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Travel Guide

The Best Páramos for Hiking in Colombia

Posted on October 31, 2018
best páramos for hiking in colombia, frailejon, alpine landscape, photography

If you’re not from Colombia, you might not know what a páramo is. This blog post is to explain what it is, since I use the term SO much throughout the blog, and to let you know the best páramos for hiking in Colombia. Let’s get through the information real quick before the travel tips:

A páramo is the ecosystem between the tree line and glaciers. Yes, it’s an alpine ecosystem, but it’s one that only exists in some countries along the equator, where the snow line is super high. Páramo can be translated into moorland, heath and wasteland, but no one of those words live up to what it really is. You really have to go to a páramo and attach an image to the word yourself.

Colombia happens to have most of the world’s páramos, since it’s an extremely mountainous country just north of the equator. They’re full of frailejones, which is the plant you can see in the picture above. Frailejones have furry leaves, grow mere centimeters every year, hold bunches of water and are great for wiping your butt in case of a bathroom emergency in the wilderness. All páramos also have glacial lakes spread throughout them, reason why they are known as water factories. Most hikes have a lake as their final destination, páramos are the main source of water in most Colombian cities.

Don’t expect to see very many glaciers, though! Colombia currently only has 6 snow-peaked mountains (or glaciers) and they are receding every day. To put it in perspective, there are only 36 km2 (22 miles2) of snow left in Colombia.

On a less somber note, páramos are gorgeous, and they’ll be staying with us MUCH longer. And there’s so many to explore! 2% of Colombia is páramo, and very few of them have trails or any development at all. To narrow down your research, I’ve made a list of the best páramos for hiking in Colombia. These are developed and ready for you to hike them!

The Best Páramos for Hiking in Colombia

  1. Chingaza.

Chingaza National Park is right next to Bogotá to the east and has 40 different glacial lakes. The biggest of them is Lake Chingaza, but the most beautiful are the Siecha Lakes. Though you can access Chingaza National Park from a bunch of locations, the entrance closest to Bogotá is the Piedras Gordas Administrative Center. It has a number of trails through a wonderfully mountainous páramo  that end at the Buitrago and Siecha Lakes. If you’re in Bogota, these hikes are worth your time! Click here to read a full blog post on how to get to these trails in Chingaza National Park.

  1. Ocetá.

The Ocetá Páramo is known as the world’s most beautiful páramo. Though I think there are some that rival it, I can agree. Enormous formation rise up out of the ground throughout the landscape, peppered with thousands, probably millions, of frailejones. It’s a great place to walk, camp and explore. This páramo is about 3.5 hours from Bogotá, right next to the town of Mongui and is home to lots of lakes, the most well-known of which is Laguna Negra. Click here to read the full blog post on how to get to the Laguna Negra and the Páramo de Oceta.

  1. Iguaque.

The Iguaque Páramo may not be the most well-known, but it’s my favorite, so of course I had to include it on this list. You start on a winding path through dense forest and suddenly take a step and there’s no more trees! From then on the trail is steep and straight up until you can see Iguaque Lake off in the distance. I love this place because I’ve had great times here with friends and family, as well as in the beautiful tourist town right next to it, Villa de Leyva. Click here for the full blog post on how to get to Iguaque and here for what to do in Villa de Leyva!

  1. Puracé.

Puracé National Park is an almost magical place where you feel like you’re where the world started. Three of Colombia’s biggest, most important rivers are born there: the Magdalena, Cauca and Caquetá rivers. The area also has 11 volcanoes, although only one is active. You can visit all these places, as well as the hot springs created by the volcano, entire valleys of frailejones, waterfalls and lakes. This high-altitude national park is not so well known, which is always great, and requires guides for hiking. It’s 2 hours from Popayán, 5 hours from Cali and 11 hours from Bogotá.

