Monday, January 30, 2017

Traveling: Parque Arví - Hiking Through Colombia`s Rain Forest

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - As you could see in my recent posts, my wife and I are traveling in Colombia. Yesterday we used the occasion to explore Colombia`s gorgeous  nature. We attended a guided hike (only in Spanish) through the Parque Arví  ( Arví Park  wikipedia ). This is both an ecological nature preserve and Pre-Hispanic archeological site. It covers 16,000 hectares, 1,760 of which are in the state of natural forests.



 

We took the Line L on the Medellín Metro till  Arví station, where there is a direct link to the metrocables that go upwards to the park. We transferred to the cable car (same ticket) which brought us half way up  on one of the mountains. At the terminal station we transferred to another cable car (needs another ticket) which brought us on the top of this mountain, a flat plateau covered with a subtropical rain forest. The cable car went partly above the jungle and we could see the untouched rain forest below us.




 

At the cable car station there was a toruistic place with some tents and cabins where we signed in for the 4 hours hike. It was easy to walk on the well developed footpath through the thick vegetation. I indulged in the thick subtropical flora, an orgy in green.









The green mosh is another signal of the lush plant life in a climate of "eternal spring" (temperatures do´t fall below 60F/12 C over the year).




                            Lonely Orchid 

 

 


We could even spot a lonely orchid.






Our target were two lagoons, partly man made, which looked a bit like swamps but one of these water places was used by the local youth anyway. One point offered a view onto sprawling Medellin deep below. Thanks to the higher altitude the air was much cooler than in the city which made the hike even more pleasant. Fortunately there were not many mosquitoes and the nature stayed friendly and calm.




We were escorted by police on horses, two men & one woman - a part of the intense official security system which keeps Medellin friendly, calm & safe. Muchas gracias.









If you are visiting Medellin this hike is highly recommended!

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