Crossing the moor, a space full of life-Guirigay Natural Monument

Greetings friends, today I want you to meet one of my favorite places in the mountains. A natural monument called Guirigay, which reaches a height of 3870 meters above sea level, located in Las Mesitas, Boconó, Trujillo State. It is located on the border with the states of Merida and Barinas. It presents vegetation of páramo, predominating the frailejón, are extensive hills covered with him. During much of the year it remains cloudy, so it is advisable to visit it in the summer months that would be December, January and February, due to the type of road that leads to it, since it is dirt and usually difficult to access if it is wet.

Since I was little for years I watched it, it stood out among the mountains of the area, I wanted to go there, only to get there by jeep 4x4 or rustic bikes, by the type of road.

Finally the day arrived, I would visit this place for the first time and I was excited, because I had heard it was beautiful, that word fell short, since it is wonderful, spectacular. Perhaps many years ago there was a glacier, because of the particular shape of its rocks. If this happened I would have loved to know it covered in snow, because despite being so high on this site it does not snow, only sometimes when it is very cold you get frost on the savannahs, this due to the position in which Venezuela is located, for being in the intertropical zone.

We started from the village, called Las Mesitas, it was a sunny morning and as we started to raise the temperature started to descend, at first you see little country houses, very separated from each other and some crops; during the way we observed some wild horses, which escaped when they saw us. It took us approximately two hours to reach a very large plain, called a plain of corridors, always full of many frailejones.

We parked the car at the edge of the first lagoon, called Laguna Larga, then we started walking up and discovering all its wonders. The cold wind blew in my face and there only breathed peace and tranquility.

It took half an hour to find the second lagoon called Laguna Negra, it is quite large and has crystal clear water. I think the words do not reach me to express what I felt at that moment, to be so far away from everything and everyone, plus a feeling of incredible freedom.

The Guirigay has a total of twelve lagoons, called Las Parías, from these are born several rivers such as Burate, Santo Domingo, Calderas, among others, which is why conservation is very important. As you ascend you will discover these huge lagoons and enjoy the incredible scenery. To get to the top I heard that it takes about six hours, I only reach half, since I did not camp there.

This small amount of water connects the Black Lagoon with the Green.

Some recommendations when visiting such a magnificent site:

• Climb with native people from the area.

• Go prepared with food and hydration.

• Bring sweets to avoid what is colloquially called "bad of moor"

• Use field boots. By the way, in my first time I used
  shoes not fit for this place and were destroyed.

• Wear coats and appropriate clothing, as temperatures fluctuate
  between 0 and 15 degrees centigrade.

Take care of this monument and any natural park you visit, avoiding
throwing garbage or burning is of great importance, since they have large water reserves.

Photos taken by @betza on HP photosmart E337 camera.