From this Thursday April 6 on, visitors and ecotourism service providers will be able to perform recreation and contemplation activities inside the protected area.
Bogota, April 2 2017. –U’wa´s community and Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia agreed the temporary reopening of the Parque Nacional Natural el Cocuy to the visitors and ecotourism service providers, as well as the implementation of an environmental impact study, which should be presented during the following 6 months.
The agreement was the result of the meeting of the Intercultural Roundtable of dialogue with the U’wa´s community, which took place last Sunday in Cubará, Boyaca and, in which the Environmental and Sustainable Development Minister, Luis Gilberto Murillo; the director of Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia, Julia Miranda; the Vice Minister of Interior, Luis Ernesto Gómez; the Governor of Boyaca, Carlos Andrés Amaya Rodríguez and Bladimir Moreno, the President of Asouwa, participated.
According to Julia Miranda Londoño “this agreement is a very constructive dialogue given that the protection of the park comes first. The measurements that we take will be beneficial for the park”.
From April 6 it will be possible to perform activities of recreation and contemplation inside the protected area of the Parque Nacional Natural El Cocuy, such as: walks, tours surrounding the glacier, and use the three paths for enjoying the landscape, take photos and make noncommercial videos, perform interpretative hiking and flora and fauna observation, among others.
In order to perform the activities just mentioned, three paths surrounding the glacier will be enabled, which have a total extension of 25 kilometers, they are:
– Ritacuba: from 4.000 m s.n.m height to the edge of the glacier Ritacuba Blanco peak, with a length of 5.000 m inside the park.
– Laguna Grande de la Sierra: starts at the place known as la Cuchumba, to the edge of the glacier of the Pico Cóncavo, with a length of 9.400 m inside the park.
– Lagunillas Pulpito: from 4.000 m s.n.m height above the Sisuma shed, and passing through the Hotelito to the surroundings of the Pico Pulpito del Diablo peak, with a length of 4.500 m inside the park.
These paths will only provide load capacity for 49, 175 and 82 tourists daily.
From now on, it is forbidden that the tourists stay overnight inside the protected area, the entrance to the park will be allowed from 5 to 9 am, the departure time will be allowed from 1 to 6 pm, after this time there should be no tourists in the area.
Inside Parque Nacional Natural El Cocuy will only be provided ecotouristic services related to visitor´s group guidance, and the providers of these services acquire obligations such as, setting the advertisement guidelines according to the services provided, provide the information that is required by the touristic authorities, and comply the rules of conservation of the environment, among others.
Recommendations for tourists
We remind tourists who want to visit Parque Nacional Natural El Cocuy that they should meet the following requirements:
-Do not climb with women during the gestation period, people with respiratory or cardiovascular issues and over 65 years old.
– During the process of climbing, in case of dizziness, experiencing headache, cough, or respiratory congestion, you should make rest stops. If you continue experiencing this symptoms descend immediately. This could be the beginning of a lung or brain edema, which could be life threating.
–When poor visibility, wait until the conditions improve and seek orientation by the mountain signalization: stone men or monks.
– Use glasses with UV protection.
– Hydrate yourself, minimum 4 liters of water per day.
– Despite the weather conditions, use sunscreen with protection over 50.
– Carry impermeable clothes and boots.
– Do not leave the group, remember not to be alone.
– Carry a first-aid kit.
– If you have any diseases or if you are taking any medication, see your doctor before the trip.
