Cañon de las Iguanas

This Sunday we went with one of the 16 walking groups in Bucaramanga through the Cañon de las Iguanas (Canyon of the Iguanas!). The walk starts on the road from Girón to Zapatoca just before it drops down into the Canyon of the Sogamoso river. You can see the GPS track here Wikiloc track of Canyon de las Iguanas

Apart from a few small farms near there top, the canyon is empty of people, and it´s pretty hot so we needed lots of water for this 11.5 km walk. The route drops about 500m and in places the path is very narrow with sheer drops which I hate. Other parts have steep descents (or ascents if you want to suffer more by going the other way). Once along the small river, much of the walk is over large boulders so all-in-all pretty hard work!

The vegetation is mostly desert-type plants with many spines and stings to catch the unwary on the overgrown path. There are several types of cactus, a type of nettle Cnidoscolus urens I think (nettles are called pringamosa or ortiga in Colombia) and many bushes with thorns including uña de gato (cat´s claw) with wicked hooks. The small trees do however provide plenty of shade, just beware of touching anything!

Usually, there isn´t a massive flow of water through this canyon as the area is fairly arid but there are many pools, some are big and deep enough to swim and dive in. The clean swimming holes are an excellent way to cool off from the heat of the canyon. The water is just the right temperature and warm winds can dry you off quickly when you get out. Elena even fell in fully clothed, but not too much harm done apart from a grazed knee and a wet camera, which I think we managed to save. Swimming holes are very popular here and people dive in from impressive heights - rather them than me!

I didn´t see any Iguanas on this walk, just one large lizard. Snakes are common here though we didn't see any this time perhaps because we were in a large group. I didn´t see many interesting birds on this walk though no doubt there are a few there. One species in particular is worth looking for here, the endemic Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia castaneiventris) which is classified as endangered and only occurs in a few places in this part of Colombia. With almost no flowering plants or trees in sight, I didn't have much hope of seeing one. I´ve now been to 4 of their known locations and not seen one yet!

The walk ends as the small river from the canyon joins a larger river which itself then into the big, fast-flowing Sogamoso. The last part of the walk is about a mile or so on a dirt road back to the main road not far from the bridge. This area will soon be flooded by the Hidrosogamoso dam project (about 10 miles downstream on the Sogamoso) in the next year, so perhaps this walk will be lost or at least the final part of the route changed. The construction of a very high new bridge to carry the road to Zapatoca is well underway so things are changing. It will soon be very different. At least the canyon of the iguanas itself will remain. I was a great walk, though tough, and one which I could never have had in Britain.

Underground Zapatoca

 It was yet another holiday in Colombia on Monday and we decided to go back to Zaptoca. It's a small town sitting at about 1500 m between the River Sogamoso and the mountains and national park of the Serrania de los Yariguies. It's only 30km sw of Bucaramanga, but the journey takes nearly two hours even without traffic. Most of the road is paved; good in some places, not so good in others. From Bucaramanga and Girón you have to cross the Sogamoso canyon by descending 500m to the bridge via 15 or so hairpin bends, and then climb even more on the other side!

  The town is pleasantly warm, with typical colonial architecture, such as the Museo Cosmos in the Casa de Ejercicios which has a good restaurant apparently.

  About a mile outside of the town is the Cueva del Nitro, a system of caves that runs for at least 38km. For a small fee you can borrow a head torch and explore on your own. Alternatively you can hire a guide to show you around, which I'd recommend.

 The tunnels are challenging in places, and to see some parts you need to be reasonably fit, agile and not to mention thin! It was warm inside, but muddy and very slippery in places. We got very dirty and collected a few bumps and bruises, especially during the 50m or so crawling on hands and knees. A hard hat would have been a big advantage.

 We asked the guide to show us the cave fish, a trip which takes about 3 hours in total. There are two species of fish, which are supposedly unique to this cave system. I understood they were blind, but they seemed to react to the head-torches. Nearer the cave entrance were cave crickets with enormous antennae which chirped occasionally. It is possible they are unique to these caves too. In addition there was a small tarantula spider and several large bats hanging from the cave roof.

