If mountaineering and appreciating rare, natural beauty is your cup of tea, then you better start planning now to climb Sierra Nevada del Cocuy. Pico Iyer listed the mountain range with 18 snow covered peaks as one of the “20 Places to See Before They Die” in the May 2007 issue of Condé Nast magazine and that a study in 2005 gave some of the glaciers in the mountain range only 25 years ‘til they melt away. This is an especially precarious dilemma since Iyer says that many of the locals in the area depend on the glaciers for a fresh supply of water.
Mountaineering, hiking and trekking in Sierra Nevada del Cocuy is considered one of the top activities in all of Colombia. If you are looking for companies to take you trekking, check out Sierra Nevada del Cocuy at www.sierranevadadelcocuy.com or Climbing, Skiing and Trekking Holidays in the Andes at www.andes.org.uk. The companies will give you time to acclimatize, especially before bringing you on the snow climb up to the highest peak, Ritacuba Blanco at 1,7749 feet. The treks all happen in the sunny season, December to March, but you’ll still get to trek on glaciers and use an ice-pick.