parque natural chicaque

I was a bit worried about arriving via transmilenio (the bus system in Bogotá) and riding the Chicaque express as indicated on the website, but I'm here to tell you it is totally safe and worth the ride! Just take the transmilenio bus to the terreros/hospital station (you might have to transfer) and on the weekdays you can call ahead (317 432 1979 o 312 369 6766) to reserve a car for $25 mil (on the weekends they have fixed hours with a communal car, and it's cheaper). We had a nice guy waiting for us outside the bus station, and the drive was only about 30 min. It costs $14 mil per person to enter the park, but once you're in everything is well maintained and the signs are everywhere you need them, so you don't need a map to get around the trails. It is a STEEP decline into the park, and you can pay for a horseback or a car ride to get you back up. There is one restaurant which is a bit expensive, so come with plenty of cash just incase you're exhausted and have to pay for a way back up. You can do zipline or tree climbing, but once again bring your cash. Otherwise there are plenty of great trails to explore. You can also camp there (some nice spots, I wish I had more time and a tent!) and you can stay in the hotel for a night or two. I found the weather to be perfect, very moderate and foggy. Amazing flora and fauna. Very highly recommended! We made it a full day and left at 8 am, took the buses, and got home at 8 pm. We're tired, but fulfilled!

I live in Bogota and I'm surprised that not many locals know about this park that is just outside the city. When we arrived, a ranger explained the geological formations in the park and gave us suggestions for our stay. We reserved the Tangara treehouse in advance and hiked down there without any issues. The treehouse is beautiful and comfortable. With all meals included I think it works out to be a good deal. The hike out of the park is a rough one. It is about 2km going up a steep trail the whole way. It took us about an hour to hike down, and 2 hours to hike back up. Thankfully the cloud forest provides a lot of shade and cool breezes so it's not too terrible. The reason that I wouldn't recommend this for visitors with limited time is the infamous traffic. It nearly ruined the trip for us! It took almost 2 hours to travel about 25km to the park... you have to pass through the south part of the city and through a town called Soacha, which is completely congested with traffic. Staying overnight seems to be the best option - cabins and campsites are available, as well as rooms in the main lodge.

This place seems to be somewhat a secret with the locals. I have not yet met one Colombian that has been here, and I've lived here for over 6 yrs. It's a natural cloud forest and SO beautiful. You can hike down, and hire a horse to ride back to the top. You can even camp down on the bottom. Google the name, and you'll get the specifics on the park website. Well worth the visit, but you'll need a whole day for a visit, or more if you want to spend the night. it's camping/lodge style.

We hiked downhill from the parking lot to the lodge and uphill back. A grueling 3+ miles over mostly rock, not a soft trail. Very difficult for my 57 year old boy, and my wife channeled her inner Cheryl Strayed!. The park is beautiful, but the traffic both there and back is as grueling as the hike was. It took well over 2 hours back to the Old Town in Bogata, which put a huge damper on the experience. If you are only in Bogata for a few days, I would choose other options due to the traffic, which can be a day killer.

Bird-watchers will endure sub-par accommodations to wakeup with the birds before the clouds roll in. Perhaps we are fussy travelers, but the lodge at Chicaque needs a lot of attention.

This is a beautiful spot, but the staff who work there are thieves. Keep an eye on your things and don't leave anything, valuable or otherwise, out of your sight.

I visited the Park on September 30 with a Canadian friend. It was sunny and we got to see the ”Nevado del Ruiz” from the Park entrance. We went birding and hiked all the way to the waterfall, what a gorgeous place! The Park was clean, VERY safe (I’ll take my camera with me next time!), and the trails were well marked. All trails get you to the “Refugio” (a nice place to have lunch/beer/rest) so there is no way to get lost. We got to the Park in a cab but didn´t have a plan to go back to Bogota. We went back to Soacha in a bus with the park workers and met Mayerly (I believe she works at the restaurant). Mayerly went above and beyond! She took us to the Transmilenio and even paid for our tickets (she refused to take money from us!). She told us the park history in our way to Bogota and gave us lots of advice for next visits. She cared about us and made easy our way back to Bogota! Thanks to Mayerly and to Chicaque for a wonderful day! I'd go back, its a safe and beautiful place to visit even in your own! Lots of birds and nice people!

