Travel Guide Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados

The Los Nevados National Natural Park was created in 1974. It covers 58,300 hectares in the central mountain range, straddling the departments of Tolima, Risaralda, Quindio and Caldas, between 2,600 m and 5,321 m above sea level. There are many volcanoes, three of which are covered by an ice cap and snow(los nevados): El Ruiz (5,321 m), Santa Isabel (4,965 m) and Tolima (5,220 m). Others like El Cisne, Cerro Negro, Paramillo de Santa Rosa or El Quindío are covered with snow only a few days a year. The spectacle of the Andean chain, the páramos and the eternal snows is superb. Unfortunately, the ice cover of the nevados is shrinking at a high speed and the glaciers are retreating (25 m per year on average since 2000 in Santa Isabel). The fault of global warming and recent volcanic eruptions. The volcano of Nevado del Ruiz is still active, and tremors are frequent. In 1985, a volcanic eruption caused the melting of the snow of the glaciers and then an avalanche of water, ash, rocks and mud running down the sides of the mountain at 60 km/h. Several waves hit the towns of Armero and Chinchiná, killing approximately 27,000 people in total, the worst natural disaster in the history of Colombia. The activity of the Ruiz is under constant surveillance. Since 2012 and until further notice (ask for information), it is no longer possible to access the Ruiz glacier for safety reasons. It is only possible to go to the Valle de las Tumbas at 4,350 m of altitude, an interesting site to discover the different ecosystems.