El Cocuy National Park

Welcome, intrepid explorers and lovers of the alpine wilderness, to the majestic Sierra Nevada de Güicán, widely known as El Cocuy National Natural Park. We are standing at the threshold of Colombia's most extensive glacial mass,…

As we commence our hike, leaving the lower valleys behind, we immediately enter one of the most unique and vital ecosystems on the planet: the high Andean páramo. The landscape around us is utterly dominated by the presence of…

If you have chosen the trail of Lagunillas, you are now approaching one of the park's most iconic and intimidating geological formations: the Púlpito del Diablo, or the Devil's Pulpit. This colossal, squared-off monolith of sheer…

For those navigating the central route, the landscape opens up to reveal a breathtaking jewel nestled among the jagged peaks: Laguna Grande de la Sierra. This is the second largest lagoon in the entire national park, and reaching…

Pushing past the Laguna Grande de la Sierra, the trail continues upwards toward the formidable Pico Cóncavo. It is here that the environment undergoes a radical and surreal transformation. …

For the most daring of high-altitude hikers, the trail to the base of Ritacuba Blanco represents the ultimate challenge. Standing at a staggering five thousand three hundred and thirty meters above sea level, Ritacuba Blanco is…

We have finally arrived at our absolute limit: the very edge of the glacier. Whether you have ascended via the Púlpito, Laguna Grande, or Ritacuba, reaching the border of the eternal snows is the triumphant climax of the El Cocuy…

As we begin our long, arduous descent back toward the valleys and the warmth of the lower altitudes, it is time to reflect on the profound journey we have just undertaken in El Cocuy National Park. We have pushed our bodies to…