Los Nevados National Park Trek

• Meet your guide at 12 noon in Villamaria Manizales 
• Visit the Catedral and the park of the Monumento a Los Colonizadores sculpture in Manizales
• Begin a 1 hour drive from Manizales to a traditional Colombian ranch located in the mountains where you stay overnight to acclimate to high-altitude
• On Day 2, drive through stunning mountain landscapes from the ranch to the entrance of Los Nevado de Santa Isabel National Park
• Begin your hiking for 4 hours to camp at an alpine lake surrounded by jagged mountain peaks and waterfalls
• Wake early on Day 3 to attempt the summit of El Nevado del Santa Isabel and camp overnight
• On Day 4, complete a new route along Lake Otun to return to the park entrance
• Return with your guides and drive to Manizales or arrange transport all the way back to Medellín, arriving at 8 p.m.

Welcome to Manizales, the most adventurous of the three cities that make up Colombia’s “coffee triangle”. Enjoy lunch by the Catedral de Manizales and a walk to the park of the Monumento a Los Colonizadores sculpture for a stunning view of the mountainous region.

If you fly to Manizales, enjoy an afternoon excursion to the Río Blanco Nature Reserve, located just two miles from the city. In terms of biodiversity, Colombia is second only to Brazil in the world, with nearly 2000 bird species. Walk on the trails that weave throughout the 12,187 hectares of the reserve and look for endemic plant and bird species of the central Andes cloud forests.

After your visit, begin a 1 hour drive on switchback roads that lead you to a traditional Colombian ranch located in the mountains. Enjoy home-cooked meals and a night of peaceful sleep in the mountains to acclimate to the high-altitude.

What to Bring Today:

• Appropriate clothing: long lightweight pants and breathable shirt, sturdy walking shoes
• Repellent
• Sunscreen
• Extra clothes (End of the activity)
• Notebook and camera
• Refillable water bottle

The next morning, drive 3 hours in a comfortable and durable 4×4 truck to the entrance of “Parque de los Nevados” National Park. Begin your guided 3 hours hike through sub-tropical tundra to the panoramic view of the alpine Lake Otun.

On the way, explore the “Pàramo” ecosystem, a fascinating spectrum of endemic species, such as the iconic “Frailejones” and Cojines, that only grow above the treeline and below the snowline (between 3000 to 4500). This endemic ecosystem produces 85 percent of Colombia’s drinking water with only accounting for 1.7 percent of the country’s land.

Establish base camp at a breathtaking alpine lake, enjoy quality food, and meet the local, knowledgeable park ranger. Camp overnight at a designated camp and wake early to hike to the summit of El Nevado del Santa Isabel.

What to Bring for Today:

• Appropriate clothing: lightweight long pants and long shirt for hike, hiking boots, sun-hat, wool-hat, sunglasses, windbreaker rain jacket
• Sunscreen
• Extra clothes (End of the activity)
• Headlamp
• Refillable water bottle

An early alpine start allows you to hike six hours with your guide to the snowy summit of El Nevado del Santa Isabel (4960 m.). Depending on weather, chose a lower altitude route to an alpine lake for a more moderate climb. Look out for high-altitude flyers such as endemic bearded helmetcrest hummingbird and Colombia’s National Bird: the Andean condor, which represents the country’s glory. The largest flying bird in the world, the Andean condor can fly up to three hundred kilometers in a single day. The trail changes from a soft walk to a rockier, steeper path to the summit. Once you are on the summit trail, a stupendous 360° panorama reveals the entire Magdalena valley and its coffee farms on a clear day. Here, witness one of the last remaining glaciers in Colombia. Camp overnight in tents by a lagoon.

What to Bring Today:

• Appropriate clothing: lightweight long pants and long shirt for hike, hiking boots, sun-hat, wool-hat, sunglasses, windbreaker rain jacket
• Sunscreen
• Extra clothes (End of the activity)
• Headlamp
• Refillable water bottle

The next morning, complete a new route along Lake Otun to return to the park entrance. Share lunch and tea with the “guardian” family of the park, a knowledgeable and warm Colombian family who live in Los Nevados full-time. 

Drive 3 hours back to Manizales. 

If you wish to get back to Medellín to arrive at your hotel by 8 p.m., or opt to take a flight from Airport La Nubia in Manizales (4 ½ hours in travel time).

What to Bring for Today:

• Appropriate clothing: lightweight long pants and long shirt for hike, hiking boots, sun-hat, wool-hat, sunglasses, windbreaker rain jacket
• Sunscreen
• Extra clothes (End of the activity)
• Headlamp
• Refillable water bottle