In this blog I would like to share my experience of hiking in Parque Nacional Natural El Cocuy and offer travellers current information about the hiking options and the logistical information that can help make planning easier! If you are just interested in the hikes, scroll down past my story.
Breathing Thin Air: my Ritacuba hiking experience.
Part of my Colombia travel plan involved hiking in El Cocuy, which is a national park within the Cordillera Oriental Mountain Range in the North-Eastern Part of Colombia named Boyaca. This park has been closing and re-opening over many years partially due to guerrilla activity and due to ecological studies assessing the environmental effects of the treks. It is impressive how such large beautiful swaths of land could remain hidden in a way. With the agreements of 2016 between the FARC and government, this area is flourishing again, though not everyone agrees with the negotiations due to the up close and personal horror experienced by some of the locals.
My biggest concern for this hike: altitude sickness. Here's why: I had never hiked anywhere above 2700 meters previous to making plans for hikes that go up to 5000 meters and also, 9 years ago I had experienced altitude sickness at 4000 meters while in the Alti-Plano of Bolivia, no hikes involved. Before heading there, we decided it would be best to acclimatize by hiking near Lago de Tota at altitudes nearing 3000-4000 meters. After a week, we set off for the big mountains. Luckily it was low-season (early February), and so when we arrived in the base town of Guican, we realized we were basically the only foreigners there! We had the chance to meet our guide a day before the big hike and he brought us to do a short 2 hour trek through his family's farmland at 4000 meters to help us acclimatize.
To the left: Our amazing guide Fidel
To the right: Carla being awesome,
hiking up the moraine
Well, let me tell you... adventures are not always easy! The Ritacuba hike was 19km long and went from 3900 to 5000 meters, my highest and most difficult hike ever! I knew this trek would be a challenge, because of my past experience with altitude sickness. My realization on this hike : with an amazing friend, an amazing guide and a stubborn mind, you can accomplish any heights and difficulties because they encourage you to keep going, at the pace that is right for your health.
My pace felt excruciatingly slow after reaching 4700 meters as the air got thinner. My heart was going haywire and I lost my breath every few minutes. I had to make it... I kept thinking I was creeping up the beastly mountain like a turtle and I that I was slowing everything down, but when we were done, turns out we almost finished it within the average time! Funny how our minds trick us. When our guide, who has been climbing up and down these mountains for decades, left us he looked at both of us and said 'fuerte' meaning 'strong'. It felt like a gift when he said that. Determination and perseverance are powerful tools to keep you going, but also knowing that at the top you can enjoy a nice view with awesome people!
I hope for any of you reading this blog that you have the chance to visit this beautiful place on earth and maybe you'll be lucky to go when more hikes are available!! We decided that doing just 1 hike was a huge accomplishment in itself, and so we left it at that. If you are not an experienced hiker and want to do all the hikes, then I believe that adding a rest day between hikes would be beneficial. Have fun and be safe out there!
FOR PRACTICAL INFO .... HIKING IN EL COCUY:
This section describes to the best of my knowledge the trail specs, costs for transportation, guides, food and cabins as well as park entrance.
For now, there are only 3 hikes you can do. Environmental research is being conducted to add more trails.
1. Ritacuba
2. Laguna Grande de la Sierra
3. Lagunillas-Pulpito
Which one should I do?
Most people do the Ritacuba, which is the one I did. My guide prefers the latter and then suggested if you only do a second hike to do Laguna Grande de la Sierra as you can see the peaks of Pulpito del Diablo and pan de Azucar, which are the peaks you see in the Lagunillas Pulpito hike. Our guide mentioned the hardest hike being Lagunillas-Pulpito.
PARK ENTRANCE AND INSURANCE
Park entrance fee: 60 000 COP per person.
Park insurance : 7000 COP per person per hike. If you change your hiking dates while in the park, your guide should be able to advise the park for a change in the dates you're insured. Typically you would also pay your guide's insurance, though some of them might pay it themselves.
Where: There are offices in Guican and Cocuy. Cannot be done online.
Side comment...the following picture is of the insurance coverage for the park. It includes coverage for homicide and death by fire-arm... creeped us out a little... but I assure you it is safe!
