Trek in Colombia - Cocuy National Park Be one of the few to trek in the Colombia Andes, and also enjoy time to explore Historic Bogota, Colonial Villa de Leyva, Andean Villages, and the Famed Cartagena. Some of the most pristine and least well-known territory for trekking in the whole of Latin America can be found in the Colombian Andes. This amazing exploratory holiday starts out in the capital, Bogota, with time to explore the Candelaria district. Continue to Villa de Leyva, a delightful colonial town with one of the biggest Central Plazas in the Americas, with a day hike in the nearby Iguaque National Park. Continue to the remote Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, a world away, with a week to explore the region on foot, staying in a variety of small hotels, accessible mountain cabanas, and four nights fully supported camping, ending in Cocuy Village, nestled at the foot of the mountain range. Trek to farms, numerous mountain lakes, and over high passes, surrounded by flora unique to the region. You can be amongst the first to explore this magnificent region! At the end of the trek, we drive back to Bogota. From here you may choose to end the holiday. Alternatively, fly to Cartagena, to end the trip exploring, relaxing and partying in Colombia's most famous town, a colonial gem on the Caribbean coast. Cocuy Village Cocuy Park
Detailed Itinerary This is a carefully planned itinerary to allow some time to adjust to the sustained higher elevations. Walking conditions underfoot conditions are generally good, although there are sections of trail that are not well marked, as well as some boggy and rocky sections. Walking days are generally up to 6 hours, and camping days are fully supported, so you carry only a day pack. Day Date Activity Accommodation 1 Fri 25th Oct 13 Fly to Bogota Casa Deco Hotel, Bogota (2600m) www.hotelcasadeco.com 2 Sat 26th Oct 13 Tour Bogota, walk to Monserrat Casa Deco Hotel, Bogota 3 Sun 27th Oct 13 Drive to Punakhu, tours of area La Espanola, Villa de Leyva (2100m) www.hotelboutiquelaespanola.com 4 Mon 28th Oct 13 Day hike in Iguaque National Park Hotel La Espanola, Villa de Leyva 5 Tues29th Oct 13 Long drive to Cocuy region Guest House, Guican (2900m) 6 Wed 30th Oct 13 Hike 4 hrs to Hacienda (driving Hacienda La Esperanza (3500m) option), park entry 7 Thur 31st Oct 13 Hike to Valle del Rio Concavito, Camp Refugio LaCascada (3750m) acclimatize up to a lake at 4200m 8 Fri 1st Nov 13 Hike to Laguna Grande de la Sierra Camp (4400m) 9 Sat 2nd Nov 13 Trek 6hrs over high point, Paso del Cabaña Lagunillas (3900m) Conejo, and descend to lower lakes. 10 Sun 3rd Nov 13 Trek 6hrs, around lakes, cross 2 Camp (4200m) passes, to reach Laguna de la Plaza. 11 Mon 4th Nov 13 Free day to reach non technical Camp (4200m) summit 12 Tues 5th Nov 13 Return to Lagunillas, and continue Late night bus to Bogota one hr to road. Drive to Cocuy. Overnight comfort bus to Bogota. 13 Wed 6th Nov 13 Arrive early in Bogota, then fly to Cartagena @ 10.00am. Hotel El Caribe, Cartagena www.hotelcaribe.com/ 14 Thur 7th Nov 13 Free day Cartagena Hotel El Caribe 15 Fri 8th Nov 13 Free day Cartagena Hotel El Caribe 16 Sat 9th Nov 13 Early departure for flight home Flying 17 Sun 10th Nov 13 Arrive home Friday 25th October 2013 Arrive in Bogota, probably late in the day. There will be a transfer waiting to meet you. The drive to the hotel located in Candelaria, the older district in the city, takes about 30 minutes. Overnight: Hotel Casa Deco, Candelaria, Bogota Saturday 26th October 2013 Bogota is situated at an altitude of 2600m, so we start acclimatizing immediately. Be sure to drink plenty of water to keep hydrated, and walk around slowly as you'll immediately notice the thin air. Today is an introduction to Colombia, and we will make a walking tour of the Candelaria area, which is the most interesting and historic part of the city. Walk to the most important
square, the Plaza Bolivar, and explore some of the nearby buildings and the cathedral. Optional visit to the Botero Gallery, home of many of the works of Colombia's most famous artist, as well as other well-known artists; or the celebrated Gold Museum, which has an extraordinary selection of pre-hispanic gold artefacts, the biggest in the world. In the afternoon we can take a slow acclimatization walk up to the Monserrat chapel on top of the hill overlooking to city. This is a place of pilgrimage, dating back to the 17th Century. The chapel is at an altitude of 3100m, from where we have great views of the city. There is a funicular if you do not fancy walking up. Overnight: Hotel Casa Deco, Candelaria, Bogota (B) Pulpito del Diablo Bogota Street Sunday 27th October 2013 Depart Bogota heading north, stopping for a tour of the Underground Salt Cathedral at Zipaquira. The vast structure, carved out of solid salt, can accommodate 8000 people and was part of the salt mines. It is an underground church located 200 metres inside a salt mountain, passing through a tunnel, fourteen Stations of the Cross, and on to a dome, eventually reaching an enormous cross carved into the rock and the three naves of the Cathedral. From here it is another 2 hours to Villa de Leyva, founded in the 1570s, and one of Colombia s most beautiful colonial towns. The town has one of the largest plazas in the Americas, and is dotted with Spanish style houses, small alleys, cobblestoned streets and 16th century parish church. If time allows we'll make an orientation walk. The region is also famous for its abundance of fossils, and the Museo El Fósil, built exactly where a kronosaurus was found, a 20m marine reptile. Overnight: Hotel La Espanola, Villa de Leyva (B)
