Discover the Andes Secret Trek
Hiking and Trekking
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This ancient path is located in the eastern mountain range among rugged mountains and deep canyons, where the visitor will be surprised by the grandeur of the natural landscapes. The trail starts in the heart of Chingaza National Park and descends to a small village called San Juanito and continues all the way down to Villavicencio. This trail used to be a part of a network of roads through which the first settlers from Fómeque and Choachí ventured for commercial exchange with the plain provinces.
The tour through Chingaza National Park and Guatiquia Canyon is a tour for absolute nature lovers and those who love to hike quite long distances. This tour is an adventure and it does not offer lots of commodities to the travelers. The basic conditions on this tour are compensated by a unique experience and a chance to see surprising sceneries not far from Bogotá. You will go through different thermal floors, starting at 3.400 m and going down to 500 m above sea level. This is definitely one of the “off the beaten track” destinations in Colombia.
Day 1: Very early in the morning (about 5 AM) you will be picked up from your hotel in Bogota and we will head towards the Chingaza National park (about 4 hours). At the entrance of the park we will receive a short introduction speech by parks rangers. Later we will continue by car crossing the park till we reach our trekking starting point – the Chingaza Lake. This is where our adventure by foot begins. Hiking from Chingaza Lake towards the refugee called Rajadero where we will spend the first night. Probably this will be one of the most exciting hiking spots, since we will cross fields of “frailejones” (typical “páramo” ecosystem) and will pass several mountain lakes walking up and down. Average hiking altitude is about 3.500m. Length of the trail: 13 km. Night in refugee Rajadero which is a very basic wooden house where the hikers sleep on the floor.
Day 2: Today we will continue our hiking in order to reach the small village of San Juanito. Today’s challenge will be to face a long descent from 3.100m to 1.900m, during this descent we will pass from “paramo” to lush Andean forest. Length of the trail: 10 km.
We expect to reach San Juanito at about 2-3 pm where we will have late lunch. After a small rest we will visit the place called “The Cave” located near San Juanito.
Night in a small basic family house in shared rooms with shared bathrooms.
Day 3: After breakfast we will drive for about 20 min to the place where we start hiking. Today we will begin our trek through the canyon of Guatiquia towards Villavicencio. Guatiquia is a river which starts in Chingaza Lake and winds down passing San Juanito. This is where it forms this beautiful canyon which we will be able to appreciate during 2 days of trekking. The trail goes mostly descending; nevertheless you can expect some significant ascents as well. Length of the trail: 23 km. You will not miss excellent views over the canyon and also the hanging bridges crossing Guatiquia River and other smaller rivers running down the mountains.
Night camping in the surroundings of Momfort village.
Day 4: Today is the last day of Guatiquia trek. We will continue descending through a small town called Santa Teresa till we reach the ancient aqueduct of Villavicencio where we will finish our trekking. Length of the trail: 15 km.
Transfer to Villavicencio. End of the tour.
- This trail requires a special permit from the National Parks authorities. It is necessary to consult with us before you book the tour. This trail allows maximum 10 pax.
- If you decide to take a porter during day 1 and day 2 make sure you also bring a small day pack where you can carry your personal items like money, documents, camera, lunch and water. The rest of the equipment should be packed in a back pack not bigger than 60 L.
- If you do NOT take a porter, try to bring as few things as possible since you will be carrying your back pack during the first 2 days of hiking
- You will have mules to carry your backpacks for day 3 and day 4 (on the first 2 days no mules are allowed). Please bring a small bag for your personal items which will be used during the hike and will not be carried by mules
- It is important that you have a possibility to split your things in two on the Day 1. For the hike Day 1 and Day 2 ONLY carry the items you will need the first 2 days. The rest of your things you will leave in the car which will take them down to San Juanito. On Day 3 and Day 4 you DO need to take on the trail all your stuff, but remember, you will have mules to help you to carry your big bags.
- The driest season in high mountains in Colombia is from December to February; still, the trail is open all year round.
- Take in mind that you will go from cold climate (10 C) to hot climate (30 C)
- The mountain refugee “Rajadero” is a very basic wooden shelter with no light, no bathroom, no beds. Basically it serves as a place where you camp under the roof and are protected from strong mountain winds. You have to sleep on the floor. For that reason it is essential that you bring your camping mattress and sleeping bag. NO tents needed.
- In San Juanito there are no hotels. You will sleep in a family house in multiple rooms with shared bathrooms. The linens will be provided.
- The camp place near Momfort does not have any infrastructure, it is just an area where you put tents, but there are no bathroom facilities. For this night you will need a tent.
- In San Juanito you can buy some snacks for the rest of the days
- Ensure that you are in good physical shape to do this trek (no heart problems, no breathing issues, and no knee injuries)
- You can request us a transfer service from Villavicencio to another place or city, or you can arrange it yourself. If you go to Bogota, you can return by public bus or by flight. If you have planned to visit the river Caño Cristales, Villavicencio is a good departure point to do so.