GUIDES
Guides can be found through the cabins or at the registration offices. You must already have proof of a guide and insurance before getting registered. Each guide will offer a different price according to the hike. You can use the same guide or a different one for each hike. In high-season I assume it is best to organize finding a guide before arriving.
HIKES
1. Ritacuba Blanco
Altitude: 3900m to 4950m or you can stop below the glacier at 4700m
Length: the actual trail is around 15km, but including the walk to get to it, it's more like 18-19km
Time: 8-9 hours
Guide cost : 100 000 - 120 000 COP total (the cost can be split in a group, it's not per person)
Cabins:
i. Kanwara
location: next to the trailhead
cost per night per person 45 000 COP
meals: breaky 12-15000 COP; lunch 20-25000 COP; dinner 20-25000 COP
contact: +57 320 286 3747 (whatsapp also)
ii. Posa Sierra Nevada
cost per night per person:
meals: breaky 10 000; lunch 15 000; dinner 15 000.
contact:
2. Laguna Grande de la Sierra
Altitude: 3200m - 4600m
Length: 10.8 km
Time: about 9 hours
Guide cost: 140 000 - 150 000 COP
Cabins:
i. La Esperanza
location: next to the trailhead
cost per night per person ; 40 000COP
meals: breaky included; lunch 8000 COP, dinner 15 000 COP
contact: +57 320 328 1674 ; 314 221 2573
ii. La Capilla
location: 2km from the trailhead
cost per night per person ; 25 000 COP
meals: I believe there's a kitchen you can use. Not sure about costs
contact: 313 322 0593
3. Lagunillas-Pulpito
Altitude: 3300m - 4700m
Length: 9 km
Time: about 9 hours
Guide cost: 120 000- 130 000 COP
***according to my guide this is considered the hardest hike
Cabins:
i. El Pulpito
cost per night per person: 30 000COP
meals: breaky 8000, lunch and dinner 10 000 COP
contact: 3133099734 ; 3134592553
ii. Guaicany (about 6 km from the Laguna Grande de la Sierra)
contact: 3105667554
TRANSPORTATION
Getting to El Cocuy or Guican
-Buses from Bogota are about 10-11 hours. Overnight buses are an option.
-From Medellin transfer in Tunja (about 12 hours) where you can find another bus to Cocuy or Guican (about 9 hours).
Getting to the cabins:
We found transportation through the Kanwara cabin and our guide. Examples of prices:
Transportation to Kanwara cabin from El Cocuy: 110 000 COP
Transportation to Kanwara cabin from Guican : 70 000 COP
Transportation from Kanwara to La Esperanza 70 000 COP
To return to Guican, our driver suggested the lechero, which would pass around 9am and takes 2 hours to get back about 7000COP
OR
contact: Pablo Lizaro from El Cocuy Mountain Adventure. 320 410 8377. This option was much more expensive.
OR
you can use the lechero from either of the towns for around 5-7000 COP, though I heard it's about 4-5 hours instead of 1 to get to the cabins and since it leaves early (around 6am) it is still quite cold at this time. The lechero can be used for getting to any of the cabins, ask the villagers, cabin owners or guides for more specific details if this option appeals to you.
OR
walking to all the different cabins would take a long time, unless you did it on your rest days, it is best to wake up at/near the trailhead.
What to Bring:
-WARM clothes!!! Hat, gloves, fleece, base layers. It can also get cold in the cabins, bring warm layers to change into at night
-Rain jacket and pants
-sunglasses
-sunscreen
-water bottle (you can fill up with fresh mountain water)
-snacks
-decent hiking shoes, waterproof or gore-tex socks
Tips to Save on costs:
-find travellers to go with via Lonely Planet or other to split the cost of transportation and your guide
-bring you own lunch food (tuna cans, peanut butter and bananas, wraps, trail mix, crackers, bocadillo...)
-do your research for transportation options (lechero, locals or cabins offering transportation)
-research different guide costs (though we really appreciated Fidel!!)
I hope this info was useful for anyone heading into the park!
Lastly, I would like to dedicate this blog post to my grandmother. Lucy Zarbatany, who passed away a few days after I did this hike. She was just admitted into palliative care the day before my hike. I had taken a video at the top of Ritacuba trail and sent it to my family to show her in order for her to see such a beautiful place while in her hospital bed.
May she rest in peace xoxo
