Los Nevados Nature Park

The Park covers 58,300 ha, and falls within four departments or provinces: Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío and Tolima.

The park contains an amazing natural reserve, which provides water to 37 municipalities, and is home to innumerable species of flora and fauna.

The park looks today much as it did over 2 million years ago, mostly influenced by the Nevado del Ruiz, the oldest volcano in the Park, at the northern end, at an altitude l of 5,321 m.

The Nevados Nature Park has looked the same for the last 2 million years.

In the center, there is the Santa Isabel, another snow-capped mountain, 4,963 m high, and to the south, the Tolima at 5, 215 m, which is a much more difficult climb.

Within the Park there are the paramillos of Quindio, Cisne and Santa Rosa, which were once snow-capped, until about 60 years ago, when little by little they lost their ice-caps. They are known as paramillos, because they are in the páramo, but not higher than 4,300 m.

How to get there

From Manizales, take the road to Bogota. At kilometer 27, at a point known as La Esperanza, turn off to the Nevados nature park.

The entrance to the park is in the Brisas sector, at 4050 m above sea level.

From Bogota, take the Honda-Manizales road to La Esperanza, and turn off for the same route to the park.

Trips

• Climbing the glacier rim on the Nevado del Ruiz
• Climb the La Olleta crater
• Walk round the Green Lake
• Walk up the edge of the glacier of Santa Isabel
• Other trips need special permission from the Nature Park's Office.

Los Nevados Nature Park services

• Accommodation with heating at the El Cisne visitors centre
• Accommodation with heating at the Cisne Visitors Center
• Camping in El Cisne and Arenales
• Cafeterias and Ecoshops
• Restaurant at the Cisne Visitors Center
• Trips from Manizales every day

Other information

• Park opens 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
• Admission for accommodation for camping at El Cisne Visitors Center, up to 2:30 p.m.
• Vehicles recommended:
  Nevada del Ruiz: ordinary vehicles (with care), 4x4's, aerovans and small buses up to 30 passengers
  El Cisne sector: for 4x4's and aerovans