3 Day El Cocuy Trek from Bogota Colombia

Looking to trek through El Cocuy National Park but only have limited time? This three day tour from Bogota is perfect for those who want to go on an adventure. Experience one of the most spectacular mountain ranges in South America. Leave the planning to the experts and enjoy your time at El Cocuy National Park.

The park of El Cocuy, Colombia is absolutely awe-inspiring. Covered in ice sheets, the park offers views of 22 different snow peaked mountains with crystal clear lakes tucked among the mountains and creeks that flow gently across the huge valleys.

Please Note: This trek is quite challenging, so you will need to be good physical coniditon to complete this tour.

Highlights

Trek through the spectacular Sierra Nevada mountain range
Trek to the Ritacuba Blanco Glacier
Hike to Laguna Grande and Pan de Azucar rock formation

Duration

3 Days

Itinerary

Day 0: Overnight bus from Bogota to Guican
Tonight, you will catch an evening bus from the terminal in Bogotá and head to Guican on a public bus.

Day 1: Trek to Ritacuba Blanco Glacier
After an early morning breakfast in town, you will head to the park and register. then be transferred to the Cabañas Kanwara. From here you will hike around 6 hours on the Ritacuba Trail to the edge of the snowy glacier of Ritacuba Blacno. This 14 km trail is challenging as you will reach an altitude of over 4,600 meters. At the end of your trek, you’ll transfer to Hacienda La Esperanza, where you will spend the night.

Day 2: Trek to Laguna Grande
After a hearty breakfast we will begin to hike up to Laguna Grande. The trek, again, will be at a high altitude of 4,800 meters above sea level. During the trek, you will pass through a number of incredible viewpoints and visit highlights of the El Cocuy park like the Cueva de la Cuchumba, Valle de los Frailejones, and Cueva del Hombre. After a picnic lunch you will begin your descent back to the cabin for the evening.

Day 3:
On your last day, you will embark on a challenging trek to the snowy edges of Pan de Azucar. You’ll begin your trek from Los Herrera and hike to the impressive rock formation and observe the Pulpito del Diablo. The trek will be between 6 and 8 hours (depending on your speed) and you will get to enjoy your last day in the Sierra Nevada. Once you’ve made your decent, the guide will drive you back to Guican, from there you take the overnight bus back to Bogotá.

What’s Included

Shared lodging in Hacienda la Esperanza 2 Nights
All meals (excluding Day 0)
Roundtrip bus ticket between Bogotá and Guican
Spanish-speaking local guide

What’s Not Included

Personal equipment
Food and lodging on Day 0
Rescue service and mountain evacuation (if you need insurance for the trip, we can highly recommend World Nomads Travel Insurance)

What to Bring

Back Pack 65 lt
Hiking boots for trekking
Light-weight shoes or sandals
Sunglasses and hat
Waterproof pants and rain jacket
Fleece hat
Down jacket for nights
Gloves and gaiters
Trekking poles
Head lamp and extra batteries
2 litre water bottles
Personal toiletries

About the Weather

Temperatures during your trip can range between -4ºC and 20ºC (25ºF and 68ºF). Summer weather (from December to February) is a bit more consistent, the rest of the year has extremely unpredictable weather. Sun, rain, and snow in the same day is normal.

Important Notes

The local indigenous communities have struggled in recent years with tourists encroaching on their sacred sites within the park, resulting in park closures. This tour is designed to respect them and go through areas deemed acceptable for outside visitors. Please listen to your guide at all times and respect the rules of the park – breaking these rules may result in expulsion from the park and park closure, which would ruin the trips of future visitors. Note that for religious reasons, the local indigenous do not permit visitors to walk on the snow. They associate the melting of the snow at the mountain peaks with over-visitation and have had issues with tourists leaving rubbish and otherwise disrespecting their land. If you break these rules and are ejected from the park, Keteka will not be held responsible for refunding this tour.
Group size 1-5
Cancellation policy of this tour operator:
- 30% of the payment is immediately non-refundable
- If you cancel more than 20 days before the departure date of the tour, you may receive a refund of 70% of the payment
- If you cancel 6-19 days before the departure date of the tour, you may receive a refund of 50% of the payment
- The tour is non-refundable within 5 days of the departure date