Routes · El Cocuy
Our expedition to El Cocuy National Natural Park
Five days and four nights from Sopó to the snow-capped peaks. Frailejones in bloom, a white-tailed deer and four tents under a cloudless sky.
In short: 5 days and 4 nights in self-drive from Sopó to El Cocuy, crossing the Chicamocha Canyon and the Chita páramo up to a lagoon with snow-capped peaks in the background.
From the Chicamocha Canyon to the Chita páramo
Not long ago we set off on one of those trips that stay etched in the memory: 5 days and 4 nights bound for El Cocuy National Natural Park. We left Sopó bursting with excitement, knowing the road was only the beginning, and from the very first day the route gave us astonishing scenes. We crossed the imposing Chicamocha Canyon, with its arid, deep landscape that looks like something from another planet. Every bend was a viewpoint, every stop an excuse to admire. We did it in self-drive, with the Land Cruisers from our fleet.
The road took us through the Chita páramo, where the frailejones welcomed us in full bloom under an intense blue sky that gave us a perfectly clear view of the snow-capped peaks. Along the way we came across a white-tailed deer, native to the Andes — something that moved us deeply as Colombians, since most of us only know them from Christmas movies. For us, the snowy peaks are not just beautiful landscapes: they are deeply loved symbols that connect us with our land and our culture.
Nights under the stars and the final lagoon
Every night we pitched our tents in places where the sky opened wide: millions of stars lit up the camp, reminding us how small we are in the face of such immensity.
Sleeping in those conditions, cooking in the middle of the páramo and waking up with the cold wind on our faces was part of the magic.
After days on the road and a gentle three-hour hike to a beautiful lagoon that still showed the snow-capped peaks in the background, we understood that this was more than a trip: it was proof that wild, untouched places still exist in Colombia, and that to reach them all you need is the courage to set off.
If you’d rather we organise it for you, we run this exact route as one of our Guided Editions. And if you want to see this same glacier from the Casanare plains, in our overland journey through Colombia we tell you how.
