Cocuy National Park

Cocuy National Park is located in the Andino region of Colombia.

Understand
The park is on the border of the Boyacá and Arauca departments. The two main town to access the park are El Cocuy and Güicán.

Landscape
The Sierra is in the eastern part of the park and is the main tourist attraction. It is a mountain range stretching north to south that contains several snow covered peaks. The western part of the park is low lands tropical forest all the way to the Llanos region and is off limit to tourism because of absence of tracks and guerrilla presence.

Flora
Frailejones, typical of paramo landscapes. Cojines, swamp bushes endemic to the park.

Fauna
Bears, deer (south part of the park), pumas, condors (north of the park) and rabbits.

Climate
The weather is rainy and cloudy most of the year. Temperature does not vary a lot during the course of a year. The best chance for dry, sunny weather is between December and mid-March.

Above 4,000 meters, there may be snow anytime.

Get in

 * From the South: Five direct buses leave from Bogotá daily (COP$45,000, 12 hr). The route goes through Tunja (COP$70000, 9 hr) and Duitama. (Jan 2023)
 * From the North: Coming from Cucuta or Bucaramanga is more complicated and will require changing buses in Capitanejo. As of Jan 2023, the road from Bucaramanga to Malaga is dangerous (landslides in rain sea season) but buses operate, maybe on alternative route.

Libertadores and Gacela - Expreso Paz del Rio operate buses to Bogota, via Tunja, leaving at 4AM, 11AM, 6PM and 8PM (Jan 2023).

Trekking: fees and permits
You may trek in the park under certain mandatory conditions: - having a registered guide. Some are definitely better than others: ask feedback from other tourists. - having registered with the park offices either in El Cocuy or in Güicán. Entrance fees are:


 * COP$71,000 for foreigners,
 * COP$29,500 for residents of the Comunidad Andina de Naciones, aged over 25 years
 * COP$14,500 for residents of the Comunidad Andina de Naciones, aged 5 to 25 years

Concerns by the U’Wa indigenous community, who consider the park sacred, led to the closure of the NP in February 2016. It was reopened in April 2017, however with the following restrictions in effect:


 * Admittance to the park limited to the time between 5AM and 9AM, exit is between 1PM and 6PM
 * All visitors must attend a 10-minute induction speech before the day of your trek. As of Jan 2023, there are two sessions a day: 10AM and 3:30PM, happening on Google Meet. Your guide will provide you with the link.
 * Visitors must keep to three available routes (see printed map or interactive map, total length: 25 km):
 * Ritacuba trail to the snow line of Ritacuba Blanco (up to 4900 m)
 * Laguna Grande trail to one of the park’s most impressive lakes (20 km, up to 4600 m). The longest, but also the easiest.
 * Pulpito del Diable trail to the snow-line of the Pulpito del Diablo peak (16 km, up to 4850 m)
 * No admittance beyond snow lines
 * No overnight stays

Get around
The cheapest option to reach the park is the milk truck or lechero (COP$10,000). It leaves Güicán at 5:30AM everyday, reaches El Cocuy around 6AM and then goes up towards the Sierra to collect milk before going back to Güicán. It can drop you at various location close to the cabanas.

Don’t expect to trek in the park on that day, you’ll get too late. However, it is a good thing: you will be able to spend the night in one of the fincas, or in your tent, and it will leave you enough time for acclimatation.

If you miss the milk truck or want to go later, you can hire someone to drive you in a private car, but this is a much more expensive option (COP$90,000, gringo price: COP$180,000, Jan 2023).

See

 * Peaks: Ritacubas, Pan de Azucar, El Castillo and Pulpito del Diablo.
 * Lagunas: Los Verdes, Laguna Grande de la Sierra, La Isla, La Plaza y El Avellanal

Do
Although there is no official bike renting business, there are some nice routes for mountain biking. You may informally rent bikes to individuals, for example via the local MTB club.

Buy
You may buy all kinds of equipment for your treks in El Cocuy city centre. Beware of the gringo prices which may be applied in unreasonable proportions.

Eat
El café de mi tierra serves good coffee and cakes. A restaurant serves food at night in the same court. You may ask for vegetarian options even if they’re not on the menu (patacon is great).

Drink
There is a bar and nightclub at the esquina on the left of the main church.

Stay safe
Beware of mountain sickness, it is common that north-western tourists plan treks in the park before being appropriately acclimated. It is advised to spend a day resting in the village on arrival, and doing a physical exercise (trek, bike) at intermediates altitude before trekking in the park. A good option is to spend the night at one of the fincas / cabanas (3500 - 4000 m) at the entrance of the park before trekking.

When trekking, bring sufficient amounts of water, and food. Do not underestimate ultraviolet light: bring a hat and gloves (you may buy some in town), or other sun protection. Walking sticks may also be especially useful while trekking at high altitudes (you may rent them in town).

There is a hospital with good medical equipment on the outskirts of the village. If you have an issue related to a trek in the park, the insurance may cover your expanses.

There are also two pharmacies on the main places.