Top Hiking Trails in Colombia Trail Map
Three Andean ranges, the Cordillera Occidental, Central and Oriental, run north to south through Colombia, and a separate coastal massif, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, rises to about 5,700 m within sight of the Caribbean. The country's hiking falls into three clusters: the Sierra Nevada and Tayrona coast near Santa Marta (jungle and archaeology, low altitude), the Coffee Region around Salento and Los Nevados (cloud forest, wax palms, volcanoes), and the Cordillera Oriental around Bogotá and Boyacá (páramo, and the glaciers of El Cocuy). Other well-known routes include the volcanoes of Los Nevados National Natural Park, the páramo lakes of Chingaza near Bogotá and the stone Camino Real between Barichara and Guane in Santander; we have not yet checked their current rules, so confirm them with Parques Nacionales or the local operator.
Travel Information
Country Code
CO
Currency
COP (Colombian Peso)
Language
Spanish
Capital
Bogotá
Elevation Range
0 m to about 5,700 m
Best Time to Visit
December to March, with a second, shorter window in July and August. The Lost City park closed for all of October in 2025 and again in 2026.
Climate
Colombia sits close to the equator, so temperature follows altitude rather than season. On the Lost City trail expect heat and high humidity all year, with rain most afternoons outside the drier months. In El Cocuy, mornings above 4,000 m are often clear and cold, cloud builds by midday, and the park makes you start back down by 13:00. The Cocora Valley, between roughly 2,100 and 2,900 m, is mild with frequent afternoon mist. December to March is the main dry window across all three areas; July and August are a second window. April to May and October to November are the wettest months.
Visa Requirements
No trekking-specific visa. Visa-exempt visitors get 90 days, extendable by another 90, with a maximum of 180 days per calendar year (Migración Colombia). Check your own nationality with Cancillería before you fly.
Health Considerations
Since May 2025 Parques Nacionales Naturales has required a yellow fever vaccination, given at least 10 days before entry, for every visitor to its protected areas; the Lost City trail crosses the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta park, and El Cocuy and Tayrona are national parks. CDC's Colombia page also lists the vaccine for arriving travellers aged 1 and over, so carry the certificate. The Lost City trek stays below about 1,200 m: heat, humidity, river crossings and mosquitoes are the risks, not altitude. El Cocuy trails start above 4,000 m: arrive with several nights in the Andes behind you (Bogotá sits at about 2,640 m) and turn back if a headache gets worse as you climb. Treat all stream water.
Emergency Number
123
Permits Required
Lost City (Teyuna): a certified guide is required, and park tickets are sold only to tourism operators with a valid Registro Nacional de Turismo. The 2026 park ticket is COP 75,000 (ICANH Res. 1703 of 2025); tour prices are set by each operator. El Cocuy: an approved guide, accident and rescue insurance, registration and an induction talk in El Cocuy or Güicán; book at least 90 days ahead; the 2026 entry fee for non-resident foreigners is COP 107,000, valid for 4 days (PNN Res. 551 of 2025). Tayrona: COP 81,000 low season or COP 96,500 high season for non-resident foreigners in 2026, with fixed closures on 1-15 February, 1-15 June and 19 October-2 November. Every national park asks for proof of yellow fever vaccination.
Accommodation
Lost City: operators include beds or hammocks with mosquito nets in camps along the trail, plus meals. El Cocuy: camping inside the park is prohibited, so you sleep in El Cocuy or Güicán, or in lodges outside the park boundary near the trailheads, and walk each trail as a day hike. Cocora Valley: stay in Salento and take a jeep to the trailhead. Tayrona: check the fixed closure dates before booking anything inside the park.
🇨🇴 Country Facts
Pico Cristóbal Colón and Pico Simón Bolívar, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (about 5,700 m; exact heights disputed)
Highest Peak
Geographic Overview
Three Andean ranges, the Cordillera Occidental, Central and Oriental, run north to south through Colombia, and a separate coastal massif, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, rises to about 5,700 m within sight of the Caribbean. The country’s hiking falls into three clusters: the Sierra Nevada and Tayrona coast near Santa Marta (jungle and archaeology, low altitude), the Coffee Region around Salento and Los Nevados (cloud forest, wax palms, volcanoes), and the Cordillera Oriental around Bogotá and Boyacá (páramo, and the glaciers of El Cocuy). Other well-known routes include the volcanoes of Los Nevados National Natural Park, the páramo lakes of Chingaza near Bogotá and the stone Camino Real between Barichara and Guane in Santander; we have not yet checked their current rules, so confirm them with Parques Nacionales or the local operator.
Culture & History
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is the home of the Kogui, Arhuaco, Wiwa and Kankuamo peoples, and the Lost City (Teyuna) is a sacred site for them. ICANH, the national archaeology institute, runs the Teyuna park; it, Parques Nacionales and the indigenous and campesino authorities require visits with a certified guide, and the October closures of 2025 and 2026 were set at the Kogui authorities’ request to give the land a rest. Ask before photographing people or their belongings. About 47% of El Cocuy National Park overlaps U’wa reserves; the old multi-day circuit is closed to visitors and camping is prohibited. In the Coffee Region the Cocora loop crosses working farms that charge a small fee per section; carry small notes.
Featured Trails in Colombia
El Cocuy: Laguna Grande de la Sierra
Cocora Valley Wax Palm Loop
El Cocuy: Lagunillas to Púlpito del Diablo
El Cocuy: Ritacuba
Colombia at a Glance
5,700+ m
Highest Peaks
9
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
46 km
Lost City Round Trip
3
Open El Cocuy Day Trails
When to Visit Colombia
Main Dry Season (December-March)
The most reliable window for all three areas. Lost City trails are firmer and river crossings lower, though still hot and humid. El Cocuy mornings are often clear; it is also the busiest period, and the park asks for bookings at least 90 days ahead. Tayrona closes 1-15 February every year.
