VENEZUELA: MERIDA AND SURROUNDINGS David B. Fankhauser, PhD  Professor of Biology and Chemistry  U.C. Clermont College  Batavia OH 45103
Spectacular rain forests above Merida line the roads	Created 26 February 2007 This page has been accessed  times since 26 February 2007.	In the mountains above Merida potatoes are a major cash crop.

During a sabbatical project in Venezuela in 2007, I visited the coffee finca of Fedor Gouverneur to study the environs which are ideal for growing coffee.  Here are some images of the trip from Caracas to Merida, and images of the tremendous variety of ecosystems within a short distance from  Merida.

Dawn from the Caracas airport.  Views from the airplane on the way to Merida.  Note the variety of terrain, the tortuous narrow roads, the observatory near Pico del Aguila, and finally the bull ring in Merida.

Here is a map of the Merida region, and a view from Gouveneur's finca of Ejido

On a jaunt around Jaji and the Chama valley, the ecology went from rain forest to arid, almost desert conditions.  Jaji is shown at the right below:

Descending into the Chamas valley, a herd of goats eat the VERY spiny acatia, desert cacti grow, and El Rio Chama winds through the valley.  Note that the side struts of the bridge are deformed from excess weight of a passing truck.

 

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