Tour Guide, René Barbón

Tour Guide, René Barbón, the young English-speaking owner of Restaurante Vista Conga leads excellent eco-tours around the area. A waterfall tour is a 3½-hour trek along - and sometime in - a frigid river that tumbles over four different waterfalls. Two are massive - 42m and over 100m - while the others, at 7m and 12m, are jumpable if you have the nerve.

A highly recommended Cinquera tour visits both Cinquera town and the nearby national forest. The tour offers hiking; great views; a stop at a reconstructed guerrilla campsite, including tatús (trenches and underground rooms used by guerrillas as field hospitals and air-raid shelters), kitchen, barracks etc; and a fascinating talk with Don Paulito, a former guerrilla sympathizer. Mountain biking tours of various difficulties are also available. All tours should be arranged at least a day in advance, preferably more.