A Rich Natural Heritage

Colombia is home the biggest wildlife and plant diversity in the world.

There are jaguars, ocelots, peccaries, tapirs, deer, armadillos, many species of monkeys as well as the very rare spectacled bear (or jucumari).

From the great Andean condor to the tiny hummingbird, there are more than 1 550 birds species.

Just as rich, the marine fauna includes the fierce piranha and the electric eel.

The botanical gardens gather more than 130,000 plants, including the Victoria Amazonica, a kind of giant water lily that has big and solid enough leaves to carry the weight of a child.

(Below: Caiman in the Colombian Llanos; The Wildlife in the Llanos)

Protected sites

The country counts 33 national parcs, 6 small Fauna and Flaura sanctuaries, 2 national reserves, and a unique natural area. All these preserved regions represent 7.9 % of the territory.

  • Amacayacu national park (Amazona)
  • Chingaza national park (Cundimarca)
  • Cocuy national park (Boyaca)
  • Los Flamencos sanctuary (La Guajira)
  • Macuira national park (La Guajira)
  • Purace National Park (Cauca)
  • Corales del Rosario y de San Bernardo National Park (Caribbean)
  • Gorgona National Park (Pacific)
  • Iguaque Sanctuary (Boyaca)
  • Los Nevados National Park (Coffee Region)
  • Malpelo Sanctuary (Pacific)
  • Otun Quimbaya Sanctuary (Coffee Region)
  • Utria National Park (Pacific)
  • Sierra Nevada Santa Marta National Park(Caribbean)

For a complete list and more detailed information, visit the official website: Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia.

If you have a preference for a specific site, an interest in a particular animal or plant species, please let us know!