Colombia · South America
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
An isolated coastal massif with more than 20 endemic birds.
When to go
- JanJanuary: Best
- FebFebruary: Best
- MarMarch: Best
- AprApril: Poor or no data
- MayMay: Poor or no data
- JunJune: Good
- JulJuly: Good
- AugAugust: Good
- SepSeptember: Poor or no data
- OctOctober: Poor or no data
- NovNovember: Poor or no data
- DecDecember: Best
BestGoodFair
The road to the ridge needs a 4×4.
Why go
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (English: Snow-Covered Mountain Range of Saint Martha) is an isolated mountain range in northern Colombia, separate from the Andes range that runs through the north of the country. Reaching an elevation of 5,700 m (18,700 ft) just 42 km (26 mi) from the Caribbean coast, the Sierra Nevada is the highest coastal range in the tropics, and one of the highest coastal ranges in the world, being 250 metres (820 ft) shorter than the Saint Elias Mountains in Canada. The Sierra Nevada encompasses about 17,000 km2 (6,600 sq mi) and serves as the source of 36 rivers. The range is in the Departments of Magdalena, Cesar and La Guajira.
The highest point of the Sierra Nevada group (and Colombia in general) may be either Pico Cristóbal Colón or Pico Simón Bolívar, both in the municipalities of Santa Marta and Aracataca; it has yet to be determined which is higher.
Background from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
