LAKE OTÚN

In this post, you will find all the information that you as a traveler should take into consideration when you visit. Lake Otún. Moreover, we will share some important information and advice that will help you prevent altitude sickness.

👉 If you want to take this trip, you can click here 🏔️

IN THIS POST, YOU CAN FIND ALL THE INFORMATION CONCERNING LAKE OTÚN:

• Interesting facts about Lake Otún
• How to get to Lake Otún?
• Tours to Lake Otún
• Entrance fees to Lake Otún
• Final recommendations to visit Lake Otún
• Available lodgings near to Lake Otún
• Alternative hiking routes in Pereira

without any further ado, let the adventure begins ⛰.

[ Ver este post en español 🇨🇴]

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT LAKE OTÚN

Lake Otún is a natural reservoir located in the Risaralda department, specifically at Los Nevados National Natural Park.Lake Otún has an extension of 0.9320 miles and 3.28 inches deep.

Moreover, Lake Otún was formed by volcanic and glacial action, mostly caused by the melting of Nevado Santa Isabel. In the past, Lake Otún had been venerated by the ancient Quimbaya tribe. Nowadays, it has a significant value as Lake Otún supplies and nourishes Pereira.

VIDEO ABOUT THE ROUTE TO LAKE OTÚN

Now, we are going to show a short video about Lake Otún, where we will show some locations that you will see during this tour.

Do not forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here

HOW TO GET TO LAKE OTÚN?

There are several ways to access Lake Otún, some of them are longer than others. So, we will describe the most popular.

• Route Cedral(Pereira)-Lake Otún: For this route, you will need to walk three days. We want to clarify that all the roads will be in constant inclination until you reach Lake Otún. If we mentioned that, you would go from 6233.5 inches up to 13779.5 inches. Altogether, it will be 11.8 miles on this route.

• Pereira-Otún Lake (4x4 vehicle) To take this route, you have to board a 4-wheeler drive car or jeep with a tourist agency. The road takes about 4 hours to reach the entrance to the snow park, and from there you will need to walk about 4 additional hours. This is the option of the road we will explain in detail in this post.

PEREIRA TO LAKE OTÚN (JEEP 4X4)

The trip started at 4:00 in the morning from the city of Pereira, where we boarded the vehicle of the tourist agency which we had previously booked. After a few minutes of waiting, we started our journey towards Lake Otún.

As we walked toward Lake Otun, the road became harder to travel. Somewhere along the road, we had to get out of the car to be able to cross these parts of the road, which were very marshy. Also, we were able to see a few bikes that were in various problems trying to cross these swampy roads.

After 4 hours departing from Pereira, we finally arrived at the entrance of Lake Otún. Once there, we took time for breakfast. Suddenly, we were given a brief introduction to Los Nevados National Natural Park by certified guides who mentioned the importance of taking care of these ecosystems. After that, we started our 3.1-mile hike alongside the guide and an environmental interpreter.

Recommendation: We would like to point out that you will not be able to find public transportation here. And, when winter comes, the road may become impossible to cross. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you go with drivers who are familiar with this kind of road in order to get to Lake Otún safely.

ENTRANCE FEE TO LAKE OTÚN 🎟️

• Entrance fee to Lake Otún- Updated 2023 🎟: For over 5 years and under 25, the ticket fee is $9,500 pesos, while for over 25 years, the ticket fee is $19,500 COP. For foreigners, the entrance fee is $54,000 COP per person.

• Medical and rescue insurance ⛑: Keep in mind that it is mandatory to access to any natural park in the country, and its cost is around $7,500 COP per day. So, if you intend to camp, you should purchase it depending on how many days you will be there. And this must be bought previusoly.

⚠️ Remember that: Persons over 70 and under 5 years of age are not entitled to enter.

Now, we will describe all the features included on a tour to Lake Otún.

