One of Colombia's most breathtakingly beautiful national parks, PNN Los Nevados is a 1½-hour drive from Manizales and follows a spine of snow-covered volcanic peaks that divides the coffee zone from the valley of the Río Magdalena. While it’s famous for its glaciers, the nearly 600-sq-km park varies dramatically in altitude resulting in a fascinating range of ecosystems, making it a stunning stretch of the Colombian Andes.
Nevado de Ruiz
The tallest mountain in the park is the magnificent Nevado del Ruiz (5321m), with its three volcanic craters. Arenas, the highest and only active crater, measures a whopping 800m across and is surrounded by an immense ring of ice.
Nevado del Ruiz is one of the most active volcanoes in the country – an eruption in 1985 killed more than 20,000 people and swept away the town of Armero on the Río Lagunillas. Today the volcano continues to rumble and access to the summit is prohibited. However, visitors can get fairly close to the glacier edge and explore the sandy terrain around the Valle de la Tumbas (4350m) on a day trip from Manizales.
While it’s not possible to climb El Ruiz, it is possible to summit the two other glacier-capped giants in the park.
Nevado de Santa Isabel
Straddling the departments Caldas, Risaralda and Tolima, the dormant Nevado de Santa Isabel is covered in dome-like formations and topped with a 2-sq-km glacier that is the source of the Río Otún. It's the lowest glacier left in Colombia and the most rapidly retreating.
The volcano is accessed via the village of Potosí near Santa Rosa de Cabal. It is possible to reach the edge of the glacier on a day trip from Manizales, although it's pretty intense, and you’ll need to pay close attention to the effects of the changes in altitude on your stamina. The climb up to the summit (4965m) requires an overnight stay and specialized gear.
Nevado del Tolima
The southernmost and second-highest volcano in the chain is the most handsome of all. On a clear day, the classic symmetrical cone of the Nevado del Tolima (5215m) can be seen from as far away as Bogotá.
There are two ways of reaching the summit. For novices, it's best to do a four-day round trip through the Valle de Cocora near Salento, while experienced mountaineers might prefer to tackle the three- to four-day ascent from Ibagué, the capital of the Tolima department.
Either way, it's a challenging multiday trek, and because of the state of the glaciers, it is a more technical climb than the other peaks in PNN Los Nevados; an experienced mountaineering guide and good climbing equipment are essential.
Guides & Tours
Professional mountaineering guides and tours can be found in the town of Manizales. Ecosistemas (ecosistemastravel.com) and Kumunday Adventures (kumanday.com) offer some of the most robust experiences.
Colombia’s Disappearing Glaciers
Global warming is devastating the majestic ice-covered peaks of the northern Andes, with rising atmospheric temperatures and changing weather patterns causing them to recede at an alarming rate. Scientists now predict that the three remaining glaciers in PNN Los Nevados could disappear completely by 2050. With these mountains providing fresh water to vast swathes of the country, the impact will be felt far beyond the park boundaries.
