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The Iguaque Flora and Fauna Sanctuary (Santuario de Flora y Fauna Iguaque) is a great place to enjoy nature near Villa de Leyva.
Introduction to Iguaque
The Iguaque Flora and Fauna Sanctuary is a national park featuring a difficult hike through the forest to a páramo. At the end is Laguna de Iguaque, which was sacred to the indigenous Muisca people. There are plenty of opportunities to spot wildlife, but most people go to see the lake.
The hike should take about six hours round-trip with an elevation gain of about 1,400 meters from the visitor center. The trail is well-maintained, kept very clean, and well-marked with 10 stations along the way. Periodically, you’ll see signs telling you how much further it is to reach the lake. Once you reach the 10th station, you’re at Laguna de Iguaque and it’s forbidden to go any further.
Getting to Iguaque
To get to the visitor center takes a little planning if you don’t have your own transportation. You need to take a bus heading towards Arcabuco from Villa de Leyva and ask the driver to let you off at Casa de Piedra. From there, it’s a 3 kilometer uphill hike down a rough road to the visitor center.
If you plan to take the bus, go as early as possible because it’ll take a while. Personally, I would hire someone to take you all the way there. Trust me – you’ll need your energy for the actual hike. You should also be able to find a local company in town that offers excursions to the park.
If you want to make it an overnight trip (or you miss the bus back to Villa de Leyva), there are two options. Camping is possible near the visitor center. There’s also a restaurant and hostel about 700 meters uphill from the visitor center. Camping is forbidden along the trail.
Visiting Iguaque
Once you reach the visitor center, admission to the park is COP$63,500 for foreigners (as of October 2024). If you take a car, you’ll pay an extra COP$17,500. The park is open from 8am to 5pm, and they won’t let anyone start the hike after 10am. Check the official website for more info.
Listen to the Rangers!
Once you’ve paid and registered, you’re required to go through a short orientation with the rangers. They’ll tell you what to expect on the trail. They’ll also tell you that if you haven’t reached the lake by 1pm to turn around and head back no matter where you are, and at 2pm, stop what you’re doing and start hiking back.
When they tell you a time to turn around it’s for good reason. There’s no cell phone service to call if you need help and the trail is rugged as you’ll soon read. We met one group of hikers who told us that it took them over eight hours round-trip. The ranger told us that the day before, a hiker left at 8am and hadn’t returned by 7pm. They had to go find him and help him down the trail during a heavy rainstorm in pure darkness.
Suggestions for the Hike
This hike is described by Lonely Planet as “leisurely”. After doing the hike myself, I have to believe nobody from Lonely Planet has ever set foot at Iguaque. There’s a point you reach where you realize there’s nothing leisurely about it (I’ll get to that later).
In a nutshell, my advice is to get there early, take plenty of water, take your time, and follow the ranger’s advice. As far as water, I recommend about three liters per person. You’ll also need sunscreen and a rain jacket. It can get quite cold with temperatures dropping down to 4 °C, although we were lucky and had great weather during our hike. Walking sticks might be worth taking, too.
You’re probably wondering what to do about food. You can bring snacks and lunch with you, or you can order lunch at the restaurant/hostel before starting the hike. They’ll have it ready when you return. They also sell drinks if you didn’t bring enough to keep hydrated.
The Trail at Iguaque
A sign marks the beginning of the trail at the visitor center. The first 700 meters is all cobblestones. You’ll cross a bridge over Quebrada Carrizal and a stone shaped like a serpent’s head (supposedly Bachué or her baby-lover) before reaching the restaurant and hostel.
The next part of the trail is dirt and rocks. This is where the stations begin. It’s a long hike uphill through the forest and it can get quite slippery, so watch your step! The time between stations from #1 all the way to #5 goes by quickly. From #5 to #6, it’s agonizingly long and there are some rough spots. Station #6 to #7 is easy and fast.
And then there’s Station #7. This is where we stopped smiling and the word “leisurely” got thrown out the window. From #7 to #8 is what they call “La Pared”, which translates to “The Wall”. It’s literally a steep, seemingly never-ending uphill climb over large boulders rocks. You always think you’re near the end and then suddenly you look up and there are more rocks!
However soul-crushing this sector is, once you pass the tree line the views become spectacular. That’s enough to keep anyone going.
If you survived the climb, you’ll reached Station #8. At this point, you’ve entered the páramo, or tropical tundra. This is where you’ll come in contact with the endangered frailejón, an oddly-shaped plant native to Colombia. You’re also only about 30 minutes from Laguna de Iguaque.
Laguna de Iguaque
The sacred Laguna de Iguaque is at the end of the trail. Although there are more lakes beyond this one, it’s forbidden and dangerous to go any further. Now you can rest while admiring the scenery. All the hard work to get there is totally worth it! For us, it took 3 hours and 10 minutes to reach the lake.
The Muisca believed humankind was born at Laguna de Iguaque. Legend has it that a goddess named Bachué emerged from the lake carrying a baby boy. The boy later became her husband and together they populated the earth. They later turned into serpents and returned to the sacred lake.
Hiking Down
Now it’s time to hike back down to the visitor center. It’s all downhill, so it should be easy, right? WRONG!
Everything was great until we got to La Pared. Going down was even more difficult than going up. Even when we got to Station #7, there was still a long way to do and more rocks to scramble over.
Station #6 to #5 was worse and longer going back. It took us 3 ½ hours to reach the visitor center. In the end, it was a rewarding hike even though it was painful to get back.
