Serranía de la Macarena, Mountain range in Meta department, Colombia
Serranía de la Macarena is a mountain range in central Colombia's Meta department that runs roughly 120 kilometers from north to south and rises to elevations around 1600 meters. The peaks stand between wide plains and dense rainforest, with numerous rivers cutting through the steep slopes and forming gorges.
The Colombian government declared this area the country's first national nature reserve in 1948. It later gained national park status in 1971.
The range takes its name from an old chapel dedicated to Mary that early settlers built at the foot of the peaks. Along the riverbanks, rock carvings still remain from the people who lived here long before colonial times.
Travelers reach the area by road from Villavicencio to San Juan de Arama or by plane to the settlement of La Macarena. Most visitor routes involve walking through dense forest and require guided hikes with local guides who know the trails and terrain.
Four different ecosystems meet here: the Andes, the Amazon basin, the Orinoco region, and the Guiana Shield. This rare overlap creates an exceptional diversity of plants and animals not found together anywhere else.
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