This is a beautiful three days trekking through Los Nevados National Park, in which we visit the Otún Lake, the paramo ecosystem and the cloud forest in de Andean highs.
Los Nevados National Park is located on the central mountain range of the Colombian Andes and has an extension of 61,200 hectares, a maximum altitude of 5,321 meters (Nevado del Ruiz summit), and a minimum altitude of 2,600 meters at the Andean forests. The park is located between Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío and Tolima departments. Its wide geography features three volcanoes (Ruiz, Santa Isabel and Tolima), large paramo areas (alpine moorland), forests, lakes and rivers where many species of animals and plants live; some of theme endangered species.
The journey described bellow is a beautiful three days trekking through Los Nevados National Park, in which we will go through the páramo ecosystem, cloud forrest and visit the amazing Otún Lake. The trip can be made starting and finishing either in Pereira or Manizales.
Early in the morning we will be picking up the travellers at a set up place in Pereira, in order to start our one-hour travel (by car) to El Cedral. In El Cedral we will put our luggage on the mules and start hiking our way to El Jordan. We will go through a beautiful Alto Andino wet forest framed by rivers and water streams. During our hiking we will enjoy lunch over the riverbank. Afterward we will start our assent through a very different ecosystem, now, we will enter to the cloud forest, which will lead us to El Jordan. There, we will find a heartwarming home embellished with colorful gardens and farm animals all over the place, where we will spend the night in shared rooms. El Jordan is a place from where we can enjoy a view of beautiful mountains and waterfalls.
Duración: 6 hours (14 Km)
Altitude gain: 100 meters
Altitude loss: 20 meters
Initial altitude: 2.200 meters
Maximum altitud: 3.200 meters
Final altitude: 3.200 meters
After breakfast we will start our trekking to the Otún Lake. We will be entering into the paramo, a very special ecosystem that only exists in five countries on the planet, a beautiful, Eco diverse place and an important water source. After five hours of trekking we will be arriving to the Otún Lake, a beautiful a diverse place suitable for contemplation. There we will meet the National Park officials and registered into the park, then we will set up our camping and have lunch. We will have the afternoon for resting and enjoy the landscape.
Duration: 4 – 5 hours (8 Km)
Altitude gain: 600 meters
Altitude loss: 30 meters
Initial altitude: 3.200 meters
Maximum altitude: 3.800 meters
Final altitude: 3.800 meters
We welcome our third and last day, viewing a beautiful sunrise over the mountains, at the Otún Lake, while we enjoy a hot beverage. Short after, we will have breakfast, clean up our campsite and load our luggage on the mules, to be taken to our final destination.
We will start our five hours trekking skirting the lagoon to take the path that lead us to the rangers cabin, a place known as Potosi. There, we will have a typical lunch and afterwards we will take a vehicle that will take us to the city of our final destination (either Pereira or Manizales).
Duration: 4 – 5 hours (10 Km)
Altitude gain: 300 meters
Altitude loss: 200 meters
Initial altitude: 3.800 meters
Maximum altitude: 4.100 meters
Final altitude: 3.900 meters
+ Professional guide authorized by the National Park.
+ Medical insurance.
+ Camping equipment: tends, portable stoves, plates, cups, cutlery, etc.
+ Mules to carry our luggage.
+ Full meals in the mountain: from lunch in day 1 to lunch in day 3.
+ Snacks kit for every hike.
+ Land transport: El Cedral – Pereira y Manizales – Los Nevados National Park.
+ Accommodation in peasants houses and camping.
+ Entrance permits to Los Nevados National Park.
+ All the activities described in the itinerary.
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+ Sleeping bag (available for rent).
+ Insulating mat (available for rent)
+ Breakfast in the first day and dinner in the last day.
+ Not specified expenses.
This was an amazing trip through beautiful mountains. A face of Colombia that not many get to know…Thanks SAWA for this beautiful experience.
María
A trip to never forget. The magic of the paramos, mountains, lakes, forest, the clouds, the peasants…I am grateful with the life for allow me to enjoy this territory, and thanks to SAWA for organizing this trip.
Octavio
What a beautiful adventure! Another charming Colombian Place. Thanks SAWA for get us closer to these unknown places in Colombia.
