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Tucked into the mountainside overlooking a steep river valley,
Los Nevados is a quaint Amerindian village where residents
have lived a simple farming life for over 400 years. For adventurous
tourists visiting Mérida, Los Nevados is a memorable side
trip offering an unspoiled view of the rugged Andes mountains.
To arrive at Los Nevados, we first took the Teleférico
to the third station (Lomo Redonda) at 11,300 feet. Here we
hired a guide and three pack animals. For Nick there was a
mule, an appropriate pairing in my opinion, while I rode a
small horse. We loaded our backpacks on a donkey, the smaller
and less-surefooted of the available animals. Our 19-year
old guide, Luis, walked beside us on foot, yodeling across
the empty valleys. Leading our pack was the donkey, a flatulent
fellow, much to the dismay of those of us downwind. The trail
was in good shape and plenty wide, so the trip wasn't as scary
as we had expected. However, the animals did favor the crumbling
outer edge, giving their riders an unobstructed view over
the sheer cliffs to the valley thousands of feet below. We
plodded slowly along for 8 miles through pristine mountain
ranges untouched by civilization.
After an exhausting four hours and fifteen minutes, Luis
brought us to the edge of Los Nevados. From here we dismounted
and coaxed our stiff and wobbly legs down a vertical cobblestone
street to the Posada Bella Vista. This posada, perched on
the hillside below the church, is considered the best in town.
Our room had a double bed and a private bathroom with hot
and cold water. From our bathroom window we had a fabulous
view of the river valley, towering Andes mountains, and two
tethered pigs. Breakfast and dinner were included in the price,
served up with a friendly "buen provecho" by owners
Dulce and Gulmilio Sanchez.
On our first night, we were joined by the only other gringo
in town, an American mountaineer who had hiked from the Teleférico
to Los Nevados. He told us that he had taken a wrong turn
and was wondering if he might be lost when he encountered
a Venezuelan family on the path. They informed him that he
was not in fact headed to Los Nevados, and the next town was
many miles away. The Venezuelan's son offered to show the
lost gringo a shortcut back to the main trail, and he arrived
in Los Nevados just before dark. In Venezuela this is typical
kindness. Many times when I've been lost or confused, a helpful
Venezuelan has stepped up to offer assistance.
After two nights in Los Nevados, we procured a ride in a
Toyota Landrover for the bumpy four-hour trip back to Mérida.
We asked our driver what Chavez had done for his town. He
explained that before Chavez, the government had never done
anything for his community. Two years ago, however, they received
a medical clinic, ambulance, school, and a police station
(unneeded in his opinion since there was no trouble in Los
Nevados). The most treacherous areas of the road we were traveling
had new pavement, thanks again to the Socialist Bolivarian
Republic. His viewpoints were an interesting counter to the
strongly negative opinions we typically hear from Venezuelans
about their government.
Back at Gioia's house in Mérida, we turned on the
TV and learned to our distress that a "Crisis on the
Frontier" had erupted at the Venezuelan/Columbian border
just three and a half hours away.
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Los Nevados in the Andes Mountains
On the trail to Los Nevados (photo by Walt
on S/V Will-O'-The-Wisp)
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