El Cocuy National Park

El Cocuy National Park is a high-Andean protected area in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia, containing snow-capped peaks, glaciers and extensive páramo above the treeline. The park is known for rugged alpine scenery and a concentration of high summits used by mountaineers and trekkers.

Visitors can encounter glaciated peaks, glacial lakes and high-elevation grasslands, with marked trekking routes that lead to base camps and col crossings. The environment is fragile and weather and altitude pose significant challenges for unprepared visitors.

The park conserves peaks that exceed 5,000 metres and glacial features that have been the subject of scientific monitoring. Management requires permits and often the use of authorised local mountain guides for higher routes.

El Cocuy sits in the high Andes of eastern Colombia; access is via mountain towns on the park margins and the landscape transitions steeply from montane forest into high páramo and glaciated summits.

• Access and safety: high-altitude trekking and climbing routes require acclimatisation, local guides and permits; glaciers in the park have been retreating in recent decades.

What to See #

• Ritacuba Blanco: Ritacuba Blanco, the park's best-known summit, a glaciated peak rising above 5,300 metres that has been a focus for mountaineering and glaciological study.
• Lakes and páramo: alpine lakes, permanent snowfields and high Andean páramo ecosystems that sit between the montane forest and the glaciated summits.