Monday 28th October 2013 Today we make a wonderful acclimatisation hike to the Sanctuary of Flora and Fauna of Iguaque: drive about 45 minutes to the park entrance, from where we start the trek at around 3000m. This hike goes from the high-andean jungle, to the moor, called Páramo, with a great diversity of flora and fauna, and excellent bird-watching. The trail eventually leads more steeply up to the sacred lake of Iguaque, at 3600m, the origin of the Muiscas mythology. Return the same way and back to Villa de Leyva, and enjoy some of the great local food this evening. Overnight: Hotel La Espanola, Villa de Leyva (B,L) Tuesday 29th October 2013 Today, we make an early start for the long drive to the Cocuy National Park, which will take around 9 hours. It is the only way to access this area and the drive is interesting. The drive is mostly at elevations of between 2500 and 3500 metres and we cross several passes above 3000 metres. This is a rich farming area and there are lots of towns and villages and scattered houses. The lowest point is at a bridge over the Chica Mocha River at 1450 metres. Climbing out of this 'gorge', we may stop for lunch in Soata, before continuing towards the stunning massif of the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy. If the weather is clear, we will start to get views of some of the area s 17 snowy peaks. We reach the village of El Cocuy, 2800m in the late afternoon, and it is a further half hour to our destination, Guican, where we stay in a local hotel. Overnight: Simple Hotel in Guican (B) Wednesday 30th October 2013 Take some time this morning to wander around the small town. We probably separate our gear, so that we bring only the essentials for the trek, and leave in storage anything not needed. We plan to hike from the village up to the Hacienda Esperanza today, from around 2900m up to 3600m, although it is also possible to go by vehicle should you prefer. The walk will take us along the Sanpablin River, through fields, local farms, and small holdings, and the vegetation changes along the way. It should take around 4 hrs. We arrive at the sheep farm and will enjoy some good home cooking, and sleep in a simple cabana. Overnight: La Esperanza Cabin (B, L, D) Thursday 31st October 2013 Today we trek up the Rio Concavito valley, and to aid acclimatization we head up to a lake at 4200m, viewing Sanpablin South and Concavo glaciers and peaks. We then drop back to 3750m to camp at Refugio La Cascasa, where there is also a basic shelter. Total trekking time is 6 hrs. Friday 1st November 2013 Hike to Laguna Grande de La Sierra at 4400 m. Camp on a beach by the lake surrounded by glacial moraine and peaks such as Concavo, Portales, Toti and Pan de Azucar (Sugarloaf), total time about 5hrs
Saturday 2nd November 2013 We cross the big moraine to reach Pulpito Lake and hike up to Paso del Conejo at 4700m for great views. From here we drop into the Lagunilllas Valley, with views of Pulpito del Diablo and Pan de Azucar. The total time is 6 hrs, and we eventually reach Refugio Sizuma where we sleep in beds, and eat in the restaurant. It is simple, but there is a flush toilet and running water! Overnight: Cabin (B, L, D) Sunday 3rd November 2013 Leaving from the cabana, we walk along the Lagunillas River valley, passing four lakes, on a good trail. Climb steadily, and then more steeply up to the Cusiri Pass at 4400m. From here, we descend and then climb again to our second pass, Patio Bolas, at 4380m. The trail then undulates to eventually wind round to our destination, the magical Laguna de la Plaza at 4200m. Walking time is 5-6 hours. Monday 4th November 2013 We have a day-hike from camp today. Above the lake, there are a number of great viewpoints, usually free of snow: Cerro de la Plaza, Pico Negro and Pico Blanco. Having crossed the interesting waterfall outflow from the lake, we cross the glacially eroded slabs that give the lake its name, gradually gaining height and with views that extend over the lowland of the Llanos Orientales (top the east). High up, we also come across the amazing perched block known as the Diamond. The likely peak is 4900m. We return to spend a second night in our camp at Laguna de la Plaza, after a 6-7 hour day. Tuesday 5th November 2013 Retrace our steps from the southern end of Laguna de la Plaza and follow the well-defined trail that takes us back across the passes of Patio Bolas and Cusiri, before descending into the valley back past the picturesque lakes to the cabin for lunch. From here it is a further hour along a dirt road to meet with our transport, and an hour or so to drive back down to the village of Cocuy, 2800m, where we can find supplies of beer! There will be time to shower and clean up, and have an early dinner, before taking a comfortable overnight public bus to Bogota. Overnight: Overnight bus (B, L, D) Wednesday 6th November 2013 Arrive early morning in Bogota and transfer to the airport for the flight LA3094 @ 09.55am to Cartagena, arriving @ 11.25am. For those not continuing to Cartagena, the trip ends here. Otherwise, on arrival in Cartagena, the transfer to the hotel takes just 20 minutes. Overnight: Hotel El Caribe, Cartagena
La Capilla Village Cartagena Thursday 7th November 2013 Cartagena de Indias is one of the most fascinating cities in Latin America. Located on the Caribbean coast, and founded in 1533 by the Spanish Conquerors, the city quickly became a major trading port. The massive fortified walls which surround the old city are a Unesco World Heritage Site, and the city is famed for its history and beauty. Take time to explore the cobbled streets in the walled city. There are also some great places to eat and drink. Overnight: Hotel El Caribe, Cartagena (B) Friday 8th November 2013 A full day to enjoy Cartagena or relax by the pool. Overnight: Hotel El Caribe, Cartagena (B) Saturday 9th November 2013 Take a taxi from the hotel for the onward flight home, probably connecting through Bogota. Here is a link to my photos taken in June 2012: https://picasaweb.google.com/cohenmichele67/colombia2012