Valle Cocora

The big draw here in these parts is the Valle de Cocora, a park high up in the cloud forest where you can witness the amazing wax palms. The valley of Cocora is regarded by Colombians as the cradle of the Wax Palm (Colombia´s national tree).

These trees stand 200 feet up in the air, with their fronds above the cloud line. You can appreciate how tall they are when you notice the rest of the forest that stands far below them. They live about 120 years.

The fun part is the getting there. We were told you have to take a jeep from town (about $1.50 each) because the road conditions change daily due to the rains. There is no limit to how many passengers this small jeep will pick up, and by the end of the ride there is likely to be a few people on top.

We actually could have made it in Red Beard on the day we went. We wished we did, we forget how lucky we are that we don’t have to wait around for transportation.

There is great hiking here. The shortest, at an hour seemed doable in the mud with Bode. However, there was a playground. And a trout farm where we could feed the fish.

There are actually two stunning campsites here – not mentioned in any book or by anyone we talked with. Next time, we will drive.