Oceta Paramo

The trail climbs from Mongui at around 2,900 metres to the paramo at 3,800 or so, and what makes it worth the climb is the density and size of the frailejones - the woolly rosette plants that define paramo, growing here in great numbers, some of them very old given that they add roughly a centimetre a year. The route passes rock formations that have acquired names, a stone city of eroded blocks, small lakes and cushion bogs. The description of it as the most beautiful paramo in the world is a local claim rather than any kind of finding, but the ground is genuinely striking. Guides from Mongui are required and the community manages access. Weather is cold, wet and can turn quickly.

History

Before the Spanish conquest the Ocetá Páramo was inhabited by Muisca loyal to the iraca of Suamox, who held the region sacred, and myths and legends survive from both pre-Columbian and colonial times; in the lower part of the páramo Muisca women gave birth in small man-made pools, the Tortolitas. The páramo lies between 2,950 and 3,950 metres in the Eastern Ranges, across the municipalities of Monguí, Mongua and Tópaga (Wikipedia, Ocetá Páramo).

What's there

• Dense frailejones - growing about a centimetre a year, some very old.
• A climb from 2,900 to about 3,800 metres - from the village.
• Eroded rock formations and small lakes - across the high ground.
• Community-managed access - guides from Mongui required.

When to go

December to March. A full day.

Things to know

A guide is required - this is not a signposted walk. The climb is long and the altitude significant. Weather turns fast and the paramo offers no shelter. Frailejones are extremely slow-growing and stepping on them does real damage.

Nearby

Mongui is below; Sogamoso is west.

Key facts