Cerro Santa Ana rises 830 metres from an otherwise pancake-flat peninsula, visible from almost anywhere on Paraguaná and from out at sea. The National Natural Monument covering the hill and its surroundings protects a striking ecological gradient: arid thorny scrub at the base gives way to humid forest and then cloud forest near the summit, an abrupt transition that seems improbable in such a dry landscape.
The hike starts in the village of Moruy — guides can be arranged there and are useful for route-finding in the upper section. The ascent takes around three hours and the return a little less. On a clear day the summit views reach Aruba and Curaçao to the northwest. Bring water and start early; the midday sun on the lower slopes is punishing.