Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [185]
To get here, take any bus from Manizales to Chinchiná (COP$5000, 30 minutes), then from Chinchiná take the bus marked ‘Guayabal Peaje’ (COP$1000, 10 minutes, every 15 to 30 minutes). Ask the driver to let you off before the toll booth at the small village of Guayabal; from here it’s a 2km walk. Take the first left going north. Walk two minutes and take the first right. From here you’ll be able to see the sign that says ‘Hacienda Guayabal’ hanging from the power lines. Walk three minutes more until you come to a crossroads. Turn left. Four minutes’ walk more and you’re there. There’s sometimes a bus outside the church in the group of houses at the turnoff that can take you to the hacienda (COP$800, five minutes).
Hacienda Venecia ( 885 0771, 884 4459, 312 850 9270; www.haciendavenecia.com; ), single-origin coffee farm (1300m), has won numerous awards for its coffee. The well-preserved paísa farmhouse has, until recently, been used to entertain international coffee buyers, but at time of our research was about to open as a boutique hotel (call for prices). The gardens are well-kept, and there’s a pond with lily pads and a round blue pool. The rooms are full of books and old photographs, and the wraparound verandah has hammocks and rocking chairs to rock away the evening. The house is decorated with saddles, chaps and bridles, and there’s a real no-hole billiard table in the small bar area.
You can also visit the coffee operation with advance notice (COP$20,000 including transport, COP$15,000 without). To get here, take the jeep to Hacienda Venecia from the terminal in Manizales (COP$3200, 30 minutes, 7am, noon, 5pm).
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PARQUE NACIONAL NATURAL (PNN) LOS NEVADOS
Following a spine of snow-covered volcanic peaks, this 583-sq-km national park provides access to some of the most stunning stretches of the Colombian Andes. With altitudes ranging from 2600m to 5325m, it encompasses everything from humid cloud forests and páramo to the perpetual snows of the highest peaks. The main peaks, from north to south, are El Ruiz (5325m), El Cisne (4750m), Santa Isabel (4950m), El Quindío (4750m) and El Tolima (5215m).
Thirty-seven rivers are born here, and provide water to 3.5 million people in four departments. The glaciers in the park are receding, and research is underway to measure the impact on the environment.
The best months to see snow in Los Nevados are October and November and from March to May. Outside of those times you’re more likely to get the dry windy conditions favorable to trekking and good views.
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Nevado del Ruiz
This is the highest volcano of the chain. Its eruption on November 13, 1985, killed more than 20,000 people and swept away the town of Armero, a town on the Río Lagunillas. El Ruiz had previously erupted in 1845, but the results were far less catastrophic; today, the volcano has returned to its slumber. It’s nicknamed the ‘sleeping lion of Manizales.’
Most people who visit the park will climb the upper slopes of Nevado del Ruiz as part of an organized tour from Manizales. The principal access road into the park is from the north. It branches off from the Manizales–Bogotá road in La Esperanza, 31km from Manizales, and winds its way 33km up to the snowline at about 4800m at the foot of Nevado del Ruiz. You’ll pass through the unique landscape of the páramo, stopping at Laguna Negra (3760m) for breakfast along the way.
The volcano actually has three craters: Arenas, Olleta and Piraña. It’s possible to summit the main one, Arenas (5325m), but you must request permission from Parques Nacionales ( 886 4703, 885 4581) in Manizales at least a week in advance. It is a technical climb but is not considered difficult mountaineering.