The Best Ecotours to Take From Bogotá

One of Colombia’s most important National Parks is located just alongside Bogotá and is an easy day-trip from the capital. With stunning paramo landscapes, Andean lakes, and a wealth of unique wildlife – including the rare and beautiful Spectacled Bear – Chingaza is one of the best places to visit from Bogotá to really get into nature.

This lovely forest south of Bogotá is a great place to combine a hike in nature with a tour of a coffee farm, and even a visit to ancient Indigenous petroglyphs. Andes Ecotours offer an excellent day-trip to the reserve, and you can learn all about local coffee growing processes, enjoy the sight of the ancient and mysterious petroglyphs, and look for beautiful endemic birds like the Turquoise Dacnis at the same time.

Colombia’s highest waterfall is located in a gorgeous and well-preserved cloud forest less than two hours from the city. It’s a fairly easy hike and a popular day-trip from Bogotá, and you can observe beautiful birds – including Toucans and Trogons – as well as orchids and a variety of unique plants and trees during the hike.

Another important Colombian National Park, Sumapaz has the distinction of being the largest paramo ecosystem in the world. The vast landscapes might seem desolate from a distance, but they are full of life, and a hike in Sumapaz can reward visitors with amazing views of eagles, hummingbirds, deer, and even bears.

This beautifully preserved cloud forest natural park just a couple of hours south of Bogotá is one of the top ecotourism destinations in the region and spending the day hiking through the woods is a real nature lover’s dream – with wild sloths, toucans, hummingbirds, and many more species of bird and animal, it feels like another world after spending time in Bogotá!

You don’t even need to go outside of Bogotá to enjoy some lovely wildlife-watching opportunities – the wetlands and parks of the city are home to endemic bird species like the Bogotá Rail and Apolinar’s Wren, and even wild guinea pigs! The aforementioned tour agency Andes Ecotours have a special Bogotá Wetlands tour that will allow you to appreciate rare Colombian wildlife without even having to leave the city.