Parque Nacional El Avila
Parque Nacional El Avila
Parque Nacional El Avila (Caracas) – this park is within the Cerro El Ávila mountain range, which is just north of Caracas, and effectively separates it from the Caribbean coastline. The tallest part of this mountain range (which also acts as a backdrop to the city skyline when one looks north) is Pico Naiguatá – which is 2,765 meters above sea level (9,071 ft.).
El Ávila consists of over 81,800 ha, encompassing a wide variety of ecosystems that vary along the altitudinal gradient. In the lower areas of the mountains, the vegetation mostly consists of drought-adapted species, such as cacti and shrubs, but above 600m semi-deciduous forests and then sub-mountainous evergreen forests can be found. The park is also home to a great diversity of animals, with more than 100 butterfly, approximately 120 mammal, 20 amphibian and 30 reptile species. The extensive vegetation found at El Ávila has led it to be called “the lungs of Caracas”.