Laguna de Fuquene

Fuquene lies at around 2,540 metres and is shallow, with large beds of junco reed growing through it - the reed is cut, dried and woven into mats, baskets and furniture by families along the shore, a craft that has continued for a long time and is one of the lake's remaining economies. The Muisca held the lake sacred and its name comes from their language. The lake has been in serious ecological trouble for decades: agricultural runoff, cattle and dairy waste from the surrounding valley and the spread of introduced water hyacinth have reduced its area substantially and driven oxygen levels down, with recovery programmes running and progress slow. Boats go out from the shore, and Isla del Santuario in the lake has a small chapel.

What you actually see

• Junco reed cut and woven - mats, baskets and furniture on the shore.
• A lake sacred to the Muisca - whose name it keeps.
• A shrinking, polluted water body - from farm runoff and hyacinth.
• Isla del Santuario - with a chapel, reached by boat.

When to go

December to March. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The lake is ecologically degraded and looks it in places - hyacinth mats cover parts of the surface. Boat arrangements are informal. There is little tourist infrastructure. Nights are cold at this altitude.

Nearby

Ubate is south; Chiquinquira is north-east.