The Coffee Region Tour: Los Nevados Park

The Parque Nacional Natural de los Nevados occupies 58,300 hectares at the top of the highest branch of the Colombian Andes, the Cordillera Central. The park includes several snow peaks and five volcanic necks: Tolima, Quindío, Paramillo de Santa Rosa, Santa Isabel, and Ruiz.

Part of the park lies in Quindío; the rest is divided among the departments of Tolima, Caldas, and Risaralda.The most imposing volcano is the Nevado del Ruiz, also called Kumanday, and Mesa de Herveo, at 5,400 meters above sea level. Its main crater is 300 meters wide and 150 meters deep. The volcano also has two adventitious cones: the Alto de la Piraña, to the northeast of the main crater; and La Olleta, to the west of the main crater and at an altitude of 4,800 above sea level.

The park is also one of the largest water reserves in the country; a multitude of rivers and streams flow down the two slopes of the Cordillera Central.