Nevado del Huila National Natural Park is a large national park in the Andino region of western Colombia. It protects the area surrounding the Navado del Huila volcano. At a height of 5,362 meters, it is Colombia's highest volcano. The park is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Understand
[edit]History
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The park was established in 1977 by presidential decree.
Landscape
[edit]The park covers an area of 163,842 hectares. A large mountain peak constitutes most of the park's area. Dormant for most of the past 500 years, the volcano began shaking with tremors and erupted in 2007 and 2008, triggering avalanches and damaging at least three towns as well as crop land, roads, and bridges, but not causing significant loss of life as most area residents had ample warning to escape.
The volcano has a large glacier cap covering an area of more than 20 km². The glacier is an important water source for the region, supplying tributaries of both the Río Magdalena and the Río Cauca. Much of the area is moor (highlands with scrubby, low-lying vegetation and wet soil).
Flora and fauna
[edit]Plants are found at lower elevations in the surrounding moors, steppes, and forests. Plant species include pine, cedar, wax palm, and wild motilón.
The park is home to a number of mammal species including the spectacled bear, deer, tapir, rabbits and a number of smaller species.
Climate
[edit]Get in
[edit]The closest city with commercial flights is Neiva (NVA IATA). Avianca has twice daily flights from Bogota starting at US$60 one way.
From Neiva, you can rent a car or hire a tour guide. The 65-km drive will take about 2 hours.
Ad of Jan 2025, the park is closed to visitors.
Fees and permits
[edit]The park is closed to the public, though based on the number of YouTube videos about the park, it seems that exceptions are made for experienced mountain climbers with the skills to traverse glaciers.
Get around
[edit]Hike.
See
[edit]- Moors of Moras
- Monterredondo
- Laguna Páez