TOURS TO LAKE OTÚN (One-day journey) 🧳

The tour begins at 4:00 A.M from the city of Pereira, and you will be back to Pereira around 5:00 P.M. In this one-day journey, you just get to a specific area called La Asomadera or Mirador Potosí. The entrance fee to access Lake Otún can vary depending on the number of persons who are going to take the tour.

Tours to Lake Otún include:

• 🥨 breakfast
• 🍝 lunch
• 🚙 transportation on a 4-wheel drive car (Jeep)
• 🎟️ access to the Natural Park
• 👨 local guide and medical insurance

To see group outings to Laguna del Otún, click here 👈 .

Are there any scheduled dates for the group outings which fits you better? Please, let us your information, and you will be contacted sooner, 📄 fill out this contact format 👉 click here ..

ROUTE TO LAKE OTÚN 🚶‍♂️

In this post, we will also show you the itinerary that we covered on our way to Lake Otú. Firstly, we started our trip from the entrance to Parque los Nevados, where we paid the access fee until the place known as Mirador de Potosí. This place is the place in which all the travelers arrive when they are heading to Lake Otún. After that, we will share other places. Not further ado, we are going to explain the trip to this magic place.

ASOMADERA OR MIRADOR DE POTOSÍ (ONE-DAY JOURNEY)

After a long trip on our vehicle previously booked with the tour agency, we arrived at La Posada Campesina known as Hostal Campo Alegre located 12631.2 inches above the sea level where we had a small breakfast. As we described at the beginning of this post, we received a short introductory talk about the importance of caring for our páramos and all the ecosystems present in this zone.

Afterward, we started our way towards the place called La Asomadera or Mirador de Potosí. To reach this place, it took us 3 hours approximately by walking throughout amazing landscapes full of frailejones and magical views that we are completely sure, those views will impressive you a lot. The trip lasted around 3 hours to 3 hours at maximum.

Once we reached El Mirador de Potosí, many people of our hiking group experienced dizziness and vomiting due to El Mirador de Potosí is at 13779.52 inches above the sea level; that is why, we suggest you to check our following post [ What is the altitude sickness about? ]

IMAGES OF LAKE OTÚN FROM LA ASOMADERA OR MIRADOR DE POTOSÍ

Recommendation: Mirador de Potosí is the checkpoint in which you will arrive when you are taking the One-day journey pass.

A little further down El Mirador de Potosí, we found the next reference checkpoint that we are going to explain.

BOSQUE DE FRAILEJONES

To reach this place from El Mirador de Potosí, it took us 1 hour to get to this outstanding place, in which we could have a wide view of Lake Otún in the middle of the Frailejones.

FOREST RANGER’S HOUSE IN THE LAKE OTÚN (CAMPING AREA)

We continued walking from El Bosque de Frailejones for 3 hours, crossing a road in which some parts lacked signs where it is extremely easy to get lost.

On the road, we passed through a place called La Azufrera, and it is very popular by emanating steam from the rocks. Some stories from natives tell that in this place 2 persons died by inhaling the steam during all the night which La Azufrera emanates constantly ♨️.

After passing La Azufrera and a couple of cliffs and lakes, we finally arrived at Lake Otún.

Advise: Keep in mind if you decide to camp, you should bring: tent, sleeping bag, and stove since campfires are not allowed there. In addition, remember that the temperatures could drop to 32 Fahrenheit.

LAGOON OF THE SILENCE

Next day, we got up earlier to visit a lake known as ‘’Laguna del Silencio’’. On the road, we could admire the beautiful landscapes full of frailejones framed with background view of El Parammillo de Santa Rosa🗻. To get to this lake, we had to walk 2 hours from Lake Otún.

In this lake, you could enjoy of peace and quiet 🧘‍♂️.

MAP OF LAKE OTÚN

Now, we will share the map of the route we covered at Lake Otún walking for: Lake Otún’s entrance, Mirador de Potosí, Bosque de Frailejones, Forest ranger’s home, and Laguna del Silencio.

