Tatama National Park

Tatama covers about fifty-one thousand hectares on the Western Cordillera and rises to around 4,200 metres at Cerro Tatama, and what is unusual about it is condition: the paramo at the top is one of very few in Colombia that has never been grazed, burned or planted, because the approaches are steep, wet and difficult enough that nobody took cattle up. That makes it a reference point for what undisturbed paramo looks like. The Pacific slope below is Choco rainforest and among the wettest and most biodiverse country on earth, and the Montezuma road on that side is one of the best-known birding routes in the Americas, running through a long altitudinal range with many endemics. There is no infrastructure in the park.

What you actually see

• Ungrazed, unburned paramo - among the very few left in that condition.
• Choco rainforest on the Pacific slope - among the wettest anywhere.
• The Montezuma road - a birding route with many endemics.
• No infrastructure inside the park - guides and permits required.

When to go

December to March, though rain is constant on the Pacific slope. Several days.

Honest expectations

Rain is relentless on the western side. Access is difficult and requires guides and permits. There are no facilities in the park. The summit paramo is a serious multi-day undertaking.

Nearby

Pueblo Rico is west; Santuario and Pereira are east.