 There are plenty of stalactites, pillars, curtains etc to see, as well as some very attractive crystal covered tunnels.

 The caving was great fun though we were relieved to get back in the open air. On our way out, dirty, sweaty and tired, I came across this small snake (about 25 cm long). At the time, I wasn't at all sure if this is a highly venomous coral snake or a harmless mimic false coral. Since then I've learned the "rule" that all venomous coral snakes have odd numbers of black bands in their pattern, that is, one or three black bands repeated. Most false corals have two or four repeated. Some false corals though do look very similar to real corals. So according to this rule, this snake with two black bands repeated is a false coral. As there are at least 24 species of real coral snakes in Colombia, it pays to be careful and avoid them all anyway.

 After a big steak lunch in El Rancho, a local restaurant with a great view, we finished off our trip by taking a quick visit to the Pozo Ahogado, a popular swimming hole on the other side of town. This is where the 28km Sendero de Lengerke path from Zapatoca to San Vincente starts. We plan to do this walk another time.

Senderos de Lengerke

Geo von Lengerke was a German who emigrated to Santander in 1852 which was then an independent state. From a wealthy family he bought large amounts of land and settled in Zapatoca which is a small colonial town about 30km southwest of Bucaramanga. The town is well worth a visit despite the long journey - the road is good in places but a very bumpy in others. The estates around his haciendas of Montebello and La Florita grew quinine, cocoa and tobacco. Quinine was supposed to make Santander and Lengerke rich, but the price collapsed and his fortune evaporated. 

View of the hills around Zapatoca

He had red, curly hair, which was very unusual in this region, and it still is. It was said that he lived somewhat like a feudal lord. He is rumored to have had many illegitimate children, and anyone with red hair, or blue eyes in Santander, and especially Zapatoca might still be suspected of being one of his descendants. Elena says she knows at least two such red-heads from Zapatoca, so perhaps there is some truth in it. No doubt there were other German colonists in the area at the time so perhaps the legend is due to his more recent fame. Although he died from alcoholism, he wasn't just a colonial playboy. He also met with the local indigenous tribes and produced a small book translating their languages. His life has been dramatized in a book & TV drama called “La otra raya del tigre” or “the tiger's other stripe”.  

Tomb of Geo von Lengerke in Zapatoca, Santander

Von Lengerke left a more solid legacy as a result of his attempts to develop the economy of the region by expanding a network of 700 km of stone pathways and bridges including from Zapatoca to Barrancabermeja on the Magdalena river. The wide paths were built very solidly and some parts of the network have survived. They were well engineered with stone channels to allow the water to run-off in the winter (wet-season). The trails are still sometimes used by locals to move produce by mule and are popular with walkers. The local tourist board are trying to use them as a means to attract more visitors.  

Colonial style courtyard in Zapatoca now a restaurant & museum.

The “Caminos Reales” (paths) which are supposed to be better preserved include:

Los Santos to Jordán Sube. About 5km each way. Descends steeply 850m from the Mesa de Los Santos to the tiny & nearly deserted town of Jordan on the Rio Chicamocha.

Barichara to Guane. About 7.5 km. Descends about 300m from the beautiful town of Barichara to the small pueblo of Guane. This one was declared a national monument.

Zapatoca to San Vincente de Chucurí. About 28 km climbing over the Serranía de los Yariguíes mountains through part of the national park with that name. The route has been restored (at least in part) as a 2 day trip.

Curití to Aratoca.

Around Galán.

We did the first walk on Monday and I'll post pictures of that shortly. We hope to try a few others with a local walking group soon.

These sites have more info in Spanish on some of the trails.

 http://unturporgaln.blogspot.com/2011/05/sus-senderos-y-caminos-reales.html

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=88648462992

There are some GPS tracks on wikiloc for example:

http://es.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=1654879