sierra nevada del guican y del cocuy

Hacienda la Esperanza is an amazing place to stay and I would highly recommend it to everyone! The host family is very welcoming, the food is incredibly delicious, the beds are comfy, and the views from the hostel are unbeatable!

Incredible view and landscape. Great hiking experience at 15.000 ft (5.000) above sea level. Not crowded and very peaceful. You will need to make sure you take just the right amount of gear needed since you don't want to carry unnecessary items uphill where oxygen is very scarse. If it's your first time an experienced guide is recommended. Mine was a local mountanier (lopez.8josue@hotmail.com). Very polite and adaptable, but specially very knowledgeable. The place is a hidden gem.

You might never get to hiking in the park if you stay here too long. Hospitality is only outmatched by the food. Go here

I guess than this place is more well know by foreigners climbers than by the most of Colombian people. The towns El Cocuy and Güican are beautiful by its architecture, history and its people are so kind, the most don't know english very well but they try to do the best for make that you are at home. There are many places where you can get an astonishing view of the Sierra Nevada. If you want to climb the Sierra Nevada, you need to make a registration in the office of Parques Nacionales in Cocuy or Güican, you have to pay around of 14 USD ( concepts: insurance and entrance). It's advisable to take the service of a guide, it have an extra cost (around 45USD to arrive just at the snow border line). Also you need have a good physical state to go there, the climb and altitude are hard to beat if you are an untrained climber. The best time for go is on January. For sure the landscape will amaze you.

Last season me and my family went to Cocuy with Andes World Travel. The experience was amazing even though we did not summit any of the planned mountains due to bad weather. Instead we did some horse back riding near the Esperanza Farm. Thanks to our amazing guide, Juan Carlos, we got to spend a lot of time with the freindly local people. Want to send a special thanks to Andes World Travel for and excellent organizacion and a very good service before and during our trip.

I did the hike to the summit with a guide. But we didn't meet anybody on the way. Where else can you hike in such a wonderful area all by yourself?

Guillermo is a trained chef, everyone in the town of Cocuy knew him, and the way I contacted him was by renting a cell phone and asking someone for his number. He cleverly spoke in poor Spanish with me (my fault) before revealing that of course he speaks fluent english with an American accent, from his days as a chef on a Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship. He reminded me a lot of friends I have in New York City, and he and his brother run their old family hacienda in the mountains beneath Cocuy. It was pretty cold there in March, but it seems like it is always cold there. But the blankets were piled high and the hosts brought warm water bottles and placed them in our beds before we arrived. They served endless hot chocolate and coffee, the food was simple and starchy, but made with a chef's flair, and they let us make a fire in their outdoor fireplace, play with their little lambs, and overall were the pinnacle of hospitality I have experienced in my world travels, and I have been many, many places. It is a very REAL place, not posh, but perfect. The hiking speaks for itself. Some of the best in the world, with 15,000 foot glaciers a day hike away at the Grande Laguna de la Sierra. Pico Iyer was right about Cocuy. It is a commitment to come here. It took commitment to leave.

Remote and idyllic place. It takes quite a bit of time to get here (easily 8-9 hrs from Bogota), in part because the roads are in variable condition and truck traffic can be heavy on the road. But what a beautiful scenery! well worth it! We stayed at Cabanas Kanwara (3,900mts) and were rewarded every morning with breathtaking views of the whole snowcapped sierra!Weather can change quickly and we got rained and hailed every single day! The days were fairly warm but the nights bitterly cold so make sure you bring plenty of warm cloths. The cabanas are a good place to stay: fairly comfortable facilities in a nice setting. The manager is very helpful and organised everything for us: breakfasts, lunches, dinners, warm drinks, trekking guides.Nearby lives Carlos with his lovely wife and son and they kindly invited to their house for 'tea', which was a truly unique opportunity to see and learn about life in such harsh conditions. The 6 day trek is closed but you can easily fill 4-5 days trekking from the cabanas (Laguna de los verdes, Ritacuba, Pulpito). Make sure you register BEFORE entering the park at the town! otherwise the guard at the gate will make you go back (1h30 in a dirt trail!).

We arrived in El Cocuy from Tunja. The town itself and very nice a laid back. We took the lechero (milkman truck for 10,000 pesos per head) at 6am (though only left at 6:45) from the main plaza in El Cocuy to Vivero del PNN. You have two options, this place or go to Guican. Trekking from Guican to the lacks is much harder! We spent one night camping in Cabaña Sisuma and walked around the lakes and to the pass next to them (the trail is easy to find). Camping costs 10,000 pesos per head, but there are also rooms the cost between 30,000 - 40,000 pesos per head (book in advance as it gets very busy).Please note that you cannot pass to the other side as the park is closed due to local politics.On the second day we walked up to the pass where everyone goes in order to get to Pulpito, but we continued down the other side (full of large boulders and doesn't have a marked path) towards Laguna Grande de la Sierra. It takes about 7 hours to get to the campsite and the camping is free (there are no cabins there). The next day most people walk around the lakes and to a couple of passes (ropes and crampons needed for the passes), but we walked down to Esperanza (3-4 hours down with a clear trail). We stayed with the neighbour of the hostel for 20,000 pesos per head (the hostel is 30,000 pesos inc breakfast). From there we walked to Guican (it is 3 hours to walk or 4 hours on the lechero) an it was a beautiful one indeed! It is all downhill and really worth it. Overall, amazing park with great trekking to be done.Please more that of you plan on trying to make the 6 day trek around the park (although it is officially closed) there are rangers that are likely to spot you on the passes and there is FARK activity on the other side...

