Travel Postcard: 48 hours in Caracas

CARACAS - Caribbean heat mingles with Andean cool in Caracas, which is nestled against a verdant mountain range, cresting at over 9,000 feet (2,765 meters.).

With a population around 4 million, Caracas is the capital and more populated city in Venezuela.

Languidly tropical by day, the Venezuelan capital's climate turns brisk after sundown. The perfume of the lush greenery infuses the evening breeze, encouraging outdoor dining.

Bold modern architecture studs Caracas' narrow valley, lined by the El Avila mountain. A national park, El Avila divides Caracas from the Caribbean Sea. Layered in multiple forest habitats, it has about five percent of the world's bird species.

Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors get the most of out of a 48-hour visit.

Cerro El Ávila (Mountain El Ávila) 2.740 meters 8.990 feet above sea level,  usually just referred to as "El Ávila," is a mountain in the mid-north of Venezuela.