photo by Ltshears via Creative Commons
If there’s truly a fountain of youth out there waiting to be discovered, it’s going to be located in the Chingaza Natural National Park in Colombia. Comprised of several ecosystems that kiss the clouds, these páramos are home to a variety of strange and stunningly gorgeous flora and fauna. And with six trails within the park to choose from, including the Suasie in the Monterredondo sector , you’re guaranteed to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
photo by Aizquier via Creative Commons
Muisca People and the Trails
Aside from the Suasie trail, the park offers the Cuchillas de Siecha, Lagunas de Buitrago, Laguna Seca, Las Plantas del Camino-Laguna de Chingaza and the Lagunas de Siecha ecotourism trails. But the Suasie stands special amongst the rest as the ancient Muisca people dubbed this particular area as the house of the gods.
The Muisca people are the ancient pagan tribe that lived in this area long, long ago. They worshipped the sun and the moon and had many ceremonies connecting themselves back to the earth and mother nature. They would worship the lakes, the mountains and the rocks but their most revered shrine was called the Temple of the Sun.
Destroyed by Spanish conquistadors, the Temple of the Sun was a place for worship and human and animal sacrifice. Young boys would sing hymns to the sun god and were recruited at a young age to become priests in the temple. As they reached middle age, they themselves would be sacrificed to the sun god one-by-one. Avid followers would also bring vases resembling snakes, lizards and birds filled with emeralds and gold to the temple as offerings.
A fascinating tribal history paired with the beauty of the modern day beauty of the Suasie trail is sure to make your trek a once in a lifetime experience.
photo by Ltshears via Creative Commons
What You’ll See
There’s no shortage of the amazing animals and plants that you’ll see you on the trek. Deer pepper the trail and a sighting is pretty much guaranteed. You may also catch sight of a spectacled bear if you’re lucky as well as tapirs, pumas, ocelots, toucans, Andean condors, monkeys and many more.
You’ll also see over eight species of peat moss and the iconic frailejones which keep the soil fertile and play a huge role in getting water down to the local towns. Stunning orchids, bromeliads and other exotic plants are also very prevalent in the area and your Colombian guide will point them out to you along the way.
Let’s Go!
So if you’re looking to boost your hiking game and discover an area that’s truly amazing with an equally rich cultural history with unmatched biodiversity, the Chingaza Suasie day hike is the perfect adventure tour for you.