The 'Teleferico', the cable car system, is Merida's biggest claim to fame. At 12,5 km (more than 7 miles) it's the longest cable car system in the world and with its final stop at Pico Espejo (Mirror Peak), at 4,765 m (15,629 ft.), it's also the highest. It is divided into four stations (each having a cafeteria and rest room facilities), with the first one, Barinitas, starting at the pretty Plaza Heroinas in the city. Next, you'll get to La Montana station at 2436 m high, where you can catch great views of Merida in the distance.

From La Montana station to the next, La Aguada, is a steep climb and here you'll begin to note the changes in the landscape below from the forested valleys to the dryer 'paramos' (moors). The next stop is Loma Redonda station (4,045 m high). On the way to this one you'll see below you the tipical flower of the region, the 'frailejon'. From Loma Redonda station, it is possible to go on the last station by mule (a 4 hour trip) or to catch a mule to go on to the village of Los Nevados, high up in the mountains. You'll probably be feeling the altitude by now, just take it easy and drink lots of water. From this station you can see Pico Bolivar in the distance with its glacier. The glacier is slowly melting and will probably be gone in a couple of years.

The last station is Pico Espejo. It is COLD up here, so make sure to dress in layers. From here, if it's not cloudy (which it always is) you can see the high peaks of the surrounding mountains.

Tickets to the Teleferico are $20,- a person, with reduced prices for children and the elderly. In high season, tickets must be reserved in advance, which can be done via the website (only in Spanish, www.telefericodemerida.com). Or you can let a travel agency arrange your visit for you.

Rising in four stages (refreshments/gift shops at each level), it runs well over 7 miles in length and rises to the top of Pico Espejo (more than 15,000 feet).

For us, the highlight was hiking around the summit. There are spectacular vistas everywhere you turn and plenty of easy walks around the area. It is a photographer's paradise.

It is best to go as early in the morning as possible, because the sky tends to cloud up as the day goes along, depriving you of some of the scenery.

The cost is about $16 for the round-trip.

One of the funniest parts was seeing the Venezuelan tourists, probably from the lowlands, bundled up in parkas, ski masks, and gloves for the "frigid" summit, which was probably close to 60°F when we went.

The station is only open between between 7am and 1pm. The first ride is supposed to start at 7am, but the person at the ticket booth told us that he needed to wait till there were at least 25 people. Some mornings the wait is short, on others, there is a line lasting more than 1.5 hours of waiting. The tickets for the teleferico are quite affordable at 7500 Bolivars for the first three stations and 500 for the last (the ticket for the final leg must be bought at the third station).

The first section starts at Barinitas station (1577m) and ends at La Montaña station (2577 m.) As we looked down from here, Merida City openly displayed its beauty. Looking upwards we easily saw El Gigante Dormido (The Sleeping Giant), a mountain named for closely resembling this shape.

On the second and third sections, we reached La Aguada station (3452 m.) and Loma Redonda station (4045 m.), respectively. As we looked down along these sections, we could see Merida's valleys and upwards there was Pico Bolivar (the highest point in Venezuela).

We felt like going to the highest section, so we bought our tickets for the last section, which took us to Pico Espejo (Mirror Peak - 4765 m.) Along this section we could sense the closeness of the summit. As we looked down we could see the two lagoons of La Negra and La Colorada. On the right was Cerro El Leon (Lion).

The return ride gives riders opportunities to hike paths to small villages on the mountain and in the surrounding valleys. The scenery continues to amaze you. Finally, we got back to the base station and returned to the hotel for a well-earned siesta.