The "Paramo"

The "paramo"

The zone between 3,000 and 4,500 meters of elevation in the Andes of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and northern Peru, comprise wet and cold environments called Páramos. In these areas, the extreme diurnal variation of sunlight, temperature, humidity, rainfall and wind, produce an unpredictable climate, very hard to live with.

From September to November, the abundant Frailejón, adorns the Páramo with its yellow flowers. During these months, you can enjoy the colorful spring of the Páramo, made up by the Tabacote's lilac flowers; the Chispeador's fucsia and yellow flowers; the blue and white of the Lupinus; the red, green and yellow of the Indian Paintbrush; the yellow shrill of the Saní; the purple of the Sage and the Darnel's reddish hue.

The Andean Condor and the Royal Eagle are the largest birds in the sky. Among the small species, the Paraulata or Siote, the Correporsuelo and the Chivito or Páramo hummingbird, enjoy the cold but sunny mornings. The Rabbit and the Shrew abound, but are not easy to observe.

Living in the Páramo, high in the sky, allows you to walk through the clouds, to be frozen or sunburnt each twenty-four hours due to the low night temperatures or the high radiation during light hours. Enjoying the landscape and surviving the cold with hot chocolate or "calentaíto" while the sunset reflects on the lagoon is a great sensation.