El Cocuy National Park

The Sierra Nevada del Cocuy is the largest surviving cluster of glaciers in Colombia, a line of rock and ice peaks above five thousand metres running along the eastern edge of the Andes in northern Boyaca. Below the ice are paramo valleys full of frailejones, glacial lakes and rock walls, and the set pieces are the Pulpito del Diablo, a squared-off block of rock beside a glacier, and Laguna Grande de la Sierra. Access is restricted to day hikes from a small number of trailheads, with compulsory registration, insurance and a local guide, and the ice itself is off limits. The glaciers are retreating fast.

What you actually see

• Pulpito del Diablo - a squared rock tower beside the ice above four thousand metres.
• Laguna Grande de la Sierra - a glacial lake in a basin under the peaks.
• The frailejon valleys - paramo approaches full of woolly rosette plants.
• Ritacuba Blanco - the snow dome seen from the northern trailhead.

When to go

December to February is the main dry window, with a shorter one around July and August. The park closes for a period each year for ecological rest and the dates change, so confirm before booking transport. Walks start before dawn in order to be off the high ground by early afternoon, when cloud and hail arrive almost daily.

Honest expectations

This is hard walking at four thousand metres and above, up to twelve hours in a day, with no camping allowed in the high zone, which means starting at three in the morning. Guides, insurance and entry are all compulsory and add up. Getting there is an overnight bus and a long rough road. The glaciers are far smaller than older photographs show.

Nearby

The villages of Guican and El Cocuy, and the road south towards Boyaca's colonial towns.