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS TO VISIT LAKE OTÚN

• Take into account that roads are under bad conditions, so, it is recommended that the person who drives the car has experience on this kind of road.

• The access to Parque los Nevados is restricted to persons: over 70 years and under 5 years or people with heart disease.

• It is not allowed to be accessed with pets, neither fishing.

• Remember to bring water to be hydrated during the trip in order to avoid the bad-known Altitude Sickness.

• Bring waterproof tent since it is a place where the rain and winds are quite strong

LODGINGS NEAR TO LAKE OTÚN 🛌

Take into account that near to Lake Otún you will not find many available lodging options. So, what many travelers do is to arrive a day before to Pereira and enjoy 1 day in the city, and the next day, the one-day journey will be starting.

Thereby, we will show you some lodging options that you could consider to book in Pereira

VENTIUNA HOTEL Y COLIVING

The Ventiuna Hotel and Living is located in Pereira, 0.9 miles from Plaza Bolívar de Pereira and 1.5 miles from Parque Botánico de Pereira. The hotel has a garden, and it is situated near to several famous places, for example: 1640.4 inches from Museo del Arte, 0.9 miles from Monumento los Fundadores and 1.1 miles from Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Pobreza. It has a 24 hours-open-reception, transportation service, shared-chicken and free internet connection.

You can click here 👉 for bookings

ALTERNATIVE HIKING ROUTES IN PEREIRA

Here, we will share some hiking routes in Pereira to enjoy natural places such as waterfalls, viewpoints or places to do bird-watching near to Pereira.

• Estación Pereira
• Alto del Nudo
• Chorros de Don Lolo

This is the end of the route to Lake Otún. Do not forget to follow us on our social networks to know more places like this 👉 Instagram and YouTube.

layout: trail title: LAKE OTÚN categories: colombia seo_title: Lake Otún in Colombia Tour | Update 2023 excerpt: The Lake Otún is one of the largest lakes in Colombia, located in los Nevados National natural Park in Colombia, near to Risaralda, Caldas and Quindio. images_url: /images/rutas/risaralda/lake-otun viewranger: author: manuel trending: true

LAKE OTÚN

In this post, you will find all the information that you as a traveler should take into consideration when you visit. Lake Otún. Moreover, we will share some important information and advice that will help you prevent altitude sickness.

👉 If you want to take this trip, you can click here

IN THIS POST, YOU CAN FIND ALL THE INFORMATION CONCERNING LAKE OTÚN:

• Interesting facts about Lake Otún
• How to get to Lake Otún?
• Tours to Lake Otún
• Entrance fees to Lake Otún
• Final recommendations to visit Lake Otún
• Available lodgings near to Lake Otún
• Alternative hiking routes in Pereira

without any further ado, let the adventure begins ⛰.

[ See this post in English version 🇺🇸]

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT LAKE OTÚN

Lake Otún is a natural reservoir located in the Risaralda department, specifically at Los Nevados National Natural Park.Lake Otún has an extension of 0.9320 miles and 3.28 inches deep.

Moreover, Lake Otún was formed by volcanic and glacial action, mostly caused by the melting of Nevado Santa Isabel. In the past, Lake Otún had been venerated by the ancient Quimbaya tribe. Nowadays, it has a significant value as Lake Otún supplies and nourishes Pereira.

VIDEO ABOUT THE ROUTE TO LAKE OTÚN

Now, we are going to show a short video about Lake Otún, where we will show some locations that you will see during this tour.

Do not forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking here

HOW TO GET TO LAKE OTÚN?

There are several ways to access Lake Otún, some of them are longer than others. So, we will describe the most popular.

• Route Cedral(Pereira)-Lake Otún: For this route, you will need to walk three days. We want to clarify that all the roads will be in constant inclination until you reach Lake Otún. If we mentioned that, you would go from 6233.5 inches up to 13779.5 inches. Altogether, it will be 11.8 miles on this route.

