Caracas

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Along the northern side of Caracas is the mountain range Cordillera de Ávila. Here there is a national park with may hiking trails and a great diversity of wildlife.
To the peak of El Ávila (2175m) there is a cable car (teleférico) and at the top you will have stunning views over Caracas, and you will find restaurants and a playground. I wanted to go by the teleférico to the top of El Ávila, but when we came to the cable car station it turned out it was closed for maintenance. Instead we drove a little further to the east along Avenida Boyacá where there are several starting points for hiking trails. We followed a path uphill from which there were great views over Caracas. Along this path there were many people out jogging or walking. Many of the joggers ran to an “outdoor gym” were they did some exercises before returning down.

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Be sure and carry an extra layer (light jacket) with you for the top.
We were in Caracas in July and it was beautiful weather...but by the time we ascended the top of Avila, we were surprised by the drop in temperature. Be prepared!

When my friend wanted to go up the cable car to the top of Avila, I kind of moaned because usually I'm not into that, and I've had to experience many similiar cable car up something as a tourist in other places. This one really was nice, though, and a must-do if you're spending time in Caracas. The trip seemed to go on forever up the montain ,much longer than others I had been on, and went way higher up, too, even passing clouds. At the top was some cheesy stuff that was a bit surreal, and ended in calipso music drawing us to what seemed to be an empty hotel. Well, it was a nice view off the mountain.

Taking the teleferico (cable car) to Mt Avila makes for a nice trip out of the city. Try to do it on a nice sunny day and you'll be rewarded with a great view of Caracas and the mountains all around as you make your way up. When you finally reach the top you should be able to look to the north a get some good views of the Caribbean sea. Also at the top are some eateries, some cheesy stuff for kids, and even a pretty large hotel (that's currently closed and undergoing renovation).

When at the top you are also officially in the Parque Nacional El Avila, so if you want you can take some hikes to other peaks and little villages along the country side or even hike your way back down to Caracas. For those who are more rugged, you can enter the National Park from the city at a handful of locations and hike your way up to most of the many peaks. If you plan to go on an extended hike I'd advise getting hold of a good map of the area and plan on spending at least a couple of days in the park. Bring plenty of water because it´s often hot and dusty along the trails.

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Take the teleferico up to the Avila Magica where you can look over Caracas on a Bright day.
Sometimes there is live music and I think its lovely on a sunny day.
When I was there it was a cloudy so I couldn't see Caracas very clear.

You can grab someting to eat and drink up the mountain, and you can even do some ice skating there.

You will also find a hotel on the mountain, its the highest mountain in Caracas.

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On a hot day, take the teleferico to get to the Avila Magica, it's pretty cool up there and you might get some rain so don't forget a sweater or jacket! There are plenty of activities for children like ice-skating, playground, live animation ect. For adults there is the beautiful vieuw over Caracas (all the way to the beach!) and live music, people dancing in the open air. You can have a quick bite at one of the stands or eat in a nice resto. All the way up, there is a hotel, which is the highest hotel in Caracas. You can never see the hole hotel because of the fog it's constantly surrounded by. This is a perfect place for a family outing!

You don't have to have a passion for hiking for this one. It's an easy climb, with a waterfall where if you want, you can cool down in. Beautiful vegetation and healthy feel to the air (even if that is only in your imagiation..)

Great place to breath fresh air, have a beautiful view of the city of Caracas, and relax.

These are one of my favorite places in Caracas, were you can escape of the city and relax your self with the nature.

There are a lot of activities to do: ice ice-skating, visit the Humboldt Hotel, drinking hot chocolate and walk around to enjoy the landscapes.

If you have kids, on the weekend are activities for them and a nice park, clowns etc. They can have fun!!!!!!

You can take the TELEFERICO (Cable car) at Avila Magica. The ride it is of 15 min going up with the extraordinary view of Caracas and the mountain.