off the beaten track trip to Termales del Ruiz

My trip to the only hotel near los Nevados National Park

When planning my trip to Colombia’s famous coffee region, the Zona Cafetera / Eje Cafetero (coffee triangle), I did not initially think of visiting
hotel Termales del Ruiz
, a hotel 3,500 meters above sea level near the still active volcano Nevado del Ruiz.

More I thought about…. tour a coffee plantation, spend the night in a coffee finca and most importantly drink many cups of the delicious “black gold” …

But, as I was doing some surfing on the site of
booking.com
, the hotel immediately caught my attention.
Hotel Termales del Ruiz
 is a former ski resort and the only hotel near
los Nevados National Park
. The location in a nature reserve and the 2 thermal pools made the hotel completely attractive!

The exciting idea of staying so close to the active volcano Nevado del Ruiz did not let me go and when I read that I could book a day trip to the park from the hotel, I was sold and booked 3 nights.

Thus my itinerary in the coffee triangle was complete: flight from Bogotá to Pereira, on to Hotel Hacienda Combia in Calarcá, after this via
Santa Rosa de Cabal
to Hotel Termales del Ruiz and flying back via Manizales to
Bogotá
.

After our visit to the
Anato
 -tourism fair in Bogotá and a few wonderful days at the coffee inca in Calarcá, we continued our journey to Santa Rosa de Cabal, starting point for the trip to Termales del Ruiz.

From Santa Rosa de Cabal, my travel companion was going back to Curaçao and I would continue traveling on my own. Nearly a severe throat infection had thrown a spanner in the works, but after an emergency consultation with my saving angel and a few days of rest in
Santa Rosa de Cabal
, the (long) car ride to Termales del Ruiz could begin.

Just to get there was an adventure in itself. From Manizales to Termales del Ruiz, the road climbed slowly and the green landscape turned into the
páramo
 landscape with the extraordinary
Frailejones
 trees.

Along the way, we made a stop to enjoy an
arepa de chocolo
 and chocolate caliente
.
 The hot chocolate was especially welcome as it was getting pretty chilly.

When the counter stood at 3476 meters, we were almost there.

It was almost unreal to see the hotel located like this in the “middle of nowhere.” In the coffee region until that moment I was used to mostly fresh green plains, but here we were really in the mountains.

After the driver dropped me off at the hotel, I went to check in….brr how cold it was! There was no heater at the front desk and this “Dutch Curaçaoan” was happy to go to the room and turn on the heater. Surely these were different temperatures from the 30 degrees on my island in the Caribbean Sea! A bathrobe was already waiting for me in the room, and I wanted to jump right into the warm water.

I naively thought at first that I could walk out in my robe toward the bathtub, but I really couldn’t. It was sooo cold! I quickly turned around, went back to the room and put on my thick coat. Changing clothes I only did downstairs at the locker room. The feeling of sliding my cold body into the hot tub was blissful. An employee of the hotel came to ask if I wanted something to drink, and I thought a vino caliente (kind of mulled wine) was appropriate in the scene -:).

In the evening, I settled myself in front of the fireplace in the restaurant and let the trip sink in over an aromático (herbal tea).

The next morning I joined a tour of the bird sanctuary.

During the walk, the hummingbirds were the star of the show. It was easy to see, that the reserve is a hot spot among birders and photographers, as some photographers had even bigger lenses than others! Not surprising, considering that there are over 160 species of birds in the preserve.

With my smartphone I also managed to take pictures of the hummingbirds, but I liked it better to explore the reserve itself -without the photo shoots- and so I did in the afternoon.

There were trails past viewpoints and small waterfalls, and there was a nice chill spot with a view.

The first day at Termales del Ruiz was more than successful!

On to the next day, with a new adventure, the private tour to Los Nevados National Park.

Written by Jeanette
Travel period: March 2019

#Colombia tips

  • Check out
    here
    for more info about hotel Termales del Ruiz
  • Prior to your trip, stay in a place that is already a bit higher, between 1500 and 2500 meters, such as Manizales or
    Santa Rosa de Cabal
    . This allows your body to gradually get used to the altitude.
  • The hotel is very remote and no public transportation goes to it. You can get there only by your own car or by private transportation. I had arranged for a private driver through the hotel in Santa Rosa de Cabal, but Manizales is closer (approx. 1.5h).
  • You go to Termales del Ruiz to relax, hike in the bird sanctuary and take a trip to PNN los Nevados (car ride in the park of 5km, with no hike or trek). There is nothing else to do, unless you are a cycling fanatic and like sporty Colombians want to take a mountain bike ride to Los Nevados National Park.
  • I stayed in a room with great views of the mountains and thermal pools, but not all rooms have this view. Ask about this when making reservations at the hotel.
  • There is heating in the hotel rooms, but not in the restaurant or other public areas of the hotel. Therefore, bring a nice thick cardigan.
  • Traveling back to Manizales on a Sunday, make a stop in the village of Termales. On Sundays, all the BBQ restaurants are open and it’s quite a happening To have lunch there. Whole families go out to grab a bite to eat at their favorite little restaurant, especially the specialty Chorizo is very popular then.

Updated: August 2023

Check out our
travel guide Coffee Triangle
 for more information on Colombia’s coffee region. If you travel on from the coffee region to Jardín or Medellín, check out our
travel guide Medellín and surroundings.

ToColombia