  1. Santurbán.

The Santurbán Páramo is the páramo that provides water for a lot of the Departments of Santander and Norte de Santander. It is huge, has some amazing formations and over 40 lakes. Best of all, the park has a lot of trails. For some perspective, this páramo is so big that it has 7 parks inside of it. It’s a great place to go camp, see the stars and hang out with friends. It’s also threatened to some degree due to large-scale mining. The best thing you can do is visit the park so that the government realizes this place’s natural beauty is important to society.

  1. Los Nevados.

Los Nevados National Park translates to “The Snowy Peaks National Park.” That’s right: snowy peaks, plural! This park holds three of Colombia’s too few snowy peaks, which of course means there’s a lot of páramo to be had below the snow line. Only one of those peaks, the Nevado del Tolima can be summited, and you need a guide and equipment to make the journey. That’s for another blog post. This post is focused on the best páramos for hiking in Colombia, and this place is great. You need no guide for hiking below and up to the snow line. The most well-known hike reaches the snow line at Lake Otún. Even if you can’t reach the summit or aren’t interested in such a daring adventure, you need to go explore this park. Fun fact: it has snowed on Nevado del Tolima twice in the past couple of years after not having snowed for over 10 years!

  1. Sumapaz.

The Sumapaz Páramo is Colombia and the world’s largest páramo and is right next to Bogotá on the south side of the city. (I know, Bogotá is close to so many páramos. Thats what happens when you build a city at 2,600 meters or 8,500 feet above sea level). This park is so enormous that you can access it right from Bogotá or from another city, Villavicencio, which is 3 hours from Bogotá. It even extends up to 5 hours from the big city where the Sumapaz Páramo ends and the Caño Canoas National Park begins. The park has a number of hikes, but the most well-known is the hike to Cuchillas de Bocagrande, a set of razor-like mountains that rise above a group of lakes. You can also drive up to the summit of the Nevado de Sumapaz, which used to have a snowy peak 100 years ago.

To conclude this blog post, páramos are unique ecosystems found in very few places in the world. Thankfully, Colombia has most of the world’s páramos and a lot of them, like the ones I described above, are accessible. That’s saying a lot for a country where access is usually difficult because there is little infrastructure for hiking and for outdoor adventures.

Go explore these wonderful places responsibly and enjoy them to the maximum!

For a list of outdoor activities close to Bogotá, read this blog post!

Tips

Basic Tips for Car Camping

Posted on June 22, 2018
basic tips for car camping, camping neusa, how to get to the neusa dam

Given all our blog posts, we’ve seen that you guys like camping. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to help you out with a blog post with basic tips for car camping! Some awesome places to car camp in Colombia are the Black Lagoon and, the best of all, the Neusa Dam. Car camping doesn’t mean sleeping in your car, it just means you have your car near you as you camp, which makes it so that you can take pretty much anything you want to go camp. That’s very, very different to camping in the wilderness, on long hikes, where you usually try to take as little as you can – the bare necessities. Without further ado, these are the basic tips for car camping.

*If you’d like to read how to get to the Neusa Dam, my favorite place for car camping in Colombia, check out this blog on how to get to the Neusa Dam and what to do there!

Basic Tips for Car Camping

The Tent

The truth is, you can take any type of tent to car camp, just because you have your car. For that reason, the issue isn’t getting the smallest possible tent. Instead, it will depend on the number of people you’ll usually be camping with, the quality of the tent and the price. Here are some recommendations regarding tents:

  1. Get a tent made for 1 or 2 more people than you’ll usually be camping with. This is for two reasons: first, more friends might decide to go with you, and the more the merrier. Second, having more space makes everything more comfortable. Everyone has more space to move and you have space to put backpacks, books, flashlights, food and whatever else you want in your tent. True, you don’t need a lot of things in you tent with the car so near to you, but it’s nice to have the option not to have to leave your tent if it’s rainy or cold outside.
  2. Tents are classified by seasons. A 2 season tent is made for good weather and usually has ventilation openings that can’t be closed if it rains. 3 season tents are made to withstand stronger rain and wind. And 4 season tents are made to withstand even snow. So it’s up to you to decide where you’re mostly going to be camping and get your tent based on that. If you’ll be camping everywhere, get yourself a 4 season tent so that you’ll be good wherever you go! If a tent doesn’t specify its season classification, at least make sure its water-proof.

