"Santiago de Los Caballeros de Mérida" Top 5 Page for this destination Mérida by MalenaN

Mérida Travel Guide: 117 reviews and 318 photos

Mérida is a city in the Venezuelan Andes. The city has a beautiful setting in a valley with mountain ranges to the east and west. Mérida is situated at an altitude of 1500 metres which gives the city a more temperate climate. There are no big changes in temperature during the year, but the day temperature is often 20 - 25°C. There are big variations during day and night though and at night temperatures can drop to 15°C. When I visited in the end of June it was mostly okay with a t-shirt during the day, but in the mornings and evenings I wanted to put on a sweater. The rainy season in Mérida is between April - November.

Mérida

Many tourists come to Mérida to do sports and other outdoor activities. There are great opportunities for hiking, and you can do paragliding, canyoning, rafting, mountain biking and much more. Mérida is also the starting point for tours to Los Nevados and Los Llanos.
Some tourists also come to Mérida to study Spanish at one of the many language schools. There are many Venezuelan students in Mérida too as it is home of the Universidad de Los Andes.

Mérida was founded in 1558 by Captain Juan Rodriguez Suárez who with a group of soldiers had been sent from Pamplona (in Colombia) to explore the region. The problem though was that he didn’t have the authority to found new cities, so he was arrested and sentenced to a cruel death. Rodríguez Suárez managed to escape from prison and fled to Trujillo where he was granted political asylum. Two years later Mérida was founded again, legally this time. But it is the foundation of 1558 that counts!

Last visit to Mérida: Jul 2008
Intro Updated May 26, 2009
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Reviews (23)

Los Llanos Off The Beaten Path (7)

Los Llanos is a part of Venezuela which consists of vast grass plains. In Venezuela Los Llanos covers 300 000 sq km,... more travel advice

Day 3 - Los Nevados Tour Off The Beaten Path (7)

It was a bit chilly in the morning but the views around the house were beautiful, with the surrounding mountains and a... more travel advice

Day 2 - Los Nevados Tour Off The Beaten Path (7)

After breakfast men came with the mules and the luggage was prepared and fastened on to the mules. Then we set off.... more travel advice

Stopping along the way to Los Nevados - Mérida

Day 1 - Los Nevados Tour Off The Beaten Path (7)

Day 1 - Los Nevados Tour After breakfast we set off from Guamanchi’s office in two jeeps. We were three tourists and a... more travel advice

Things to Do (8)
See All Los Llanos Tour - 4 days
Local Customs (1)
Frailejón
Transportation (2)
See All To Mérida from Caracas by plane

Hotels (2)
See All Pedro's house
Shopping (1)
Roma
Restaurants (2)
See All Heladeria Coromoto

Travelogues (4)

1 - 4 of 4

Comments (7)

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LoriPori Sep 20, 2010 at 4:15 AM

Enjoyed reading about your journey - Los Nevados Tour.
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scottishvisitor Jul 9, 2009 at 10:38 AM

I loved the village of Los Nevados & the little church. Seems like a great trip & you saw the cute capybara = Interesting page Malena
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Bwana_Brown Jun 3, 2009 at 2:57 PM

It looks like Mérida made an excellent base for your adventures! A ride on the Teleférico de Mérida would be quite an experience judging from your descriptions. However, I think your mountain and wildlife viewing tours would be my favourites!
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Kuznetsov_Sergey May 29, 2009 at 11:02 PM

Loved your mountain hiking which reminded me my hiking in the Caucasus many years ago, Very scenic places! Thanks Malena for the virtual tour!
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Nemorino May 29, 2009 at 3:45 PM

A really nice looking place! Even McDonald's (in one of your travelogues) looks less awful than usual.
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mircaskirca May 25, 2009 at 1:56 PM

The landscapes of Los Nevados and Los Llanos look very beautiful. You were lucky to see a lot of wildlife but too bad that you were not feeling well during the tours. Lovely Los Nevados village and Chapel of San Rafael de Mucuchies!
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cheesecake17 Oct 27, 2008 at 5:30 PM

oh my god .can not beleive the flavours of those ice creams:-) great tips..U.