Matarredonda Ecological Park (Parque Ecológico Matarredonda in Spanish) is a perfect place to rest from the city. It’s a beautiful, small and not very well-known park. It’s only 1 hour from Bogota (depending on where you are and the traffic) and is a gorgeous paramo with water everywhere and an easy hike. A paramo is an alpine ecosystem that only occurs close to the equator. One hike ends at a lake and another one goes to a lake and a waterfall. They’re both about an hour a half trek and are not very steep. This is how to get to Matarredonda Ecological Park.
La Chorrera, Latin America’s sixth tallest waterfall, is only 30 minutes from there! Click here to read how to get there!
How to get to Matarredonda Ecological Park
*The map to get to Matarredonda Ecological Park from Bogota is at the end of this travel guide.
On Public Transportation:
- Starting in Bogota, take a bus with the companies Transoriente or Cootransfómeque on Calle 6 with Av. Caracas (its on the map below). The bus costs $10,000 Colombian pesos ($3.5 USD), although it may be less because you aren’t going all the way to Choachi, and the trip lasts about an hour. Buses leave between 5:15 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. every day.
- Tell the bus driver you’re going to Parque Ecológico Matarredonda, which will be on your right (be watching for it in case the driver forgets).
In a Car:
With a GPS: enter “Matarredonda Ecological Park” into Google Maps or Waze and follow the directions.
Without a GPS:
- In Bogotá, look for Calle 26 going east (or towards the mountains) and stay on it following the signs to the Circunvalar.
- Then, follow the signs that indicate that Choachi is to the left. The road upwards begins right after an Universidad Distrital campus.
- A few minutes from there, the road makes a confusing U-turn. Be watching for it and stay on the main road.
- Stay on this road for about 30 minutes until you see the entrance to Matarredonda Ecological Park on your right.
What to do at Matarredonda Ecological Park
El Marquez del Once: this famous lookout point over Bogota is best known by the cyclists that climb up Bogota’s Eastern mountains every day. It is a great place to have breakfast before hiking or a late lunch after hiking a few hours. Make sure you get the classic Colombian agua-panela, cheese and arepa. See where it is on the map below.
Eat at the Entrance: just like at el Marquez del Once, you can eat at the park entrance, where theres a nice restaurant with traditional food. You might have to eat at one place on the way there and at the other on the way back!
Cerro Guadalupe: even closer to Bogota is Cerro Guadalupe, the mountain with the statue of the Guadalupe Virgin that’s across from Monserrate. Its a great place to visit after hiking the Matarredonda paramo. From Bogota, it’ll be on you right. From Matarredonda, it’ll be on your left. It’s marked on the map below for your convenience!
Stay all day: my recommendation for Matarredonda Ecological Park is to get there early (9 or 10 in the morning) to be able to do both hikes. At a slow pace, both hikes will take a maximum of 5 hours and they’re easy, so it’s worth getting to know them all. That way, you get some exercise, breathe a LOT of fresh air and can be back home by 4 or 5 to take it easy the rest of the day.
Some Things to Know:
– Make sure you take cash to pay the bus and whatever you buy in places that don’t take your card.
– There are no tolls on the way to Matarredonda Ecological Park.
– Entering the park costs $8,000 pesos ($3 USD).
– The park’s schedule is from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.
– Camping costs 12,000 pesos ($4 USD) per person.
– You don’t need a guide because the trails are very well developed.
– Click here for a link to a map of the full two hikes.
– For more information, call this number: 3178657320 or email vjmatarredonda@gmail.com.
I hope this helped you learn how to get to Matarredonda Ecological Park and that you go enjoy the place!
If you like hikes, I suggest you read this blog post on Chingaza National Park, one of Colombia’s most amazing national parks.
