5 day circuit around the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy was isolated by Andean standards. Not even farms round the back of the range giving way to some pretty stunning scenery. Made a really bad decision to join up with a local guide half way and the poor Aussie he was dragging through the trek. My advice is DONT USE GUIDES IN LATIN AMERICA!! Never before, never again. I´d make an exception for the jungle though... This guy, Jose, spent hours each day trying to change our agreed route so he could call his girlfriend (poor girl) early, would yawn loudly and constantly if he woke in the night, doubled the price of the trip for said poor Aussie and constantly lied and contradicted himself about the dangers of the passes to get us over them which were all a doddle minus the altitude and maybe some extreme weather. Kinda like being dragged through the mountains by a moaning 8 year old! OK, you can tell this guy annoyed me, Jose the wonderful guide aside this is one the prettiest places I've ever been, maybe the prettiest.
Just follow the signs. Not that you´d have topograghic maps at the rather large ranger station in one of the most isolated parks in South America but the track was very good most of the way.
I made a whole artice for it here. http://www.summitpost.org/sierra-nevada-del-cocuy/555612Bucaramanga
Will spend a fair of my Colombian time going to and from this place. It´s a bit of a paragliding mecca.
