Sierra Nevada National Park covers nearly 3,000 square kilometres of the Venezuelan Andes immediately south and west of Mérida, encompassing the country's highest peaks and most dramatic mountain scenery. The park is accessible from the city and offers everything from single-day hikes to multi-day wilderness expeditions.
Laguna Mucubají, at 3,575 metres in the páramo (high-altitude grassland), is the most visited destination — a glacial lake surrounded by frailejón plants, the strange silver-leafed columnar plants that dominate the Venezuelan high Andes and look like something from another planet. The Pico Bolívar trail is a serious mountaineering objective. Local guides are essential for anything above the páramo zones and strongly recommended for day hikes as well.