Venezuela MTB Adventure 8 days
Enduro trails from the Caribbean coast to the Venezuelan Andes: 8 days of mountain biking in Caracas and Mérida.
Haku’s 8-day Venezuela MTB adventure packs jungle, Caribbean and Andes into one trip. We start in Caracas, riding the rocky Camino de Los Españoles in Waraira Repano National Park, the Anare descent from the top of the Coastal Range down to the beach, and Descarga, Venezuela’s best bike park. Then we fly to Mérida for technical Andean singletrack, a night in the mountain village of Acequias, and La Joya del Sur, one of the newest enduro trails in the Venezuelan Andes, with more than 1,800 m of descent.
Day by Day
We’ll be waiting for you at Maiquetía International Airport to welcome you to Venezuela’s capital. In the afternoon we’ll take a tour of the historic center of Caracas.
An enduro classic inside Waraira Repano National Park. The first descent is a fast, very rocky trail that drops all the way to the beach. Then we climb back up the mountain to pick up a trail that brings us back down into Caracas.
One of the best rides near the capital. We ride the tropical mountains of the Coastal Range and descend from the highest point of the range all the way down to the Caribbean beach.
After breakfast we head to the outskirts of Caracas to ride Descarga, the best bike park in Venezuela. After lunch we transfer to Maiquetía airport for the flight to Mérida, in the Venezuelan Andes.
An early start to explore the trails closest to Mérida: three technical, twisty mountain routes with fast sections, jumps and berms. A great day to get dialed in and acclimatized.
Early in the morning we head back into the mountains south of Mérida to start the La Joya del Sur experience: a mostly uphill ride to the village of Acequias, where we spend the night.
From Acequias we climb to Alto de las Lajas at 3,500 m (about 10 km and 1,100 m of climbing). From the top it’s a narrow, technical 17 km descent with more than 1,800 m of drop to the village of La Providencia. A physically demanding, intermediate-to-advanced ride, and one of the new gems of enduro riding in Mérida.
In the morning we visit the sights of Mérida, then transfer to El Vigía for the connecting flight to Maiquetía International Airport and your flight home.
General Information
What’s the price of this 8-day Venezuela MTB adventure? $2,150 USD per person. This trip runs with a minimum of 4 riders. Got a crew of 4 or more? Pick your own dates and we’ll make it happen. Included:
Not included:
Each person is required to have a specific travel/trip insurance outside of your credit card or regular medical insurance.
You should get comprehensive coverage with trip interruption/cancellation and with personal liability. Mention all activities that you will be involved in such as mountain biking, hiking at high altitude and whatever other activities you may have planned.
We do not provide refunds. If you should get hurt or sick not only will travel insurance cover your medical expenses it will also cover the lost portion of the trip. Make sure you have trip interruption or trip cancellation included! South America is famous for people striking and shutting down all activities. If you miss your Machu Picchu trip, Galapagos or any other side trip, or even your flight due to strikes the insurance will cover the loss or additional costs that are incurred.
Check out our blog on travel insurance and why it is a must for any South America Vacation!
This trip has big days in the mountains, riding up to 3,500 m (11,480 ft) in Mérida, with climbs of up to 1,100 m and technical descents of more than 1,800 m. You should be comfortable riding technical enduro terrain and be in good physical shape. Riding regularly in the months before the trip, including long climbs and descents, is the best preparation.
Fly into Maiquetía (Simón Bolívar International Airport, CCS), which serves Caracas. We’ll pick you up at the airport on Day 1. On Day 4 we fly from Caracas to Mérida, and on Day 8 we fly from El Vigía back to Maiquetía, so please book your flight home for the evening of Day 8 or later.
This is a regular (non-electric) mountain bike trip. Bring your own full-suspension enduro or trail bike, or ask us about renting a quality bike locally. Also bring your helmet, pedals and shoes if you have a preference, and your riding kit.
Please check the entry and visa requirements for Venezuela for your nationality well before booking your flights, and contact us if you have any questions.
This 8-day Venezuela MTB adventure is for intermediate to advanced riders who are comfortable on technical terrain and fit enough for big days in the mountains.
Giving back
Haku Expeditions donates 1% of all profits to support local education programs.
What’s the price of this 8-day Venezuela MTB adventure? $2,150 USD per person. This trip runs with a minimum of 4 riders. Got a crew of 4 or more? Pick your own dates and we’ll make it happen. Included:
Not included:
Our Cross Country MTB tours take you from one spectacular destination to the next. On these, you’ll cycle literally across whichever country you’re visiting. For instance, check out our Andes to the Amazon tour, where you travel from Cusco to the Peruvian Amazon.
Our current XC vacations are made up of long-distance rides on backcountry roads. If you are looking for XC singletrack, get in touch with us, and we’ll set up a one-of-a-kind MTB tour suited to your needs.
How we define XC: Anywhere from old logging or fire roads to rolling singletrack, Cross Country trails are generally long distances with both ascents and descents. While trails may be somewhat technical with rock gardens and tight switchbacks, they generally do not have intense steep rock gardens like those you might find in DH or Enduro racing.
An XC bike is often lighter with a slacker head tube angle for better climbing ability and tends to not have a dropper post although the trend is changing. Usually it will be a hardtail or a full suspension bike with a smaller amount of suspension — 100-130mm.
Most XC riders do not wear pads such as elbow or knee pads and wear a half-shell helmet.
Our MTB expeditions are multi-day trips that involve camping, hiking and/or local home stays in the mountains with cooks and porters. At the moment Haku Expeditions offers one complete mountain expedition and also two packages that combine an MTB vacation with a smaller expedition nestled in it.
