At the top of our list were Paramo de Sumapaz and Paramo de Chingaza. This time, it’s Chingaza!
We’d been wanting to hike one of the Paramos around Bogotá for a (very, very) long time. You might not think about it when you’re in the Colombian capital, but yes, there are plenty of hikes to do around Bogota many of them particularly easy to get to.
In this post, we tell you about our experience of a day-hike to discover the Laguna de Siecha in the Chingaza Natural Park.
General information on Chingaza National Park
- Name : Chingaza
- Meaning: “Mountains of the night gods” in the Muisca language
- Surface area: approx. 780 km2
- Altitude: between 800 m and 4000 m
- Region : Andes
- Departments : Cundinamarca and Meta
- Dry season: December to March
- Rainy season: April to November
- Average temperatures: 13°C
- Ecosystems: sub-paramo, paramo
- Main entrances: Via Guasca or Fomeque
The Travel insurance we recommend in Colombia
We live in Colombia, and we can confirm that private healthcare is very expensive here. Private clinics in Colombia generally only admit patients who have insurance.
Coverage up to 2.5 M€ · 24/7 assistance in english · Hospitalization · Medical evacuation · Luggages
Excellent · 4,6/5 · Trustpilot · 1 599 review
Hiking to the Lagunas de Siecha
Paramo de Chingaza hike
We’d been wanting to discover Chingaza for some time. Not least because we spend a lot of time in the Bogotá region, with Angélica’s family living in Chia, a suburb of the capital. So we’re often on the lookout for day trips, and it has to be said that there’s plenty to do!
But also because Chingaza is one of the classic hiking outings around Bogotá, which we had to try out one day..
For the occasion, we took Angélica’s brother, sister and uncle with us, and set off by car from Chia at around 7.30am. After an hour and a half, we arrived at the meeting point with our guide on the outskirts of Chingaza Nature Park.
A 4×4 is waiting to take us to the park entrance. The road is really bad, a totally rutted track, and clearly there are no other options for getting up there. The 4×4 drops us off at the foot of the path that will take us to the national park control center. There, park rangers are waiting to give us a short presentation before letting us pay the park entrance fee.
It’s 9:30 a.m. when we set off with our guide Ramon along the trails of Chingaza Park to the Lagunas de Siecha. This is one of Chingaza’s traditional trails, probably the most used, but also, according to our guide, one of the most beautiful in the park.
Favorite things to do
Chingaza hike with Private guide
Our local partner Felipe, an English-speaking guide in Bogotá, offers various private excursions from Bogotá, including the Chingaza Natural Park!
Hiking in Chingaza with a group on a fixed date (and in Spanish)
If you have flexible dates and are looking for an inexpensive way to hike to Chingaza, then our local partner Dario’s proposals may be of interest to you!
The hike starts at an altitude of 3200 m and the trail climbs gently through a rich and varied flora.
The first frailejones soon appear, a sign that we’re getting close to the Paramos landscapes we love so much.
The effort isn’t violent, but our breath is short and our hearts are racing. The altitude is making itself felt, we’ve only been here a few days, and jet lag fatigue is probably also having an effect.
But we make slow, gentle progress until we reach the highest point of the hike, at an altitude of 3800 m, with a majestic view of the three lakes: Teusaca or Guaitiqui (Suramerica), Tibaquica (Fausto) and Siecha.
Siecha means “water man” in the Muisca language, and this lagoon was one of the sacred lakes where ceremonies were held to bring together all the Caciques (spiritual leaders) of the pre-Columbian civilizations of the time. Iguaque, Guatavita, Siecha, etc.: a whole network of sacred lakes where offerings to the gods were made. It was here that the famous “Muisca raft” was discovered, representing the El Dorado ceremony, a Muisca legend that can be admired at Bogotá’s Gold Museum.
A bitter cold forces us not to stay long, and we head down to the Laguna de Tibaquica for a bite to eat. A few drops of rain later, we set off in the sunshine on our way back. We discover a huge species of frailejon, up to 12 m high, which can only be seen here in Chingaza Natural Park!
We arrive back at the starting point at around 3pm after 5 hours of really leisurely walking. Samuel had a headache, due to altitude sickness, but nothing too serious – it’ll pass in the evening after dinner.
The Siecha lagunas in Chingaza Natural Park is a real one-day hike, accessible to all, to get a taste of Paramo’s ecosystems and discover these sublime lakes and spectacular landscapes.
We loved it!
Favorite things to do
Chingaza hike with Private guide
Our local partner Felipe, an English-speaking guide in Bogotá, offers various private excursions from Bogotá, including the Chingaza Natural Park!
Hiking in Chingaza with a group on a fixed date (and in Spanish)
If you have flexible dates and are looking for an inexpensive way to hike to Chingaza, then our local partner Dario’s proposals may be of interest to you!
Chingaza National Park
hiking around Bogota
Chingaza is one of Colombia’s national parks. These are nationally protected areas. There are many in the country, but not all are accessible to the public. Chingaza NNP has one part open to the public and others that are currently being studied for possible opening.
The Chingaza Natural Park ecosystem
Chingaza Park is made up of ecosystems that vary according to altitude, and a major lake system comprising 20 high-altitude lakes. The western part of the park (Bogotá side) features mainly Paramos landscapes, typical of altitudes above 3.000 m.
On the eastern side, which is not accessible to the public, the lower altitude reveals very different landscapes, still totally untouched by human impact due to the presence of the armed conflict until recently.
The paramos and lakes of Chingaza are one of the main sources of fresh water for the metropolis of Bogotá.
Rich in an immense diversity of flora, with over 2,000 species recorded, Chingaza is also home to several large wild mammals: the Andean bear, the puma, the paramos tapir and the great condor.
Good to know
Chingaza, sacred territory
Chingaza was sacred territory for the pre-Columbian Muiscas civilizations. Chingaza means “Mountains of the Night Gods” and all the sites in the park, like many of the surrounding towns, have a name and meaning in the Muisca language.
Hiking in Paramo de Chingaza
There are several hiking trails within Chingaza Park, but they are not connected to each other.
In other words, you can stay in the park for several days, but you can’t hike for several days with bivouacs. Between each hike, you’ll need a 4×4 vehicle to take the track inside the park to get to the other trailheads.
From Guasca
- Lagunas de Siecha trail
From La Calera
- Cuchillas de Siecha trail
- Lagunas de Buitrago trail
- Laguna Seca Trail
From Fomeque or San Juanito
- Plantas del camino Trail
- Suasie Trail
- Laguna de Chingaza
Contact local Guide
Hike to Chingaza with an English-speaking Colombian guide
Chingaza practical infomation
Paramo de Chingaza is only accessible with a certified local guide. Access to the park is chargeable and limited in number of people. Reservations are therefore essential.
- Reservations required
- Guide required
- Entry limited to a maximum of 50 people per day
Entrance fees to Chingaza Park
- Foreigners: $71.000 COP
How to get to Chingaza Natural Park
Today, Chingaza NP can be reached from the towns of Guasca, La Calera, Fomeque (Cundinamarca) or from San Juanito (Meta).
To reach the hike de las Lagunas de Siecha, there is no real possibility of getting there by public transport. A minimum of organization is required, and the easiest way if you don’t have your own vehicle is to use an agency.