A one day trip in the cloud forest in this national park is definitely worth it! You hike about 3 hours within a facinating flora & fauna. The very high humidity and the animal sounds were just amazing.. go for it!

A bit of a drive outside Bogota to this cloud forest but once there you have lovely walks through the forest to see the sights, birds and some wildlife. Walks vary and some are quite strenuous over steep rocky paths. When you get to the bottom there is a 'refuge' where you can get a meal - the trout was fresh and delicious. If you have had enough they will take you back up to the top in a vehicle for a fee.

I went to that park for running and it was very pleasant, good space for pedestrians and bicycles as well. Good place to spend time with friend and for leisure...

This is a beautiful place. I will tell you , even the easiest hike down the mountain is very hard. I would say for experienced hikers only. You will need to approach this place with a LOT of water and nuts and granola bars. Extreme hiking! The lodge area, once you reach it, is beautiful...bare minimum on food, but ok. They do have a limited menu with full lunch service, cokes, beer, water...Zip Lining and Rapelling are available here as well. I would caution you about riding the horses back to the top of the mountain. Do NOT do this. I am an experienced rider and this was one of the most harrowing experiences of my life. Dangerous...no instruction (Spanish spoken only), no helmets..it is straight up on concrete and rocks. The horses slip and slide all over. The "guide" is constantly urging them to trot.gallop UP. Really bad experience!

Chicaque is a beautiful , well kept and secure cloud forest at very easy distance from Bogota. If you are looking for a break from city buzz, this place is a great destination for a family day out. The walk down the forest is perfect to do with children although they way up might be a bit more challenging, they have hourly transport service that will take you up to base station all day long

We stayed 2 nights on the auberge, 3 hours walking from the entrance, runnig up the hill, very profesional the local people. We recomend riding the horses, take a big coat and waterproof boots

I must say this is one of the most beautiful and unique Cloudforest ecosystems I've visited. At just 45 minutes from the south west of Bogota, Is the perfect place to get together the uniqueness of the cloudforest, the birds and the amazing views of the top of the mountains. If you want to walk over my Chicaque experience get into my travel blog. http://carolefranco.tumblr.com/

A truly beautiful place. The views are amazing. On one side there are low clouds around a rocky mountain and on the other side there is a valley of green fields each with a different shade of green. As the clouds lift you are suddenly facing a tall steep mountain. It seemed like a scene out of my kids fantasy books.We are a family of 5 who love to visit national parks in the US. We have been to Zion, Acadia, Yosemite, Arches, Crater Lake, Glacier, … and compared to the walks in those parks, the path in and out of Chicaque is a moderate walk (steep but not hard specially if you go along the path for the Jeeps). However, it was clear that most people visiting this park are not the hiking type. Many people walk down when they arrive and take a jeep or ride a horse on the way out. Those Jeeps have to go. You can avoid walking along the Jeeps by taking a different path (the same path you take on the way down) but those Jeeps are a disgrace for a nature park.Yes, it is true that they don’t provide maps but for an entrance fee of $6.50 (US dollars), I have no problem with them saving some paper. Print a map before you go. The map does not make it clear that one path is a trail where only people can go and another path is for people, horses and Jeeps. It will be easy to figure it out once you are there even if the road signs are not great. The climate was neither hot nor cold just misty. Great for hiking. Wonderful view from Eagle’s Peak. The Roquedal trail is great but the rocks are slippery. No cliffs. Just slippery rocks. The food at the Refugio is not great but a step up from the food usually found at US National Parks.We started hiking too late so we did not have time to take other trails once we arrived to the bottom. I wish we had stayed at the tree house. Next time.