20th.January, Paramo tour
The following morning I was with the same young man again, this time for the Paramo tour. Paramo being the type of vegetation at the top of the ridge at 3000m, which is just above the treeline. We reached almost to the highest point, Cerro de la Muerte3491m, but it was not really a hike since we drove most of the way. The mountain is so called because the high ridge presented a major obstacle to early settlers and some died in the attempt to cross it. Unfortunately there were very few birds or other wildlife to be seen and it was basically a botanical excursion. One Orchid and some Bromeliads could be seen in the trees next to the road and higher up there were again some plants known from European gardens such Hypericum and various Lichens and Ferns. There were however also fine views to be enjoyed of the distant coastlines on both the Caribbean and Pacific sides.