![]() It also provides some of the easiest access from the capital to Colombia’s distinctive paramo. Tucked into the eastern Andes within a stone’s throw of Bogotá, Chingaza National Natural Park is a rich source of water, its 60 lagoons providing 80% of the water consumed by the capital city’s residents. Explore the beautifully barren paramo at Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza Admire it from the meandering trails that take you to viewpoints from which breathtaking panoramas of the whole Cocora valley and the craggy peaks of the park’s northern reaches await. The main attraction is the Quindío wax palm, Colombia’s national tree, a species that towers up to 60m (196ft). In the southern skirts of the national park, the more accessible Valle de Cocora is a verdant wonderland of grasslands and cloud forest surrounded by Colombia’s trademark rolling hills dotted with coffee plantations. You’ll need a registered guide to hike here, which you can organize in nearby Salento. For more casual hikers, gentler trails pass up through the sparse yet striking paramo landscapes to reach glassy lagoons and age-old glaciers. Adventurous travelers come here in their droves to tackle the summit of Nevado del Tolima, a 5200m (17,060ft) volcanic crater that requires technical mountaineering experience. Serranía del Chiribiquete National Park first opened to visitors only in 2019, and access is solely by a limited number of 1-hour flyovers run by local tour operators, where you’ll see the park’s dazzling topography and lush jungle from the air.Īctive travelers will love hiking through Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados, one of Colombia’s most dramatic and high-altitude national parks © Antoine Barthelemy / Shutterstock Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados offers exciting high-altitude hikingĭappled with snow-swept volcanic peaks thrusting towards the sky, Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados is one of Colombia’s most dramatic and high-altitude national parks. ![]() They’re believed to still be used by the five uncontacted tribes who reside within the park’s borders. Deep within the park lie 75,000 cave paintings dating back to 20,000 BCE, which depict hunting scenes and other ceremonial events. One of the last unexplored corners of the planet, Serranía del Chiribiquete National Park is the world’s largest tropical rainforest park and one of Colombia’s most remarkable protected areas, Covering 44,000 sq km (17,000 sq miles), the park was added to Unesco’s World Heritage List in 2018 thanks to its incredible biodiversity (some 3000 animal and plant species reside here) and unique topography in the form of the tepuis, table-top mountains that rise dramatically out of the jungle.īut human history is what makes this place special. See one of the last untouched places on earth at Parque Nacional Natural Serranía del Chiribiquete And for maximum tranquility, avoid visiting in December and January when the park is packed with backpackers and pleasure seekers. The obligatory trail from the entrance at Cañaveral into the park traces the coast, dropping by beaches where you can take shade beneath a coconut palm or even catch sight of the critically endangered cotton-top tamarin monkeys that call the adjoining jungle home.Īt night, choose a hammock, beachside tent or rustic cabin so close to the ocean that the crashing waves will lull you to sleep. You’ll find access to glorious swimming and snorkeling on a select few beaches treacherous currents make many others too dangerous for a dip – if beautiful to admire. On your visit to Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona, you might spot a critically endangered cotton-top tamarin © Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH / Shutterstock Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona is the best national park for white-sand beachesĪn exquisitely beautiful stretch of white-sand beaches, vast rock formations and untouched rainforest, Tayrona National Natural Park lies in the north of the country, between the skirts of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range and the azure waters of the Caribbean Sea.Ĭolombia’s most visited park extends across 12,000 hectares (29,650 acres) of land, with a further 3000 hectares (7413 acres) of ocean protected, too.
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