ITINERARY
- Meet your guide at 6 AM in Pereira or Manizales
- Drive in a 4×4 to reach the National Park entrance
- Start your trek by the Conejeras Glacier (4,700m)
- Pass by the Otún lake on the second day
- On day 3, reach the Paramillo de Quindio, before discovering magnificent views of the whole Cocora Valley in the evening
- Cross the Cocora Valley to enter Salento on your last day !
Meet your professional guide in the city of Manizales or Pereira at 6 AM.
The drive along an unpaved road takes approximately 2.5 hours, offering wonderful views of Colombian mountain landscapes, Andean canyons and stunning valleys.
Enjoy a delicious mountain breakfast at a traditional farm. After that, go to the national park entrance, where you will register in the park book and receive a welcome talk from the park rangers.
Your vehicle will be waiting to take you on the 30-minute journey to the starting point of your trek, at an altitude of 4,100m. From here walk 3.7km to the beautiful Conejeras Glacier (4,700m). Enjoy the surroundings while resting and take pictures before beginning the descent to where the vehicle will be waiting to take you back to the farm to have lunch, spend time with the mountain locals and rest for the next day.
At 7 AM, after breakfast, start the trek to the farm where you will spend the night.
Pass by the Otún lake, considered the most beautiful and biggest lake in the national park.
The walk will take you through the unique páramo ecosystem, found in just 4 countries in the whole world.
Reach the farm in the afternoon and relax before dinner and a well deserved night.
Enjoy an energising breakfast and then prepare your bags for the next adventure to the Paramillo of Quindío – this awe-inspiring mountain is rife with sandy, earthy tones, complemented by magical wetlands which dot the mountain terrain with bright colours.
En route have lunch and then visit the source of the Cardenas river – with a little bit of luck you will be able to catch a glimpse of the Tolima volcano in the distance.
The journey will take you to the farm where you will spend the night, offering magnificent views of the whole Cocora Valley. Spend some time with mountain locals before dinner.
After breakfast, hit the trail to the cloud forest. This forest is home to a huge variety of flora and fauna and is hugely significant for Colombia’s water.
After that, reach the Cocora Valley, so you can enjoy the tallest wax palms on the planet, Colombia’s national tree. There, you will have time for stunning photo opportunities before continuing to Salento, the oldest and most traditional town in Quindío.
Your trek ends once you have reached Salento!
CHECKLIST
- Expert bilingual adventure and cultural guides (languages: Spanish, French, English)
- Colombian National Park entrance fee
- Water, non-alcoholic drinks, breakfast, lunch, and dinners
- Accomodations in farms
- 4*4 private transportation
- Insurance
- Appropriate clothing for a range of temperatures (Manizales or Pereira are sunny and 70 F, but the mountains are windier and cooler)
- A solid pair of hiking shoes, hiking pants, hiking poles (recommended)
- Two pairs of warm fleece (top and bottom layer for nights), rain jacket, warm hat, gloves, wool socks
- Sunglasses, sunhat, sunblock
- Backpack (40 liters or more), personal refillable water bottle, headlamp
- Camera, identification
- Enjoy hot meals prepared by cooked by local cooks and your guide.
- Stay overnight in a traditional colombian farm
- Excellent vegetarian, vegan, gluten- free, and other dietary options
- Treated water is offered to guests, please bring a refillable water bottle, or opt to purchase bottled water
PRICE & RESERVATION
The price DOES NOT INCLUDE transport from Medellin to Manizales or Pereira. We can happily arrange public or private transport, prices depend on group size.
For larger groups and groups who want to customize the trip, please contact us directly for the price.
100% deposit must be made 3 days before the trip, for last minute payment and reservation request contact Expedition Colombia. All payment must be done through our booking platform, or via a deposit in our Bancolombia bank account.
*All our prices above do not include IVA.
- According to the Colombia tax system, foreigners are exempted for the IVA.
- For Colombian residents, citizens and foreigners living in Colombia for more than 6 months, 50 % of the total IVA will be charged and the other half will be covered by the company.
- For companies or agencies, the total IVA will be charged.
