Colombia is not only historical monuments, museums, festivals and carnivals. It is a state with a delightful exotic nature and a rich animal and vegetable world. The territory of Colombia is divided into more than 50 natural parks, each of which is a diverse microcosm. Because tourists when visiting this amazing country include in their route a visit to at least several natural reserves.
Colombia in natural communities
In the country, according to the National Register, there are 59 territories that have the status of a national park. The total area of them is 142682 sq. M. km, which is equivalent to 12.77% of the entire territory. Parks of Colombia occupy the leading places in the world natural community:
- diversity of nature - 3rd place after Indonesia and Brazil;
- variety of flora - 2 place (more than 130 thousand kinds of plants, of which 2,5 thousand - trees, 3,5 thousand species - orchids and palms);
- birds - 1 place (more than 3,5 thousand species);
- Amphibians - 1 place in the world (583 species).
All parks in Colombia are divided into 5 categories:
- national nature parks;
- reserves of flora and fauna;
- national nature reserves;
- a unique natural area (this is only 1 park, Area Natural Unica);
- The park road (Via Parque).
Adventures of ecotourists in Colombia
Tourists on display the country offers water and forests, beaches and mountains, waterfalls and volcanoes . A variety of sightseeing tours in Colombia allows travelers to find exactly what they are interested in. To understand where and what is located in Colombia, the country is conditionally divided into 6 parts:
- Andes - you can do mountaineering or go on a hiking trip, enjoying the mountain scenery. Also in this region are the two largest cities in Colombia - Medellin and Bogota - as well as coffee plantations and national parks.
- Orinokiya is a wild area, hardly visited by tourists. These are swamps, forests, endless savannahs and plains.
- Amazonia - promises adventures in pristine jungles. You can go on a tour of the wild forests and visit the reservations.
- The Colombian islands are the most suitable place for underwater diving.
- The Caribbean region is interesting with religion and history. In addition, the travelers are waiting for the tropical forests and the Caribbean Sea.
- The Pacific region - in this part of the state interesting tours of modern and historic cities and many places for diving.
List of the most interesting parks of Colombia
The area of all the local reserves is significantly different, but the size here is far from the main thing. The tourist popularity of each reserve is determined by its importance, recreational facilities and transport accessibility. All national parks are protected by the Ministry of Ecology of Colombia.
So, before you are those of them that fell in love with the guests of the country most:
- Amakayaku . Due to the location along the Amazon River, a lot of unique plants and trees grow in the park. The world of animals is also impressive: 490 species of birds and 190 - mammals.
- Isla de Salamanca . The park in the Caribbean region with an area of 562 square meters. km. A real paradise is wide beaches, mangroves, magnificent lagoons. On the territory of the park there are 200 species of birds.
- Cueva de los Guacesaros . The oldest park in the country with an area of 90 square meters. km is located in the Eastern Cordillera. The world of fauna is very diverse - 62 species of mammals and 292 species of birds.
- Los Katios . This park is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites, an area of 720 square meters. km. Most tourists come here for the sake of the pristine nature and the opportunity to see all of its inhabitants first hand.
- Las Hermosas . The park is located on the territory of the Andes, covers an area of 1250 square meters. km. It is strikingly different from other parks in Colombia by beautiful lakes and other glacial water bodies. There are 387 reservoirs in Las Hermosas, among them mirror lakes.
- Los Nevados . One of the most visited natural parks of Colombia. There are excursions to the largest volcanoes in the Andes. Also there is an opportunity to visit the glacial lake .
- Macarena . It is not only a park, but a mountain range. The main attraction is the river, changing its color - Canyo-Kristales . The park is inhabited by pumas, anteaters, monkeys, deer and 500 species of birds, as well as 100 species of reptiles and 1,200 species of insects. On the territory there are archaeological monuments with pre-Columbian petroglyphs and pictograms.
- Malpelo . Island in the bay of Buenaventura . In the waters live large populations of sharks. From late summer to October, blue and humpback whales come to the shores of the island. The vegetation of the rock island is algae, lichens and some kinds of ferns. Malpelo is an ideal place for diving and snorkeling.
- The Gorgon . The island is of volcanic origin with an area of 26 square kilometers. km. On the east side of it are white beaches, with the western - steep cliffs. On the island there are 10 species of snakes, 7 species of birds, sloths and capuchins. From June to October, migration of humpback whales can be observed.
- Puras . The area of this national park of Colombia is 83 thousand square meters. km. Located in the Andean region, the park is known for its active Puras stratovolcano, over 200 species of orchids and 160 for birds.
- Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Located in the Eastern Cordillera and has an area of 3830 square meters. km. The main attraction of this region is the highest coastal massif with a unique ecosystem. There are many archaeological sites, there is a reserve and an ancient Lost City , which can only be accessed through the wild jungle.
- Tyrone . The park is located off the coast of the Caribbean Sea, its area is 180 square meters. km. In this region there are more than 100 species of animals, 300 birds, more than 400 crustaceans, 700 mollusks. In addition, the park has an excellent beach holiday and dives into a unique coral reef.
- Faralones de Cali. Unique this national park of Colombia make the rivers - they are here 30. In addition, it has more than 300 species of birds, including endemic ones.
- Chiribiquet. It is decorated with a mountain range, in the caves of which preserved the art of primitive people. From the numerous fauna it is possible to distinguish jaguars, hawks, tapirs. In the rivers of the park there are more than 70 species of birds and 2 species of dolphins are found.