Top 5: National Parks in Colombia

Colombia is home to 59 national parks. Within the country you’ll find snowcapped volcanoes, desert landscapes, treeless páramos, portions of the Amazon rainforest and the Andes Mountains to explore. Here are the five best parks in the country.

Chiribiquete National Park

Chiribiquete National Park lies in the isolated Amazon region of Colombia. It’s the country’s largest national park at nearly 11,000 square miles and one of the most diverse in terms of wildlife and landscape. The table mountains house numerous indigenous tribes while also protecting more than 600,000 petroglyphs and pictographs.

El Cocuy National Park

El Cocuy contains more than 1,150 miles of rocky valleys, snowcapped peaks and glacial lakes to explore. Due to dangerous weather at the peaks, visitors are limited to a 50 square mile radius at the moment, but this smaller patch of land still holds an incredible array of birds, mammals and plant life you won’t find anywhere else.

Purace National Park

Purace National Park is home to the eponymous volcano and a favorite among hikers hoping to make the trek to the top. If you’re adverse to roughing it in the wild, the base of the volcano also contains breathtaking waterfalls, hot springs and Andean lakes. If you’re really lucky, you might spot one of the elusive Andean condors.

Chingaza National Park

Chingaza National Park is one of Colombia’s largest natural preserves and the best place to explore the country’s beautiful páramo ecosystems. These regions are typically found above the tree lines on the mountains and are many of the cities’ main water supplies. Chingaza houses more than 2,000 species of endangered and native plants along with 40 lakes and streams.

Tayrona National Park

Tayrona National Park covers the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mountains and much of Colombia’s northern coastline. In the hills you’ll find numerous species like the titi monkeys, red howlers, 400 species of birds and jaguars. On the coast there is epic surf opportunities and some of Earth’s most beautiful coral reefs.