Henri Pittier National Park

Henri Pittier is a protected area in Aragua state that covers more than 100,000 hectares from Lago de Valencia to the Caribbean coast, linking steep mountain slopes with coastal strips and several beaches. The terrain rises from sea level to over 2400 meters (7900 feet), crossing different vegetation zones from rainforest in the valleys to cloud forest on the ridges.

The area became the first national park in Venezuela in 1937 under the name Rancho Grande, protecting the mountain forests and watersheds of the region. In 1953 authorities renamed it to honor Henri Pittier, a Swiss botanist who studied and catalogued the flora of the country starting in 1917.

Local fishing villages along the coast still use traditional wooden boats called peñeros, which you can see pulled up on the sand at dawn. In the valleys behind the mountains, small cacao farms follow methods handed down through generations, drying beans on wooden platforms in the sun.

Main access routes run from Maracay via Rancho Grande or along the coast road to beaches like Cata and Cuyagua, with the mountain route becoming slippery in wet weather. Trails range from short riverside walks to full-day climbs, so visitors should bring sturdy shoes and drinking water.

The mountain range serves as a corridor for over 500 bird species, including many migrants traveling between North and South America who rest here during their journey. At Chuao, families maintain one of the oldest cacao-growing areas in the country, where beans are still sorted by hand and dried in the sun.