Colombia is one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet, yet many ecotourists don't consider it when making travel plans. That's a mistake because the country has spectacular scenery that varies widely across it's breadth. It has craggy mountain peaks in the Andean highlands, it has dense tropical jungles in the Amazon basin, it has both sandy and rocky shorelines along the southern Caribbean coast and the Pacific Ocean. With its position on a major migratory bird flyway it sees birds from both the southern and northern hemispheres. All of these different ecosystems can be found in Colombia's national parks, which together, conserve 14% of Colombia's national territory.
Understand
[edit]Colombia has a national park system called Sistema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (SINAP). This is the agency that administers the parks for the national government. The agency operates 59 public areas, 43 of which are designated as Parque Natural Nacional (PNN), the most common designation for a national park. Other designations that are occasionally used include 12 areas designated as Sanctuario de Flora y Fauna (SFF), 2 areas designated as Reserva Natural Nacional (RNN), 1 Área Natural Única (ANU), and 1 Via Parque (parkway).
National Parks (PNN) are generally the most interesting to travelers. They include places of tremendous natural beauty, majestic scenery, and generally some developed visitor infrastructure (such as park roads, visitor centers, campgrounds, etc.).
Parks
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- 1 Chingaza National Natural Park - tundra wetlands in the Andean highlands near Bogota, lots of lakes and wildlife
- 2 Cocuy National Natural Park – great trekking opportunities between lagunas and snow-capped summits of the Colombian Andes
- 3 Puracé National Natural Park - if you enjoy climbing volcanoes, you'll enjoy this park whose star attraction is Colombia's most active stratovolcano
- 4 Los Nevados National Natural Park - Snow-capped volcanic peaks
- 5 Tayrona National Natural Park — virgin beach paradise against jungle covered cliffs
- 6 Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Natural Park - remote mountain wilderness important as an indigenous spiritual center and site of the Ciudad Perdida archaeological site
- 7 Sierra de la Macarena National Natural Park - Savannah with thousands of plant and animal species and home of Caño Cristales, a river of many colors (often called "the most beautiful river in the world")
- 8 Los Katios National Natural Park - swampy marshes in the Darien Gap
- 9 Uramba Bahía Málaga National Natural Park - Pacific coast bay where Humpback whales raise their young
- 10 Amacayacu National Natural Park - enormous rainforest in the Amazon basin
- 11 Chiribiquete National Natural Park - world's largest national park preserving tropical rainforest, home to many ancient petroglyphs
- 12 Isla Gorgona National Natural Park - the former penal colony is now an island park
See also
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