• Pereira-Otún Lake (4x4 vehicle) To take this route, you have to board a 4-wheeler drive car or jeep with a tourist agency. The road takes about 4 hours to reach the entrance to the snow park, and from there you will need to walk about 4 additional hours. This is the option of the road we will explain in detail in this post.

PEREIRA TO LAKE OTÚN (JEEP 4X4)

The trip started at 4:00 in the morning from the city of Pereira, where we boarded the vehicle of the tourist agency which we had previously booked. After a few minutes of waiting, we started our journey towards Lake Otún.

As we walked toward Lake Otun, the road became harder to travel. Somewhere along the road, we had to get out of the car to be able to cross these parts of the road, which were very marshy. Also, we were able to see a few bikes that were in various problems trying to cross these swampy roads.

After 4 hours departing from Pereira, we finally arrived at the entrance of Lake Otún. Once there, we took time for breakfast. Suddenly, we were given a brief introduction to Los Nevados National Natural Park by certified guides who mentioned the importance of taking care of these ecosystems. After that, we started our 3.1-mile hike alongside the guide and an environmental interpreter.

Recommendation: We would like to point out that you will not be able to find public transportation here. And, when winter comes, the road may become impossible to cross. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you go with drivers who are familiar with this kind of road in order to get to Lake Otún safely.

ENTRANCE FEE TO LAKE OTÚN 🎟️

• Entrance fee to Lake Otún- Updated 2023 🎟: For over 5 years and under 25, the ticket fee is $9,500 pesos, while for over 25 years, the ticket fee is $19,500 COP. For foreigners, the entrance fee is $54,000 COP per person.

• Medical and rescue insurance ⛑: Keep in mind that it is mandatory to access to any natural park in the country, and its cost is around $7,500 COP per day. So, if you intend to camp, you should purchase it depending on how many days you will be there. And this must be bought previusoly.

⚠️ Remember that: Persons over 70 and under 5 years of age are not entitled to enter.

Now, we will describe all the features included on a tour to Lake Otún.

TOURS TO LAKE OTÚN (One-day journey) 🧳

The tour begins at 4:00 A.M from the city of Pereira, and you will be back to Pereira around 5:00 P.M. In this one-day journey, you just get to a specific area called La Asomadera or Mirador Potosí. The entrance fee to access Lake Otún can vary depending on the number of persons who are going to take the tour.

Tours to Lake Otún include:

• 🥨 breakfast
• 🍝 lunch
• 🚙 transportation on a 4-wheel drive car (Jeep)
• 🎟️ access to the Natural Park
• 👨 local guide and medical insurance

To see group outings to Laguna del Otún, click here 👈 .

Are there any scheduled dates for the group outings which fits you better? Please, let us your information, and you will be contacted sooner, 📄 fill out this contact format 👉 click here ..

ROUTE TO LAKE OTÚN 🚶‍♂️

In this post, we will also show you the itinerary that we covered on our way to Lake Otú. Firstly, we started our trip from the entrance to Parque los Nevados, where we paid the access fee until the place known as Mirador de Potosí. This place is the place in which all the travelers arrive when they are heading to Lake Otún. After that, we will share other places. Not further ado, we are going to explain the trip to this magic place.

ASOMADERA OR MIRADOR DE POTOSÍ (ONE-DAY JOURNEY)

After a long trip on our vehicle previously booked with the tour agency, we arrived at La Posada Campesina known as Hostal Campo Alegre located 12631.2 inches above the sea level where we had a small breakfast. As we described at the beginning of this post, we received a short introductory talk about the importance of caring for our páramos and all the ecosystems present in this zone.

Afterward, we started our way towards the place called La Asomadera or Mirador de Potosí. To reach this place, it took us 3 hours approximately by walking throughout amazing landscapes full of frailejones and magical views that we are completely sure, those views will impressive you a lot. The trip lasted around 3 hours to 3 hours at maximum.

