Nevado Santa Isabel

A very exciting day is ahead - a hike to the border of the Santa Isabel glacier at 4.730m.

The Nevado de Santa Isabel – Poleka Kasue (White Maiden), is located in the PNN Los Nevados near the Nevado del Ruiz, it has easily accessible summits (4.965m).

At 4 am I was picked up in a 4x4 vehicle and we drove 3.5h for 55km through Los Nevados National Park - a very bumpy ride until reaching the Alto de Santa Bárbara (4.100m). And for the first time in my life I saw the Páramo* and hiked through it - very slow and steady. Characterized by the presence of Fraylejones – Plantagos – Gramineae- and medicinal plants, with an extension of 3,6km of route, until reaching the Edge of the Glacier (4.750m). After 3h we have reached our destination 🗻 In Colombia, on a volcano, at 4.730m, not far from an active volcano, standing in the middle of the ice - wow, what an experience.

*The Páramo is a vegetation type of the treeless, alpine highland steppes of humid tropical equatorial mountains. The name comes from the Andes of South America. The largest páramo areas extend from Colombia through Ecuador to northern Peru, where they occur above the timberline (cloud forest) between about 3.500 and 4.500 m (up to a maximum of 5.100 m) altitude in a humid climate.Read more