How to Know if its Water-Proof

  1. Even if a tent says it’s water-proof, that doesn’t mean it’s great, and if it’s both water-proof and cheap, the tent isn’t going to be very water-proof. If the brand is well-known, such as The North Face, Hilleberg, REI, MSR or Coleman, the tent will be good. And if the tent comes with a rain-fly, which is a water-proof canvas that goes on top of the tent and must be taut for it not to touch the tent’s body, and a groundsheet or footprint, which goes between the ground and the tent floor to keep humidity out, that tent will be more water-proof.

How to Set Up the Tent:

  1. The way to set up the tent changes depends on the tent, but there are some things that everyone can do to be more comfortable, regardless of the tent. First, camp on the flattest ground you can find to sleep well and so that you don’t roll over and accidentally touch the tent walls, letting water in. Second, camp a ways off from the nearest water source. Some would say up to 150 feet (50 meters) away so that you’re safe from flash floods and don’t contaminate the water in any way. Third, don’t place the tent entrance facing the wind because it could get really cold. Although, if you’re being annoyed by mosquitoes, putting the entrance facing the wind will keep them out.

Our Favorite Place to Car Camp Yet!

If you’re itching to get outside, read this post on outdoor adventures close to Bogota!

Sleeping Bags

Sleeping bags are usually rated by temperatures: 35°F and higher (2°C and higher), 35 to 10°F (2° to -12°C) and 10°F and lower (12°C and lower). This means sleeping bags are made to warm you are those temperatures, although it varies per person and brand.

Get your sleeping bag based on the temperatures you’ll mostly be camping in. If you’ll probably going to be camping in deserts, get a 35°F and higher (2°C and higher) sleeping bad, but if you’ll be camping in the snow a lot, you’ll definitely want to get a 10°F and lower (12°C and lower) sleeping bag.

One great option for couples that are car-camping is to get a 2 person sleeping bag. While hiking and backpacking, it would never make sense to have one. But with a car to carry all your things, it’s a luxury you can definitely afford.

Sleeping Pad

Sleeping pads are really important for camping, but they’re not only for comfort. Sleeping pads’ main function is to keep the ground from sucking all the warmth from your body. You can get inflatable pads or closed-cell foam pads.

Take any kind of sleeping pad when you’re car camping because you have the space in your car; you might even be able to take any old one you have at home. But if you’re about to buy a sleeping pad, it’s important to think of what you’ll mostly be using it for. If you’ll be car camping a lot, by all means, buy a big and comfortable pad. If you’ll only be car camping every once in a while, but will backpack a lot, it’s better to get a small, inflatable sleeping pad. Some good brands are Neo Equipment, Therm-A-Rest and, as always, Coleman.

Pillow

It makes no sense to carry a pillow when you’re backpacking because they’re so bulky, unless you were to find a small inflatable one. But when car camping, I recommend taking one with you to sleep as well as you can, since you have the car to carry it for you!

To Build a Fire

Of course, the most important thing to have is a lighter or some matches. Then there’s also the wood. You can buy as much wood as you want, since you have the car with you, or you can scavenge for it at your campsite. Scavenging for it feels much more adventuresome. If you’re buying wood, try to do so close to your campsite to help the locals out. Helping out where you can is cool.

This is the best way to start a fire:

  1. Put kindling, such as dry leaves, in the middle of where you’re about to start the fire.
  2. Put sticks and bigger and bigger wood around the kindling in a teepee (or cone) shape, with the point facing up. Heat rises, so this teepee shape will make sure the heat efficiently lights the bigger wood.
  3. Put a flame to the kindling in the middle from the bottom for it all to burn, blowing softly to motivate the flames.
  4. Watch how your fire starts, adding small sticks and maybe even some more kindling if the fire needs some help.

I hope this helps you figure out how to build a fire. The best way to learn is to get outdoors, try, fail, try and learn! Make sure you don’t light a fire under a tree!

