Travel the three beautiful authorized trails of El Cocuy National Park and marvel at the impressive snow-capped mountains while enjoying the moorland, forests, blue lagoons and wetlands of this incredible territory.
El Cocuy National Park is located in the Oriental mountain range of the Colombian Andes, between the departments of Boyacá, Arauca and Casanare. In its majestic geography we can find snowy mountains, paramo (moorlands), jungle, valleys, lagoons and rivers where a vast variety of flora and fauna are gathered. The Park extension is 306.000 Ha, the highest point is 5.330 meter above sea level known as Ritakwaba Blanco Peak, and a the lowest point is at 700 meters above sea level located in the jungles of the Andean foothill.
The journey that is detailed bellow, goes along the three beautiful paths authorized to transit inside the National Park (Púlpito del Diablo, Laguna Grande de la Sierra and Ritakubas), reaching at the end, different, but yet enchanting glaciers located in the southern, northern and central region of the Park.
2 hours by car.
10 hour by foot.
Early in the morning, before dawn, we will have breakfast and take a 4×4 vehicle, for about one hour, to a place known as La Cueva in the National Park. At this point, at 4.000 meters of altitude with an amazing panoramic of the entire Sierra Nevada, we will start our hike. During our trip we will get to know the paramo -an especial ecosystem present in five countries only- where we will see lagoons, snowy mountains, the valley and imposing rocky walls. In the middle of our trip we will stop to have a typical lunch to then, carry on to the final part of the path, reach the glacier edge and enjoy the beautiful view that the Púlpito del Diablo (an imposing rock of more than 100 meters high that rests on the snow) offer us. Once we reach the highest point allowed, we will start our descent to La Cueva where our vehicles will be waiting for us in order to takes us to the cabin where we will spend the night.
Dinner at the cabin and rest.
40 min. by car.
10 hours by foot.
In our second day of hiking, we will go along the Laguna Grande de la Sierra path. Once again, we will have breakfast early in the morning and then, take a vehicle to La Esperanza farm where we will start our hike. The tour will take us through the beautiful valley of frailejones where we will enjoy a typical lunch wrapped in root leaf. Afterwards, we will continue our ascent to the Lagoon Grande de la Sierra and be able to be delight with the beautiful view f the snowy peaks such as Pan de Azúcar, Toti, Portales and Cóncavo. A little bit ahead of the Lagoon, we will reach the glacier edge and have a moment to enjoy the majesty of the place. Then, we will take the path back to La Esperanza farm and take the vehicles for about one hour to Kanwara cabins in the northern part of the Park.
Diner at Kanwara Cabins and rest.
10-11 hours by foot.
1.5 hours by car.
In the third day we will go along the last of the three paths, the Ritakubas path. We will have breakfast early in the morning and start a hike that will take us to the glacier edge of Ritakuba Blanco, Negro and Norte snowy peaks. In our way we will go across streams, frailejones valleys and finally, moraines that will lead us to the glacier. At this point we will have an amazing panoramic of a big part of The Sierra from its north face and an imposing view toward the Boyacá and Santander mountains.
After a well-deserved lunch and at the highest point of our hike, we will take the path back to Kanwara cabins to take a vehicle that will take us back to El Cocuy Town, where we will have dinner and rest at the hotel to end our journey.
+ Professional guide authorized by the National Park.
+ Tour of the three authorized paths: Púlpito del Diablo, Laguna Grande and Ritakubas.
+ Medical insurance.
+ Full meals during the three days: 3 breakfast, 3 lunches and 2 dinner.
+ Transportation by car: El Cocuy – La Cueva – Mirador de La Sierra – La Esperanza – Kanwara – El Cocuy.
+ Accommodation for 2 nights.
+ Entrance permits to El Cocuy National Park.
+ All the activities described in the itinerary.
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+ Snacks
+ Expenses not specified.
El Cocuy is simply amazing! There were gigantic snowy mountains, blue lakes, rock formations, paramos, etc. It is a place of vibrant beauty. During our journey we had an incredible weather that allowed us to see all the majesty of the Sierra. The SAWA guides are excellent, very good planning and very organized.
I hope to come back some day!
Arturo Correa
Another amazing Colombian place! I enjoyed every inch of it from the beginning. The hikes along the lakes are beautiful and the snowy peaks are spectaculars. I was lucky to have a nice weather and an excellent guide.
Thank you SAWA!
Simon Escobar
I felt in love with those mountains, they are really incredible! I suffered because it was really cold and the hikes were long, but the beauty of the landscapes rewards the effort.
I can only thank SAWA!
Diana Rojas