We knew that we wanted to visit Sierra Nevada del Cocuy but our guide book was pretty hopeless and gave the impression that we would be able to get into the mountains for day trips from Cocuy. Luckily one of the places we had emailed when looking for somewhere to stay was Hacienda la Esperanza, a beautiful hacienda in the mountains which really is the perfect place from which to explore the Sierra. Guillermo always replied quickly and was very helpful over email, and we liked him as soon as we met him. He is very frendly and funny and cares for his guests very well. He rund Esperanza with his father who is also very lovely and between them we felt very well looked after. We only had 2 full days to explore the mountains so we couldn't see everything but Guillermo was great at giving us advice about the best things to do. Our room was fantastic, piled high with blankets and Guillermo also gave us hot water bottles each night. He previously trained as a chef and cooked us some fantastic meals (and breakfasts), we have excellent memories of sitting round the fire with him and Agata (very friendly cat) and other guests who came and went during our stay. Our only regret is that we didn't stay longer, but one day we would love to go back and do the trek across the sierra, ending up in Esperanza. It was a little while ago now but we still often thnk of the fantastic time we had and would highly recommend it, one of our favorite places in Colombia.

First of all, go!The glaciers are melting, as they are everywhere in the world, so better go soon.The 7 day circuit route is closed as of May 2013 (due to U'Wah tribe protests, and because people are messy). But that does not take away from the beauty of the place which is now done in a series of day hikes (still quite challenging though).The prices have gone up to 50,000 pesos for foreigners, and equipment rental is also 50,000 pesos per day. It's not cheap.I elected to go by myself, and go to the eastern most lake (you hitch a ride with the milkman unless you have your own motorcycle, like me :) ). Have to cross a bit of farm land, and then you are all alone! From there you can hike straight up the valley to where you eventually gain a view of the Glaciers. It's about two days of serious hiking to get to the glaciers from this way. If you have your own sleeping bag, tent and stove, and do not plan on going up on the snow, you do not need to rent anything or pay the ridiculous fee.Paying the fee and going the standard routes will mean lots of people, but a much easier time getting to all the most beautiful places - up to you.You don;t really need a guide as everything is well mapped.I stayed in Cocuy (not Guican) at a place called Hotel Nevado - right at the entrance to Cocuy, after the gas station, before the park. Great people, great food (ask to stay in the Abuelas house - its a few blocks away - super quiet, hot shower, comfy bed. Tell them the Russian sent you :) )!Getting to Guican or Cocuy is a trek from Either Bogota or Bucaramanga (or San Gil). But you should get there in a single long day as there are buses that go straight there.So far, it is my favorite part of Colombia. The ride there alone is beautiful and worth the trip!

We stayed at Hacienda La Esperanza in early December, 2013 and had a tremendous time. Before we arrived Guillermo was very responsive and quick to answer all of our preplanning email and telephone questions. Once we were at H.L.E. we felt like we were part of their family. His father picked us up in El Cocuy (for an additional fee) which meant we didn’t have to get up early for El Lechero and received an interesting introduction to the area. If you want to take El Lechero, it does come right to the Hacienda to pick up milk. We felt so welcomed to the H.L.E. family that we really didn’t want to leave. The food was great and hospitality very warm and welcoming. We enjoyed the proximity to the mountains, trailhead to Laguna Grande de la Sierra and great hiking. Guillermo went out of his way to help us with all of our hike planning, transportation, lunches and everything. Thanks so much to all of the family and staff at H.L.E.

This is absolutely stunning place. Starting from El Cocuy town and ending with Parque Nacional El Cocuy.If you are not superfit guy/girl day-treks are very great opportunity to see the area. I was able to do only trek to Lagunillas (which was very tough for me) and took much more than 6 hours. I did it with a local guide (60.000 COP/day) and do not regret even a bit. Only that I'm not so fit to see other day trek to Laguna Grande de la Sierra (~10-11 hours) which is supposed to be more spectacular. Lechero is a great way to feel local vibe and to see campesino's life. Although it is twice longer than car. Taxi to any Cabana within a park costs around 70.000-80.000 COP.

Absolutely stunning, would recommend to all hikers to go. Tips: the 6 day trek around the back is closed (Oct 13). Always call the office before you leave, met several disappointed hikers and some that broke the rules and went anyway.Don't take the night bus to/from the region, the road is shockingly bad and you won't be able to sleep. The price has gone up for foreigners ($49 000) or about USD 25.The day hikes are incredible - recommend Pan de Azucar and Ritacuba Blanco. Stay at Cabanas Kanwara, La Esperanza and Cabanas Sisuma. The Lechero is great but slow!

Segun el NY Times , El mejor secretro guardado de Sur America ¡¡¡¡Just the best Ever ! You can take a night bus from Bogota to el Cocuy , 10 Hours . once in el Cocuy , the milk truck is a nice option. to go to Hacienda La Esperanza . is a Family farm , very nice accommodation and very good Colombian food !!! you can access different points of la Sierra been there .