Nevado del Ruiz

Nevado del Ruiz is an active stratovolcano in the Cordillera Central of the Colombian Andes, located within Los Nevados National Natural Park. Its summit reaches about 5,321 m and it is one of Colombia’s most closely monitored volcanoes.

The summit area contains the Arenas crater and a remnant glacial ice cap. Mountain climbing and guided high-altitude hikes are the common activities, and viewpoints on the park’s trails offer views of the crater and surrounding paramo at elevations above 4,000 m. Weather is cold and can change rapidly; visibility varies by season.

The volcano formed by successive stratovolcanic eruptions; it has had repeated eruptive episodes in the Holocene. The 1985 eruption generated massive lahars that destroyed the town of Armero and caused widespread loss of life, after which monitoring and hazard-mitigation efforts were intensified.

Geographically it sits on the border of Caldas and Tolima departments in central Colombia, in the high Andean paramo. The peak lies roughly 130 km west of Bogotá and is accessed from towns around the Los Nevados park, including Manizales and Ibagué.

• Elevation: 5,321 m is the commonly cited summit elevation.
• 1985 Armero disaster: The 1985 eruption produced deadly lahars that buried the town of Armero and killed around 23,000 people, making it one of Colombia's deadliest volcanic disasters.
• Safety and access: Access and hiking can be restricted because the volcano is active and monitored; check local authorities in Manizales or the Los Nevados park administration before planning a visit.

What to See #

• Arenas crater: Main summit crater known as the Arenas crater, the active vent at the volcano's top where fumarolic activity and minor explosions occur.
• Glacial summit/ice cap: Remnant ice cap and glaciers that have been retreating over recent decades, historically contributing to lahars in heavy rainfall.