Foldable Chairs or a Blanket

When you’re camping, staying outside at night is the best because of the stars, the sounds of the night and sitting by the fire. The first two times I went car camping, I had to sit on the ground outside and my butt was extremely cold the entire time. So something important is to take foldable chairs or a blanket to sit on at night.

Food

The first question to ask yourself is: do you want warm or cold food? Then you just buy it and go camping!

If you’ll only be out one night, I recommend just taking cold food or food you can toast over your fire (for example, a sausage cooked on a stick). Personally, I also recommend you take a big thermos of a hot beverage, coffee for me, because nothing feels better than a hot drink on a cold night or morning.

If you decide to cook or will stay more than a night, in which case you’ll probably want some hot food, get a Coleman stove. They can be bulky, but it doesn’t matter because you’ll be car camping!

Leave no Trace

Everything you take camping should leave with you, even the toilet paper you use to wipe your butt.

Music

This is a sensitive subject, and a lot of people will probably scold me for including music on this list, but a lot of people need their music! It’s a sensitive subject because a lot of people prefer only hearing the sounds of nature while camping and others can be very disrespectful with their music. In my opinion, there should be no problem as long as the person with music is respectful, keeping it at a reasonable volume.

So yes, I recommend taking a speaker on your car camping trip or, even better, a guitar or a friend with a guitar if you don’t play.

And that, plus all of the things on this list, will help you have an amazing time while car camping. I hope these basic tips for car camping helped!

Click here to read about another gorgeous dam, how to get there and what to do!

Travel Guide

How to get to the Laguna Negra

Posted on June 6, 2018
how to get to the Laguna Negra, mongua, boyaca, colombia, hiking, remote, paramo

The most beautiful paramo in the world. At least that’s what locals call the Oceta Paramo, and I’d have to agree it was one of the more spectacular sights I’ve seen (a paramo is an alpine ecosystem that exists almost solely in South America). And in the middle of this gorgeous paramo, between towering mountains and sheer rock faces lies the Laguna Negra (Black Lagoon). With its two waterfalls and nicely placed camping spots, it makes for quite the view. We camped under the stars one night and in the rain the next, hiking, eating and playing throughout the day. You need to come here! This is how to get to the Laguna Negra in Mongua, Boyaca!

How to get to the Laguna Negra

*The map to get to the Laguna Negra from Bogota is at the bottom of this post!

In a car

With a GPS (highly recommended): type in “Laguna Negra, Mongua, Boyaca” in Waze or Google Maps and follow the directions.

Without a GPS:

  1. Exit Bogota to the North. Stay on the main road, always following the signs to Tunja or Sogamoso when the road may split.
  2. Right before Tunja, stay on your left. The road will split in two and the left-side road will take you to Sogamoso instead of straight into the heart of Tunja. There are signs, so be watching for them!
  3. Stay on this road, following signs to Sogamoso. You’ll go straight through Paipa. Stay on the main road.
  4. You will soon get to a round-about where a sign will indicate that you can go towards Tibabosa or Nobsa. Take the second exit, towards Nobsa and stay on the main road.
  5. The exit to go up the mountain to Mongua will be on your right. The sign is right between the fork in the road, so be watching. It is right after a restaurant with blue-ish windows.
  6. Drive up the windy road. From here on out I suggest you use the map below, because this could get confusing. When you get to the fork in the road with a virgin’s statue in the middle, take a left towards Topaga. If you’re going to Mongui, take a right and drive all the way to the town.
  7. You’ll go through Topaga. Go around the plaza, exiting it from the opposite side you entered. The easiest way to “stay on the main road” is to only drive on the paved road. If it’s cobbled, you’ve gone the wrong way.
  8. Once you get to the very beginning of Mongua, take a left on a small road (last I knew, where there is a tiny wall right before you turn with the name ‘Gustavo Puentes Diaz’ painted on it). Drive down this road until it ends, then take a left, and then take the very first right turn.
  9. On this road, drive until you reach a U-turn to the right, going up. From here on out you’re home free all the way to Laguna Negra. Park where the road ends.

