Chicaque Nature Reserve

On Sunday, I went with my friend Angie and her 7-year-old daughter Meily to the Chicaque Nature Reserve. Located approximately 45 minutes west of Bogota, Chicaque is a high-altitude cloud forest that is home to hundreds of plant and animal species, including more than 200 species of birds, 17 types of orchids, hares and rabbits, two-toed sloths, long-tailed monkeys, and bobcats. The reserve has over 15 kilometers of nature trails, seven forest habitat-types, and several waterfalls including one that is over 230 feet (70 meters) high. The park also offers a variety of amenities that include a hotel, a restaurant with great food and service, guided tours, horseback riding, and camping.

My friends and I spent the day at Chicaque by ascending and descending more than 15 kilometers of steep, rugged trails. And because we had started our hike somewhat late in the day we ended up running out of daylight. Deep in the heart of the forest and exhausted from the five hours already spent hiking, we climbed out of the park in nearly complete darkness. Fortunately, Meily was quite a trooper as she lead the way almost the entire day (except for the last half mile that I carried her on my back).
















The above map of Chicaque shows the trails and points of interest that we passed during our 10-12 mile hike. We started at the park entrance (point A) and hiked down to the scenic overlook (point B). Then, we continued down into the valley to the hotel and restaurant (point H) where we had lunch. Following lunch, we ventured off on a two-hour hike to the waterfalls (point J) and once there we found ourselves running out of daylight. Not good! So, we quickly headed towards the park entrance. However, by the time we reached point H, we had only the stars to light our way! Once we reached the park entrance (point A) we still had 1.9 miles of walking to reach the main highway where we were relieved to catch a bus back to Bogota.

Despite the nerve-racking final hours stumbling around in the dark, yesterday was definitely a memorable time spent enjoying the outdoors.