October 24, 2026, 1:06 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
In the Venezuelan mountain city of Mérida, the Mukumbarí cable car has been taking visitors to truly dizzying heights since 1960. Spanning five stations and a world-record length of 12.5 kilometers, the transport system climbs more than 3,000 meters in elevation to its destination at the summit of Pico Espejo. There’s nothing else like it on the planet.
The Venezuelan mountain city of Mérida is not only beautiful but also seems to have a penchant for world records. The local ice cream shop “Coromoto” held the Guinness record for years with a selection of more than 800 flavors. When I visited the city in 2013 during a months-long South America trip, I tried vanilla ice cream with pork rind. Unfortunately, another attraction, which had been temporarily closed since 2008, eluded me. That was the ride on Mérida’s cable car, the Mukumbarí. Translated, it means “place where the sun sleeps” in the indigenous dialect. And indeed, this transport system is a true world record holder. It takes its guests to such dizzying heights that a ride can even cause health issues.
The reason: On a superlative route of 12.5 kilometers, the Mérida cable car takes visitors over five stations to a height of nearly 5,000 meters. According to the tourist website “Posada Merida Vacacional,” it is not only the longest but also the highest of its kind on the planet. At its inauguration in March 1960, it was considered a technical masterpiece, and that hasn’t changed to this day. Guests board at the lowest station, Barinitas, which is already at an elevation of 1,577 meters. Then, they ascend in a gondola painted in Venezuelan national colors to the intermediate stop La Montaña at 2,436 meters. Here, a brief pause for acclimatization is advisable, as the altitude can quickly affect the body.
Significant Physical Symptoms
Numerous online sources warn that a ride on the Mérida cable car can cause various physical symptoms. These range from shortness of breath and headaches to nausea and vomiting. Even those who don’t ride the cable car all the way to the sky can experience these signs of altitude sickness, which should be taken seriously. In 2017, I once hiked in Peru to a lagoon at about 4,600 meters above sea level and had the worst headaches of my life for hours afterward. And those who ride the Mérida cable car to the end will reach a significantly higher elevation than I did back then.
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The third station, La Aguada, is already at an elevation of 3,452 meters. From there, the fourth leg leads to the stop Loma Redonda at 4,045 meters. Needless to say, a ride on the Mérida cable car is worthwhile simply because the views become increasingly spectacular with altitude. The mountain station Pico Espejo is then at an incredible 4,765 meters, making it the highest in the world for a long time. However, the mountain station of the “Dagu Glacier Gondola” in China now holds this superlative at 4,843 meters. But since it “only” covers about 1,000 meters in elevation on its journey, the world record for the overall highest cable car remains in Venezuela.
Travel to the Summit as Early as Possible
Between 2008 and 2016, the Mérida cable car had to close for renovations because its cables were severely worn due to decades of use. 3,500 workers were involved in making the world’s highest gondola operational again. Since then, it has been taking up to 300 guests per hour from Wednesday to Sunday, if desired, all the way to the top. Unfortunately, reliable information about opening hours and prices for the attraction is hard to find online. Numerous sources contradict each other significantly on these points. According to Google, tourists currently pay $40 to reach the summit (and back, of course), which seems realistic. The opening hours on the mentioned days are reportedly between 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
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According to the site “Venezuela Tuya,” a ride on the Mérida cable car is most worthwhile between December and February. It’s also no coincidence that the cable car opens so early, as there’s a higher chance of clear views at the start of the day. Due to its great height, the route is shrouded in fog for much of the year. And it’s especially the views of the landscape that make a ride on the world’s highest cable car so spectacular. I told myself back in December 2013 when I left Venezuela that I would love to return to this fantastic country someday. I sincerely hope that I can then take a ride to the “place where the sun sleeps.”