Most of Bogotá drinks from this mountain. Chingaza National Park is a block of high páramo, cloud forest and glacial lakes on the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Oriental, where the Andes begin to fall toward the Amazon and Orinoco basins, and it supplies a large share of the capital's water through a series of reservoirs. From the gate the land rises past 3,000 metres into a landscape of tussock grass, peat bogs and frailejones, the silvery, furry-leaved plants that grow nowhere else but the northern Andes and which give the highlands their ghostly look.
Getting there is a good ride in itself. You leave Bogotá climbing through the hills of La Calera and Guasca, past dairy farms, strawberry fields, and cold green pastures, with the road narrowing and going from tarmac to rough surfaces as you gain height. Mist rolls in with little warning, and temperatures can fall to near freezing even at midday, so rain gear and warm layers are essential. The park controls how many people and vehicles may enter, so check the current access rules and any permits before you go, since a long ride up to a locked gate is a poor reward.
What you may see, with patience, includes spectacled bears, which live here in small numbers, along with deer, condors on rare occasions, and a wealth of birds. The lakes were sacred to the Muisca, the people who lived on this plateau before the Spanish, and one of the most famous of them, Lake Guatavita, a short distance away, is tied to the legend of El Dorado, in which a chief covered in gold dust was said to dive into the water as an offering.
Practical matters need advance thinking. The small villages near the park, such as Gama, Junín and Gachalá, have only a couple of thousand people each at most, and Fómeque, the nearest town above five thousand, is a long way off, so fill the tank in Bogotá or La Calera and bring food and water. Weather is wettest from about April to November, and the drier months bring clearer views. Do not ride the mud in the dark.