Principal Natural Attraction of Caracas: Warairarepano National Park (El Ávila)
Hello Steemit community, this time I want to share with you my personal experience in the Warairarepano National Park, formerly known as "El Ávila" from 1958 to 2011. From the first moment I could see this majesty in the Valley's feet Caracas is in love with this place. Also teach them a little to what is their names, curiosities of the same, and the Warairarepano Cable Car System which is the most used means to reach one of its peaks: El Ávila.
It was baptized as "El Ávila" in 1778 according to the records of the minutes of the cabildo of Caracas, name that gives origin to the governor Gerónimo de Ávila for 1600, who was owner of some orchards in the mountainous area of the feet of the mountain, before this was called "The North Mountain", "The mountain to the sea" or "The other side of the hill". When he dies his sons inherit the land and everyone in Caracas by then knew the hill as the Sierra de los Ávila or Cerro de Ávila.
On the other hand the name of Warairepano goes back to the Caribbean ethnicities of the Valley of Caracas which called it Guaraira Repano meaning "Sierra Grande" and years later they assured that the correct word was "Warairarepano" which means place of the Dantas for the amount of these mammals that were in this mountain, and that also meant "Sierra Grande", according to studies. Which is the official name since May 17, 2011, by decree of the national government of Hugo Chávez.
It is located in the central zone of Venezuela, in the Cordillera de la Costa, which was created more than 40 million years ago because of the sinking of the Caribbean Plate beneath the South American Plate, in which a process of folding of the Plate of the Caribbean in the South American Plate giving like origin to this cordillera, being the central portion the one that occupies the national park.
The mountainous area between the Caribbean Sea and the valleys of Caracas, Guatire, Guarenas and Barlovento is formed, which geographically encompasses sectors of the states Vargas (north slope), Federal District (south slope) and Miranda (both sides), with an extension or length of about 80km and 16km wide. It includes diverse ecosystems from its lowest point at 120m to its peak at 2,765m at Pico Naiguatá, with a climate of 13 ° Celsius at its summit, with average rainfall and two stations that make it up are the dry and the of rain.
Warairepano Cable Car System or Caracas Cable Car
The system of the cable car was inaugurated on December 11, 1955 and put into service on April 19, 1956 by President Marcos Pérez Jiménez, it was called at that time "Teleférico del Ávila" where I served until the 70's and little of the 80's, when in 1988 it was closed due to deterioration of its facilities. It was reopened in 2000 as Parque Ávila Mágica by a private tourism company called Inversora Turística Caracas, but in 2007 the national government expropriated the assets of the company and passed into the hands of the state by MINTUR (Ministerio del Poder Popular para el Turismo) in Spanish and is renamed "Warairarepano"
Currently, its main station is Maripérez, located in the liberating municipality of the Metropolitan Area of Caracas.
Crossing
My experience to the Caracas Cable Car to visit El Avila, started in Plaza Venezuela since I was staying in a hotel in that area, my main means of transportation was the Caracas Metro in which I took the Sabana Grande Station to the Engineers School Station where I stay and walk to Libertador Avenue, where you will find bus stops and take a bus that went to the station of the cable car terminal in the Maripérez sector, where the bus leaves you at the feet of stairs which you go up and get, the price is very cheap although at this moment I do not have an exact one. They have an organization on the floor of several numbers (from 1 to 6) so that when a cabin arrives, people get up to a maximum of six people.
The route from the station to the Cima del Ávila, lasts approximately 15 minutes where as you ascend you will have an incredible and complete view of the entire metropolitan area of the capital that is inexplicable, that's when my love for this place was sealed, during the tour one can feel certain sensations, personally felt a pressure in the ears and was by air, but nothing out of the ordinary.
When you reach the Cima del Ávila, there is the other station where you get off and take a tour of a very nice place called "Paseo Avila". This place has an ice rink, several restaurants, and kiosks where you get from sweets and handmade gifts, the most emblematic of this place for the cold, are strawberries with cream and hot chocolate that has been the best I have taken in my life, no lies.
The route from the station along the Paseo, where there are also several viewpoints to the Hotel Humboldt, which is located on this summit and which is just around the corner, lasts approximately 8-10 minutes, with incredible views to the north of the Caribbean Sea and south of the great city of Caracas, found in the north with the beauty that characterizes a small town at the top of Ávila called Galipán, where its strength is flowers, such as carnations and roses and tulips and fruits like the strawberry. Also subsists on the Agricultural and tourism, a magical place.
Another curious fact on this summit is the world's largest flag on a mountain on a 30-meter long mast that was transported in two parts by helicopters, and is located in the square near the Hotel Humboldt.
It is a place without a doubt that you can never miss visiting when you go to Caracas, since it takes you out of the noisy and agitated city. I am very much in love with this place, it is the main natural attraction of the capital and it is one of the small beauties of Venezuela
I hope you like it and have enjoyed it if you got here. Comment, Upvote and Reesteem so that we know a little bit of Venezuela.
GOOD VIBES
Note: the images are from my author
References to write this article:
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parque_nacional_El_%C3%81vila