Second Window (July-August)
Good hiking in the Andes and on the Lost City trail, with more afternoon showers than December-March. Tayrona closes 1-15 June, just before this window.
Wet Months (April-May, October-November)
Mud and higher rivers on the Lost City trail, low cloud and fresh snow in El Cocuy. The Lost City park closed for all of October in 2025 and 2026, and Tayrona closes 19 October-2 November. Lower-altitude day walks such as Cocora stay possible with rain gear.
Practical Information
Trailhead Access
Lost City: operators drive from Santa Marta along the Troncal del Caribe, then 1 to 2 hours of unpaved road by 4×4 to the trailhead at Machete Pelao (operators often call it El Mamey). El Cocuy: from Bogotá by road to the towns of El Cocuy or Güicán, where you register and take the induction talk; your guide arranges the jeep to the trailhead, and you must enter between 6:00 and 8:00. Cocora Valley: shared Willys jeeps leave Salento's main square for the valley, about 25 minutes.
Trail Costs
Park fees for 2026: Teyuna (Lost City) COP 75,000; El Cocuy COP 107,000 for non-resident foreigners (ticket valid 4 days); Tayrona COP 81,000 in low season and COP 96,500 in high season. Lost City tours are priced by each operator; 2026 list prices from Santa Marta operators start around COP 1,860,000 for 4 days. At Cocora there is no single ticket: private farms on the loop charge per section, and the Acaime hummingbird house charges for entry (2026 reports put it at COP 20,000).
Trail Communication
Expect no phone signal on the Lost City trail or above the El Cocuy trailheads. Lost City guides are certified locally and work in Spanish; ask your operator whether an English-speaking guide or translator is included. Leave your itinerary with someone at home, and carry a satellite messenger if you have one.
Trail Safety & Rescue
Lost City: the main risks are heat, dehydration and rivers that rise after rain; your guide decides when a crossing is safe. El Cocuy: altitude, cold and fast weather changes; each trail ends at a glacier edge, and walking onto the glacier is prohibited. Dial 123, Colombia's single emergency line. Buy travel insurance that covers trekking and evacuation, and for El Cocuy buy the accident and rescue insurance the park requires.
Emergency Contacts
National Emergency Line
123Colombia's single emergency number for police, ambulance and fire. On the Lost City trail and in El Cocuy there is usually no signal, so your guide's radio or satellite phone is the first link to help.
Colombia Trail Regions
Quindío Hiking Trails
Quindío hiking trails start in Salento (about 1,895 m), the gateway to the Cocora Valley…
Boyacá
Boyacá hiking trails reach the glaciers of El Cocuy National Park on three guided day…
Magdalena
Magdalena hiking trails lead into the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The Lost City trek…
Frequently Asked Questions about Top Hiking Trails in Colombia
On the trails on this page the everyday risks are natural ones: heat and rivers on the Lost City trek, altitude and cold in El Cocuy, mud in the Cocora Valley. The Lost City and El Cocuy also require a guide, so you never walk them alone. For security in each region, read your government’s current travel advice before you book and ask your operator about the route on the day.
For the two best-known treks, yes. The Lost City (Teyuna) park requires a certified guide, and tickets are sold only to registered tourism operators. El Cocuy requires an approved guide or interpreter, accident and rescue insurance and an induction talk in El Cocuy or Güicán. The Cocora Valley loop and most Tayrona trails can be walked without a guide.
No. Parques Nacionales lists the multi-day Vuelta a la Sierra and the eastern flank as closed to visitors, and camping inside the park is prohibited. Three day hikes are open: Lagunillas to Púlpito del Diablo, Laguna Grande de la Sierra and Ritacuba. Each ends at a glacier edge, and you must be out of the park by 17:00 (checked October 2026).
Not in 2025 or 2026. ICANH closed the Teyuna park from 1 to 31 October in both years, the 2025 closure at the request of the Kogui authorities. Older guides say it closes in September, which was true in some earlier years. Check ICANH’s closure notices before booking any autumn date.
Yes. Since May 2025 Parques Nacionales Naturales has required proof of yellow fever vaccination, given at least 10 days before entry, for every visitor to its protected areas, Colombians included. We found no notice lifting the rule as of October 2026. Bring the certificate on the trek, not just to the airport.
It is 46 km round trip over 4 to 5 days, walking 5 to 10 km a day below about 1,200 m. Altitude is not the problem: heat, humidity, steep muddy climbs and river crossings are. Compared with the 43 km Classic Inca Trail, which tops out at 4,215 m, it is lower but hotter and wetter.
December to March is the most reliable window, and July to August is a second one. April to May and October to November are the wettest months. Plan around fixed closures: Tayrona closes 1-15 February, 1-15 June and 19 October-2 November, and the Lost City park closed for October in 2025 and 2026.
Only for the high Andes. The Lost City trek stays below about 1,200 m. El Cocuy trails start above 4,000 m and reach glacier edges, so spend several nights at altitude first, for example in Bogotá at about 2,640 m and then in El Cocuy or Güicán, and turn back if symptoms worsen as you climb.
The park ticket is COP 75,000 in 2026 and is included in tour prices. Tours are priced by each operator; 2026 list prices from Santa Marta operators start around COP 1,860,000 for 4 days, with 5-day tours costing more. Tips, travel insurance and transport to Santa Marta are usually extra.