The front travel for DH bikes is usually somewhere around 200mm with the rear measuring slightly less. Because they generally aren’t pedalled uphill, these bikes are rugged and heavy and usually have less gears. DH riders wear full-face helmets, goggles, and body armor.
At the moment we do not offer a 100% DH trip. Contact us and we can make a custom trip for you! Below, you’ll find our Enduro MTB tours listed that are mostly all downhill and can be done either with a DH bike or an Enduro bike.
How we define DH: DH riding – or Downhill riding — is regarded as an intense, extreme kind of cycling, made for advanced riders who love to navigate roots and rocks and huge drops with furious downhill speed. It requires a stellar sense of balance and technique and a bike with slacker geometry.
The front travel for DH bikes is usually somewhere around 200mm with the rear measuring slightly less. Because they generally aren’t pedalled uphill, these bikes are rugged and heavy and usually have less gears. DH riders wear full-face helmets, goggles, and body armor.
Our Enduro/All-Mountain MTB tours are by far our most popular trips to date. While some of them focus more on descent like Ecuador and Peru, others include plenty of pedaling such as those in Colombia and Nepal.
How we define Enduro/All Mountain: Enduro mountain biking, also known as All-Mountain biking, emphasizes technical ability. If you’re looking for a more adventurous ride, this is the kind of ride for you; usually, an Enduro/All-Mountain trail will involve adrenaline-pumping downhill mountain biking along with sustained climbs.
Enduro riders need bikes that can take burly drops and rugged technical obstacles efficiently while still being light enough to climb with; they almost always use full-suspension bikes with wide tires and longer rear and front suspension travel. Dropper post is a necessity and standard. The front suspension can be anywhere from 140mm to 170mm. Full-face enduro helmets and body amour are a must for Enduro racing.
1 – The Haku Christmas Drive, which includes yearly clothing giveaways, shoe drives, and a public hot chocolate panettone lunch.
2 – School supply giveaway for children of the High Andes.
3 – Bringing bread and fruit to kids living at elevations where none is available.
4 – Facilitating connections between local organic farmers and local restaurants.
5 – Affordable MTB classes for locals taught by professional coaches.
6 – Sustained commitment to hiring out locals to work as drivers, office workers, etc., allowing a great amount of flexibility for family commitments, and paying them fair, livable wages.
7 – Donating 1% of all profits to help educate children in a technical field such as carpentry.
8 – Helping young adults begin a small business working in their technical field or purchasing products from them to help them get started after high school.
1 – Getting your heart rate up isn’t really your thing, and you rarely (if ever) exercise. Your idea of a perfect vacation is total relaxation: sitting on a beach, sipping a mojito, and just generally vegging out.
2 – You don’t necessarily work out regularly but you aren’t averse to the idea of doing something active. Although you don’t exercise that often, you don’t necessarily consider yourself out of shape.
3 – You exercise one to two times a week but do not have a normal schedule that keeps you biking or doing other activities weekly. You don’t go to the gym or train for any specific sports but you lead a relatively active lifestyle by biking, hiking, skiing, or whatever it may be. For biking: climbs and long descents give you some trouble and you tend to get tired after about 2-3 hours on the bike.
4 – You exercise 3-4 times a week and enjoy physical activities such as biking, hiking, skiing. You are active. For biking: you enjoy climbs that are are moderately long and being on a bike for 3-5 hours in one day doesn’t get you too tired or fatigued.
5 – You exercise at least 4 times a week and are an avid athlete that is consistently in good shape. You’re more or less game for any kind of adventure. For biking: you’re comfortable with being on your bike for 5-7 hours a day.
6 – You live and die for exercise, sweat, and suffering. You only want to climb higher, go farther, and prove how much of an animal you are. Steep climbs, long descents and big days are something you are looking to do more of and you can’t wait for your next adventure.
Beginner:
You’ve been riding a mountain bike for a couple of years or less and you’re most comfortable on smooth single-track and wider, forgiving doubletrack. You like rides with scenic views; you like both ascending and descending on well-maintained, safe trails. You’re looking for an active but relaxing mountain bike vacation; you’re not into jumps, drops, super steep trails, rock gardens, roots or taking big risks on your bike.
Intermediate:
You’ve got two plus years of experience mountain biking on single-track trails under your belt; you’ve gotten pretty confident behind the handlebars and are beginning to expand your mountain bike abilities. You like riding most types of terrain, and you’re comfortable both climbing and descending on single-track trails with smaller technical features such as rocky sections, small drops, and small steep sections. You aren’t trying to walk on most of the trail and are looking to take small risks with things like speed, jumps, rock gardens, and stair sets to improve your skills as a mountain biker.
Intermediate Tech:
You’ve got three plus years of riding on singletrack trails of all sorts with features such as rock gardens, steep sections, rolls and drops, roots, and small jumps. You are confident on the bike in most situations. You’re constantly looking to improve your riding skills and enjoy riding for extended periods of time climbing and descending in terrain of all sorts.
Advanced:
Ten plus years of experience riding single-track, freerides and biking of all sorts. You live for steeps, jumps, rock gardens, techy trails, long descents, big ascents and discovering new terrain. Mountain biking is one of your passions and you are ready and confident to do what you love in a new and challenging place. You can handle anything we throw at you — jumps, rock gardens, steps, technical descents, tough ascents, etc. Biking is a central part of your life. For you, the bigger the challenge, the more excited you get.
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