On public transportation

  1. Call Mongui Travels or write to Mongui Travels to coordinate someone to pick you up from Mongui or Mongua and take you to the Laguna Negra, since no public transportation makes it all the way there.
  2. Go to Bogota’s Bus Terminal (search Terminal de Transporte on Google Maps or Waze) and take a bus from there to Sogamoso. It will cost about $25,000 Colombian pesos or $8.50 USD.
  3. Once you get to Sogamoso’s bus terminal, take a bus from there to Mongua or Mongui.
  4. In Mongua or Mongui, get on your pre-scheduled ride to the Laguna Negra!
  5. If you did not pre-schedule a ride, your best bet is to get to Mongui, go to the Mongui Travels shop that’s right by the plaza and get them to help you out with transportation. If they’re not there, talk to the people in the ice-cream/juice shop next door. They’re extremely nice and make amazing juices.

What to do at the Laguna Negra:

When you get to the Lagoon, unless it’s a cloudy day, you’ll be able to see the sheer cliffs rising above you. One of the best activities is to hike up over those cliffs. The trail is kind of hard to find, which makes the adventure way more fulfilling. The trail is where you see a small house, not the tiny stone shack below it. It goes up the valley by the cliffs’ side until you can climb up on top of them. Two things: (1) use the map in the next point to get there, starting from the Laguna Negra, and (2) be careful with the locals (more info on that in “Some things to know”).

Hike from Mongui. Here’s a map for how to get to the Laguna Negra by the trail. This hike is really tough because it’s uphill most of the time, but it’s one of the most beautiful you’ll ever hike. I recommend getting a guide because it’s really hard to find and then follow the trail and because a guide will know how to deal with the locals (again, more info on that below).

Walk to the third waterfall. That’s right! THREE! As if the two waterfalls that feed the lagoon weren’t enough, there’s another one further up-river. A trail that starts right before the second waterfall will lead you up and above the lagoon. You’ll see a waterfall to your left at the top and you can walk most of the way there on a trail.

Get in the first waterfall. Need I say more? Nothing refreshes a human body like painfully cold water! I hope you take extra clothes and a towel with you.

Go fish. If you look at the water, you’ll see a LOT of movement on and under it. Fishing is allowed at the Laguna Negra!

If it’s not raining at night, make sure you stay up to look at the stars for a while. It’s quite a sight to behold and a rarity because it almost always rains at night in the paramo.

Some things to know:

  • As I said before, be careful with the locals. Now, this is a touchy subject because these “locals” are just an old couple that claims that the Oceta Paramo belongs to them. If you haven’t given them something, they approach you with rocks in their hands and demand payment. They may have more dangerous weapons, but it’s not likely. At least that’s what happened to my group when we walked from the Laguna Negra to the paramo above the cliffs. This old couple is annoying because it stains the experience of being in a place few people have seen. But don’t let it stop you from hiking. Either take a guide with you to deal with them nicely or take something to pay them with. We thought they wanted a lot, that they wanted to take advantage of us, but they were happy with food. That was humbling.
  • If you’re hiking from Mongui, I recommend getting a guide from Mongui Travels. Here’s their website with their contact information.
  • There aren’t very many flat spots to camp on, and whatever place you will find will probably be quite bumpy. Just to let you know, the camping infrastructure isn’t great, kind of like the Laguna Verde de Tausa’s. You’re pretty much just in the wilderness.
  • Fires are supposedly not allowed, but I say go for it. Forest rangers walked by our fires and said hi without saying anything about the fire. It’s so cold here, you almost need it, and the paramo is so wet that you’d have a hard time trying to start a forest fire. You’d need Napalm or something. Do be ethical and use fire pits that are already there and don’t make a fire under a tree.
  • 85% of Colombia’s water comes from its paramos, which make up 1.6% of its surface area. All that to say, it’s wet up there, so pack accordingly.

I hope this blog post helps you get out to this wonderful place! If you’re interested in going to a really nice, comfortable place to camp that’s really close to Bogota, check out this blog post about the Neusa Dam!

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