Once we reached El Mirador de Potosí, many people of our hiking group experienced dizziness and vomiting due to El Mirador de Potosí is at 13779.52 inches above the sea level; that is why, we suggest you to check our following post [ What is the altitude sickness about? ]

IMAGES OF LAKE OTÚN FROM LA ASOMADERA OR MIRADOR DE POTOSÍ

Recommendation: Mirador de Potosí is the checkpoint in which you will arrive when you are taking the One-day journey pass.

A little further down El Mirador de Potosí, we found the next reference checkpoint that we are going to explain.

BOSQUE DE FRAILEJONES

To reach this place from El Mirador de Potosí, it took us 1 hour to get to this outstanding place, in which we could have a wide view of Lake Otún in the middle of the Frailejones.

FOREST RANGER’S HOUSE IN THE LAKE OTÚN (CAMPING AREA)

We continued walking from El Bosque de Frailejones for 3 hours, crossing a road in which some parts lacked signs where it is extremely easy to get lost.

On the road, we passed through a place called La Azufrera, and it is very popular by emanating steam from the rocks. Some stories from natives tell that in this place 2 persons died by inhaling the steam during all the night which La Azufrera emanates constantly ♨️.

After passing La Azufrera and a couple of cliffs and lakes, we finally arrived at Lake Otún.

Advise: Keep in mind if you decide to camp, you should bring: tent, sleeping bag, and stove since campfires are not allowed there. In addition, remember that the temperatures could drop to 32 Fahrenheit.

LAGOON OF THE SILENCE

Next day, we got up earlier to visit a lake known as ‘’Laguna del Silencio’’. On the road, we could admire the beautiful landscapes full of frailejones framed with background view of El Parammillo de Santa Rosa🗻. To get to this lake, we had to walk 2 hours from Lake Otún.

In this lake, you could enjoy of peace and quiet 🧘‍♂️.

MAP OF LAKE OTÚN

Now, we will share the map of the route we covered at Lake Otún walking for: Lake Otún’s entrance, Mirador de Potosí, Bosque de Frailejones, Forest ranger’s home, and Laguna del Silencio.

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS TO VISIT LAKE OTÚN

• Take into account that roads are under bad conditions, so, it is recommended that the person who drives the car has experience on this kind of road.

• The access to Parque los Nevados is restricted to persons: over 70 years and under 5 years or people with heart disease.

• It is not allowed to be accessed with pets, neither fishing.

• Remember to bring water to be hydrated during the trip in order to avoid the bad-known Altitude Sickness.

• Bring waterproof tent since it is a place where the rain and winds are quite strong

LODGINGS NEAR TO LAKE OTÚN 🛌

Take into account that near to Lake Otún you will not find many available lodging options. So, what many travelers do is to arrive a day before to Pereira and enjoy 1 day in the city, and the next day, the one-day journey will be starting.

Thereby, we will show you some lodging options that you could consider to book in Pereira

VENTIUNA HOTEL Y COLIVING

The Ventiuna Hotel and Living is located in Pereira, 0.9 miles from Plaza Bolívar de Pereira and 1.5 miles from Parque Botánico de Pereira. The hotel has a garden, and it is situated near to several famous places, for example: 1640.4 inches from Museo del Arte, 0.9 miles from Monumento los Fundadores and 1.1 miles from Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Pobreza. It has a 24 hours-open-reception, transportation service, shared-chicken and free internet connection.

You can click here 👉 for bookings

ALTERNATIVE HIKING ROUTES IN PEREIRA

Here, we will share some hiking routes in Pereira to enjoy natural places such as waterfalls, viewpoints or places to do bird-watching near to Pereira.

• Estación Pereira
• Alto del Nudo
• Chorros de Don Lolo

This is the end of the route to Lake Otún. Do not forget to follow us on our social networks to know more places like this 👉 Instagram and YouTube.