Los Nevados National Natural Park
🇨🇴 Colombia
Central Andes, Colombia 1411 spp. recorded
Los Nevados is Colombia's flagship high-Andean park — snow-capped volcanoes, glacial valleys and vast frailejón páramo between Manizales and Pereira. Over 70,000 visitors a year come for its dramatic scenery and world-class Andean birding.
4.748° N 75.429° W
🦜 Nature
576 Species sighted
171,754 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 570 more species with insufficient data
Recent sightings in Los Nevados National Natural Park
LIVEiNaturalistSounds of Los Nevados National Natural Park
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
30Jan
33Feb
33Mar
31Apr
39May
29Jun
32Jul
34Aug
30Sep
34Oct
33Nov
33Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Hotel Termales del Ruíz
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Shining Sunbeam~70%+30%
Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager~70%+20%
Great Sapphirewing~70%+30%
Great Thrush~60%-10%
Golden-breasted Puffleg~60%+30%
Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager~50%+10%
Pale-naped Brush-Finch~50%+10%
Rufous-collared Sparrow~50%-30%
Brown-bellied Swallow~50%≈
Buff-winged Starfrontlet~50%+20%
Viridian Metaltail~40%+10%
Golden-fronted Redstart~40%≈
-
Parque Regional Ucumari · El Cedral
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Cordillera central tree frog~60%+50%
Northern Cordilleras Robber Frog~60%+50%
Boettger's Colombian Tree Frog~50%+40%
Colombian Red Howler Monkey~50%+40%
Cachabi Robber Frog~50%+40%
Stripe-throated Rocket Frog~50%+40%
Palmer's Robber Frog~50%+40%- Rufous-collared Sparrow~40%-30%
Speckled Anole~40%+10%
Derby's Woolly Opossum~40%+30%
Highland Eyelash-Pitviper~40%+30%
-
Finca Cortaderal
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- Great Thrush~80%+10%
- Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager~70%+30%
- Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager~70%+30%
- Golden-fronted Redstart~70%+20%
- Rufous-collared Sparrow~60%-20%
- Brown-bellied Swallow~60%+20%
- Buff-winged Starfrontlet~50%+20%
- Pale-naped Brush-Finch~20%-10%
- Viridian Metaltail~10%-30%
- Golden-breasted Puffleg~10%-30%
- Shining Sunbeam<5%-40%
- Great Sapphirewing<5%-40%
-
Valle del Cocora
-
Centro de Visitantes Brisas (4138msnm)
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Buffy Helmetcrest~70%+40%- Rufous-collared Sparrow~50%-30%
- Great Thrush~50%-20%
- Pale-naped Brush-Finch~30%-10%
- Viridian Metaltail~30%≈
Tawny Antpitta~30%≈- Brown-bellied Swallow~30%-10%
Andean Condor~10%≈- Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager~10%-40%
- Shining Sunbeam<5%-40%
- Golden-breasted Puffleg<5%-30%
- Great Sapphirewing<5%-30%
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
High
Typical stay
1–2
daysTrails
Hard
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Moderate
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
ExcellentHow rich is the wildlife?
5.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 922
🐒 Mammals 271
🦎 Reptiles 148
🐸 Amphibians 70
1411 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
63 Threatened 139 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
1.9
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
47% 📊
Coverage (182 species at ≥5% of 1411 in the inventory)
13% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (11 bird, 1 reptile)
20% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
145 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
2 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
7 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
2.5
Climate Harsh Low
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism High Low
Trails Hard Low
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
We picked up several birds that we didn’t see anywhere else on the trip, including Gray-headed Dove, Golden-collared Manakin, Cocoa Thrush and the endemic Parker’s Antbird, as well as excellent views of Andean Motmot and a pair of Spectacled Parrotlets at a nest hole.
We moved eastwards towards the imposing Los Nevados National Park, where several volcanoes reach high above 4000 m in elevation.
The volcano is one of several volcanos in Los Nevados National Natural Park, where we would be going the next day.
Our route will then take us 6 to 8 hours up to the Paramillo del Quindio (4,750 m), an inactive volcano located on the south of Parque Nacional Los Nevados.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Los Nevados National Natural Park?
1,411 species
Los Nevados National Natural Park has 1,411 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Rufous-collared Sparrow (about 80%), Great Thrush (about 70%), Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager (about 50%), Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager (about 50%) and Shining Sunbeam (about 40%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Andean Tapir (about 30%); among reptiles, Speckled Anole (about 40%); among amphibians, Cordillera central tree frog (about 20%).
When is the best time to visit Los Nevados National Natural Park for wildlife?
January–July, September and November
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 50% on a given day, against about 40% in August, October and December.
Can you see an Andean Condor in Los Nevados National Natural Park?
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Andean Condor sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, based on 586 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April and June–February (about 10%). Sightings take luck and time in the field.
Can you see a Great Sapphirewing in Los Nevados National Natural Park?
Yes
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Great Sapphirewing sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, based on 2,455 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June–August and October–February (about 40%).
Can you see a Tawny Antpitta in Los Nevados National Natural Park?
Yes
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny Antpitta sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, based on 2,655 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May (about 50%).
Can you see a Buffy Helmetcrest in Los Nevados National Natural Park?
Yes
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Buffy Helmetcrest sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, based on 1,996 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is September (about 40%).
Where in Los Nevados National Natural Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Hotel Termales del Ruíz
The richest sighting zone is around Hotel Termales del Ruíz, followed by Parque Regional Ucumari · El Cedral and Finca Cortaderal, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Los Nevados National Natural Park good for wildlife watching?
2.9 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Los Nevados National Natural Park rates 2.9/5: 299th of 316 parks worldwide and 35th in South America. 12 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
