natural national park el cocuy

The Natural National Park El Cocuy has the largest glacier extension in Colombia and is one of the few remaining glacier tropical mountains that survive due to global warming. It is located in South America near the Equator line in the Andes Cordillera and limits with Venezuela. It is found in the north-west of Colombia, in the Department of Boyacá, province of the north and Gutiérrez, in the vicinity of the municipalities of Güicán and El Cocuy. It possesses a wealth that is outstanding within the Colombian topography. The Sierra Nevada has 306.000 hectares in conservation in which we can find the following: 27 snow peaks among which the Ritak U’wa Blanco stands out with a maximum height of 5333 meters above sea level; 13 lakes of glacier origin among which the Laguna de la Plaza is outstanding and considered the most beautiful in Colombia; and the Valle de los Cojines (Valley of Cuchons), being the largest in the world of its type. Bearing in mind the natural richness, it is possible to organize a variety of tourist activities such as ecological walks, camping, horse riding, path wandering, Rappel excursions, mountaineering, iced climbing, rock climbing, courses of high mountaineering. On the other hand there is an enormous cultural wealth, the U’WA indigenous reserve.

The Natural National Park of Cocuy has three entrances that are communicated in the following manner: through the north, one can access the Laguna Grande de los Verdes and it is the principal entrance that leads to the Valle de los Cojines “The largest in the world”, and the Tour of the Sierra, “the most wonderful trekking in Colombia”. Through the central north zone it is possible to visit the snow peaks Ritak U´wa Blanco, Ritak U´wa Negro, Ritak U´wa Norte, the peaks San Pablines, el Chorrearon of San Pablin, the lake of San Pablin and the lake of la Plazuela. Through the south central zone it is possible to visit the snow peaks of Cóncavo, Concavito, Portales, Toti, Sugar Loaf, the cave of Our Lady of Cuchumba. el Valle de los Frailejones, the Great lake of la Sierra, the lake of Pulpito, the lake of the Sugar Loaf. Through the south, it is possible to visit the lake of the Plaza, the most beautiful in Colombia¨, Cerros de Plaza, the Diamond peak, The Castle, the most beautiful mountain in Colombia, which is the way out from the tour of la Sierra, "the most wonderful trekking on Colombia".