El Ávila is a majestic mountain. "Guaraira-Repano" and Sierra Grande were also the name given to the mountain that separate the city from the sea.
 
For many years El Ávila National Park was a way of communication, a source of raw materials for the first inhabitants of Caracas. Equally it was, it is and it will be inspiration source for many people. Famous naturalists, scientists, poets and painters as Alejandro de Humboldt, Amado Bonpland, Manuel Cabré and others have traveled through these and other trails. From its haunting magnificence, El Ávila watches over everyone and continues to inspire all of them.

Today, the importance of this mountain is that it serves as natural source for a cosmopolitan city like Caracas. El Ávila National Park was created by presidential decree in 1958. The aim was to preserve the extraordinary landscape, the great biological diversity and the historical and cultural patrimony it shelters. Here the caraqueños find the perfect place where being rediscovered with the nature can relax and to liberate their tensions.

El Avila provides the best infrastructure for walkers of any of Venezuela's parks. There are about 200Km of walking trails, most of them well signposted and specially conditioned for picnic, as well as 40 Km of roads for four-wheel drive vehicles. Half a dozen camping grounds distributed around the park are equipped with sanitary facilities and there are many more places designated for camping, though without facilities.

There are a dozen entrances which lead into the park from Caracas; all originate from Avenida Boyacá, commonly known as Cota Mil, as it runs at an altitude of 1000m. By the northern slope, access to the hiking trails is possible from different shore towns: Maiquetía, La Guaira, Macuto, Caraballeda, Naiguatá and La Sabana.

Among the most interesting sites are the following:

The cable car and the Humboldt Hotel: from the valley of Caracas it is easy to identify El Ávila Peak, crowned by the cylindrical tower of the Humboldt Hotel. The 12-minute ride in the cable car, which starts at Maripérez, allows the visitor to discover changes in the vegetation.

Galipán: coming down from the main ridge from Boca de Tigre to the shore, there is an extensive region of flower and fruit farms with a temperate climate. Galipán is one of the main flower suppliers to Caracas.

Los Venados Recreational Center: since 1925, the coffee plantation La Trinidad has been a State property. Today it is a recreational center and operations headquarters for El Ávila National Park. Here the visitor can enjoy several facilities such as a sports camp, a museum, an auditorium, a library, a chapel, collective bedrooms, besides the extensive grass areas with kiosks for comfort and relaxation.

The visitor will also meet with the Pico Naiguatá, the Camino de los Españoles, some Castles, as well as many other interesting sites. To learn the secret of nature in Venezuela, many times it is not necessary to leave Caracas. Because Caracas is also El Ávila, green shelter, legendary accomplice and bodyguard, with the enigma of its paths and an ideal retreat for nature lover.