Adventures in Venezuela: Paragliding in Mérida

Venezuela’s huge host of exciting outdoor activities is a massive draw for many travellers. Here, our intern Stephen takes a paragliding trip on Tierra Negra!

As my third week in Venezuela draws to a close it pains me how fast time is passing by. I can’t talk highly enough about this amazing country and the cultural delights that are on offer. I’m learning and experiencing new things every day and am already dreading stepping onto my departing flight.

The latest extravaganza was paragliding in the ‘Tierra Negra’ which is a stunning valley located about half an hour away from Merida. We started the journey by hopping into a run down jeep which looked like it was ready to fall into several pieces on hitting the first pothole.

There were a couple of Venezuelans in the jeep and as soon as they recognised we were foreigners they were keen on getting to know us and make friends straight away. It’ll never cease to amaze me how warm and receptive the locals are of foreigners, especially taking into account the economical crisis they find themselves in. We immediately noticed the temperature start to increase as we descended from Merida, from stepping into the jeep we were at a mild 23 degrees and an hour later we were drenched in sweat at about 35 degrees. That just epitomises the diversity of this fascinating country.

On arrival to the paragliding location we were starting to feel our nerves. It was the first time for all of us so we were all beginners. For me it wasn’t so much the floating in the air that scared me, more the concept of running off a cliff…. That was by far the toughest part but as soon as we were flying the experience was nothing short of incredible. We spent a good 20 minutes in the air with absolutely stunning views of the ‘Tierra Negra’.

20 minutes felt like 2 minutes and it’s something that I will definitely be doing again. The journey back with 8 of us crammed into the small jeep on an extremely windy mountainous road is another story for another day….

On returning to Merida we decided to all go out for a big hearty meal at a restaurant nearby. The Venezuelans on the trip joined us and were very keen on learning much more about our cultures. At the lunch our nationalities were Scottish, English, Irish, Swedish, Icelandic and Venezuelan. That just underlines this internship experience so far and it’s amazing how much you learn when sitting at a table with a complete melting pot of cultures.

The trip was nothing short of spectacular and next on our list is Catatumbo – a natural phenomenon which has been dubbed as the biggest thunderstorm on earth. On the way is the chance to spot monkeys and some of South America’s rarest birds, we are already relishing the opportunity…