Laguna de Iguaqué, Boyaca Department, Colombia
4.5 (130 reviews) Spent Ranking #12 in Villa de Leyva Bodies of Water
This hike is not for everyone
This is a perfect hike for avid hikers looking for a cultural experience. The lagoon is a very sacred place to the native culture and not an easy place to get to. The hike itself brings you up around 1,200 meters in altitude to around 3,800 meters above sea level. In total it took us about 3 hours each way. The hike begins very normal but as you enter the zone of the cloud forest the weather can be a bit disastrous. We went from sunny skies to freezing cold and pouring down rain in a matter of minutes as we entered the cloud forest. The lagoon was barely visible due to the intense amount of fog that surrounded us. All of these factors combined made the last 300 meters of the hike extremely challenging. We did not encounter anybody on the trail all day besides the 5 people that arrived with us. Getting away from the touristy hikes was a very nice change of pace for us though the entrance fee to the park is quite steep if you are not a Colombian resident at 44,500 COP. This makes it quite difficult on a backpackers budget. I would not recommend this hike to anybody looking for an easy afternoon and beautiful views of Villa de Levya's country side, but if you're looking for a cultural experience, interested in the flora and fauna of cloud forests and up for a challenge the this hike may be for you.
Address
5. 706500, -73. 457056 Km 30 Via Arcabuco, Villa de Leyva, Colombia.
Website
http://www.parquesnacionales.gov.co/portal/es/ecoturismo/region-andina/santuario-de-flora-y-fauna-iguaque
Current local date and time now
Saturday, May 11, 2024, 7:09
User Ratings
4.5 based on (130 reviews)
Reviews
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5dagnyfreckles 5:00 PM Jun 17, 2014
A gorgeous (sometimes difficult) 8 hour hike
Take the bus to Arcabuco and tell the bus driver you want to stop at Santuario Iguaque. We got on the 7 AM bus that arrived at the drop off point for Iguaque at about 7:40. From there it is a 3 km hike (35-45 min) gently uphill on a gravel/dirt road to the visitor's center. Register at the visitor's center and pay around $38,000 COP per person to enter. They only allow people to enter between 8 -10 AM. No English was spoken at the center. The first 0.7 miles to the dorms and restaurant are on a nice stone pathway. After that, we found the trail to be pretty unkempt but there is a clear pathway to follow through the first 2.5-3 km through the cloud forest, which was muddy in some areas (and we were there during a dry season). After that the trees disappear and you are in the sun/wind and there are some quite steep and rocky sections for the last 1-1.5 km. I believe the total elevation gain was around 1000 meters. Watch your step on the way down, it was muddy and slippery in many places. We happened to catch a bus within 15 minutes of getting back to the main road, I'm not sure how often they buses come. The altitude made the hike somewhat difficult, but we took many breaks and there are a few benches to catch your breath on. At the top, it was very windy and cold so bring layers. We saw two other pairs of hikers (we were there in the middle of the week during low/shoulder season). It was a great way to spend the day and one of the most memorable moments on our trip in Colombia. 35-45 min to visitor's center (3 km) 3 hours up (4.7 km) 30-45 min at the top to relax, eat (at 3,600 m elevation) 3 hours down (4.7 km) 30 minutes to the main road
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4wineandwhiskey 5:00 PM Jul 9, 2017
This hike is not for everyone
This is a perfect hike for avid hikers looking for a cultural experience. The lagoon is a very sacred place to the native culture and not an easy place to get to. The hike itself brings you up around 1,200 meters in altitude to around 3,800 meters above sea level. In total it took us about 3 hours each way. The hike begins very normal but as you enter the zone of the cloud forest the weather can be a bit disastrous. We went from sunny skies to freezing cold and pouring down rain in a matter of minutes as we entered the cloud forest. The lagoon was barely visible due to the intense amount of fog that surrounded us. All of these factors combined made the last 300 meters of the hike extremely challenging. We did not encounter anybody on the trail all day besides the 5 people that arrived with us. Getting away from the touristy hikes was a very nice change of pace for us though the entrance fee to the park is quite steep if you are not a Colombian resident at 44,500 COP. This makes it quite difficult on a backpackers budget. I would not recommend this hike to anybody looking for an easy afternoon and beautiful views of Villa de Levya's country side, but if you're looking for a cultural experience, interested in the flora and fauna of cloud forests and up for a challenge the this hike may be for you.
