Trekking to the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy (Departure from the Municipality of El Cocuy)
Get to know the largest glacier in Colombia 🏔
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If you like to level up and among your challenge objectives is trekking through the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, this trip is for you, an option departing from the Municipality of El Cocuy where you can access this adventurous travel program at the second most important mountain range in Colombia. You will visit the municipality of Cocuy in Boyacá where you can rest after a long day of trekking and you can enjoy its picturesque streets. This is a sacred territory for the Uwa indigenous community where a wide variety of fauna and flora characteristic of the paramo ecosystems live, which then blur to highlight the perpetual snows of this incredible place, which are reflected in the bodies of water of the continental lagoons of glacial origin.
According to IDEAM and studies of glaciers in Colombia, the snow-capped peaks of Cocuy are gradually melting as a consequence of global warming. This trip is an opportunity to recognize the importance of these ecosystems and to become aware of the importance of implementing sustainable practices in all the areas of our lives.
On this trip you will be able to trek until you reach:
🏔 Las Lajas Lagoons (Acclimatization Trail)
🏔 El Cocuy Municipality (Lodging and meeting points)
🏔 Sierra Nevada de El Cocuy, trails: Laguna Grande and Pulpito del Diablo (also known as Temple of the Sun)
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Day 1.
Arrival at Cocuy. Registration and instructions of National Parks. Acclimatization day. Short walk in the northern area of the Sierra (on average at 4,000m high). Rest and preparation for the high mountain journey.
Day 2.
- Option 1: Tour to the Lagunillas Valley. Start of the walk. Ascent to the edge of the Pan de Azúcar glacier (3,700m – 4,900m). It's not a snow hike, we only go to the edge. Decline. It is a walk of more or less 8 hours round trip (approximately 21 km).
- Option 2: Ascent to the Grande de la Sierra lagoon (3,800 – 4,500m). Decline. It is a walk of approximately 7 hours (18 km). In the afternoon we return to the town of Cocuy. Night in the town. Return to Bogotá.
The days on which each trail is carried out could vary according to the availability of National Park spaces.
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El Cocuy Municipality
Picturesque colonial town that has architectural value, there you can buy some crafts made by peasant hands and enjoy the gastronomy of the region,
Muhammad Hill
It is a place known for popular myths and legends. From 4,040 meters above sea level You can see different municipalities of the department of Boyacá and beautiful Colombian landscapes.
Sierra Nevada del Cocuy
The Sierra Nevada del Cocuy is located in the Cocuy National Natural Park. This park has an area of 306,000 hectares and was created in 1977, with jurisdiction in the municipalities of El Cocuy, Güicán, El Espino, Chiscas, Chita and Cubará (in Boyacá); Tame, Fortúl and Saravena (in Arauca); and La Salina and Sácama (in Casanare). The temperature ranges between -4ºC and 20ºC. The mountainous part of the Sierra has heights that vary between 3,500 and 5,330 meters above sea level and includes the highest peaks of the Eastern mountain range. In contrast, on the eastern slope you descend from the moor to the virgin tropical humid forest.
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💧 It is important to carry a bottle of water and maintain constant hydration, we will go on long walks and maintaining hydration is healthy.
🧢 Wear a hat or cap to protect yourself from the sun. It is important to use sunscreen, remember to use a mineral sunscreen for your face.
👕 Pack enough clothes for three days. We suggest avoiding the use of cotton clothing and wearing synthetic fiber clothing that allows quick drying, in general special clothing for high mountains: jacket, quick-drying pants, wool hat, gloves, glasses with UV filter. Don't forget your change of clothes in case you get wet or muddy.
🥾 Wear comfortable shoes, preferably hiking shoes, in any case avoid ballet shoes or fabric tennis shoes. It is important to bring a change of shoes in case your shoes get wet during the tour.
💊 Bring your medications and personal documents (medical insurance card and ID).
🎒 Don't use a wheeled suitcase. Carry a hands-free backpack to store all the luggage that must be well distributed in plastic bags. Bring a small backpack so you can take your personal items on hikes.
🦯 Hiking walking stick, important to train before handling it. Note: the importance of the stick is to help not exert all the effort on the knees and gait, very useful to improve walking, greatly reduces fatigue, strengthens the comprehensive body exercise, they are support to avoid falls and injuries to knees and feet.
roadtrip:info.additionalInfo
- They will be hikes through high mountains, therefore you must be in good physical condition. We will start from 3200 meters above sea level. And we will reach 4860 meters above sea level. The difficulty is high and the tours last between 3 and 8 hours depending on the day's itinerary.
- *Non-residents (Foreigners) must pay $39,000 COP for the additional entry fee to National Natural Parks of Colombia
- ** The PNN Sierra Nevada del Cocuy is the entity in charge of assigning the entrance reservations to the trails, in this sense this reservation depends on the assignment made by National Parks according to the carrying capacity of the trails.
- *** Since it is necessary to make reservations at the PNN Cocuy in advance to ensure entry to the national park, the cancellation policy for this trip is different from the general policy of the website. And there is a 30% penalty for cancellations 24 hours after the reservation is made.
- You can request accompaniment in English with an additional cost by WhatsApp before making the reservation
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