Another vast section of Colombia is traversed by the Andes that branch out to form three mountain chains, reaching over 5000 meters (16,500 feet) at some points and creating every imaginable climate and land ecosystem on the planet, from hot and humid valleys to wind swept mountain glaciers.  A myriad of rivers and streams still run wild.   One of the jewels of the Colombia Andes is El Cocuy National Park, a mountaineer's dream, with mountain glaciers, high altitude lakes, waterfalls, high peaks (over 5,000 meters), and uncrowded trails.  

 

 

The Pacific coast is a world apart literally and biologically.  Extending from Panama to Ecuador and sandwiched between the Western cordillera of the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, the entire pacific coast of Colombia harbors what may well be the richest storehouse of biodiversity on the planet: a super humid tropical rainforest largely unexplored biologically.  It is considered the most humid place on the planet, where it rains more than 300 days a year and rainfall is measured in meters: 15 (33 feet) in some places.  The result is an exuberant tropical rainforest known as Chocó biogeográfico, or Choco Bioregion, which, by virtue of its impenetrability, has remained largely wild, although affected by mining and deforestation.  Ensenada de Untria National Park protects a coastal mountain called Serrania del Baudó.  It is here where the most pristine coasts left in tropical America welcomes humpback whales every year after their long migration from the Antarctic region.   They come to the Chocó coast to give birth.  

 

The Llanos

In sharp contrast, the northeastern section of the country is mostly flat grassland crisscrossed by meandering rivers running from the Andes into the Orinoco and Amazon basins.   There are no forests here to speak of, except along riverbanks, but birds and mammals are particularly abundant.   The Llanos Orientales or Eastern Plains, as this region is known, is also sparsely populated.  

 

Underwater, Colombia’s biodiversity is no less impressive.  Along the Caribbean coast several coral reef islands offer an incredible array of marine life.  The most visited islands are the Rosario and San Bernardo, which belong to the national marine park of Corales del Rosario.  Isla Fuerte—located 12 km from Estado Natural Ecolodge—is surrounded by coral reefs, some, such as Bajo Bushnell, are well preserved.  Regular visitors to Bajo Bushnell include whale sharks as well as a rich variety of reef life.  

 

On the Pacific side, about 50 kilometers from the west coast of Colombia an island emerges from the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean to form a miniature tropical rain forest complete with mountains, small fresh-water lakes, 25 permanent creeks, 147 species of migratory birds, caimans, one endemic lizard (Anolis gogonae), 15 species of snakes, 13 species of bats, monkeys, fresh water turtles, to mention a few.  All this in an area of about 10 by 2.5 kilometers or 1600 hectares.  This miracle of nature is Gorgona Island, a jealously protected national park where visitors are limited and restricted by the park authorities.  Perhaps more astonishing than the island’s biological resemblance to the Choco tropical rain forest, is its underwater world.  The island is surrounded by coral reefs, whose permanent residents and yearly visitors include humpback whales, whale sharks, schools of hammerheads, dolphins, sea turtles, giant manta rays, even some penguins and sea lions have been spotted in the island.  Humpback whales migrate 8000 kilometers from Antarctica each year to visit Gorgona and stay between June and October.  It is estimated that about 500 visit the island every year.  

 

Malpelo.

 

There are other incredible natural places in Colombia that deserve mention such as the wind-swept desert of La Guajira located at the northern tip of South America.  Here a green mountain called Serrania de la Macuira thrives among shifting sand dunes and gale-force winds generated in the Caribbean.  Its secret? La Macuira vegetation can absorb water directly from the passing clouds and ocean moisture.  As many other natural places in Colombia, La Macuira is a national park seldom visited.    

 

From the snow-covered peaks of El Cocuy and the cloud forest of the Sierra Navada of Santa Marta to the dazzling underwater world of Providencia and Malpelo, Colombia is a country of great biodiversity, most of it remains to be discovered.  Let’s hope we will preserve it.

 

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