off the beaten track trip to Termales del Ruiz
My trip to the only hotel near los Nevados National Park
In planning my trip to the famous coffee region of Colombia, the Zona Cafetera / Eje Cafetero (coffee triangle), I did not initially think of visiting Hotel Termales del Ruiz, a hotel at 3,500 meters altitude near the still active volcano Nevado del Ruiz.
More I thought about…. doing a tour on a coffee plantation, staying overnight in a coffee finca and especially drinking lots of 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. Its 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 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 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 immediately wanted to jump into the warm water.
I naively thought at first that I could walk out to the bathtub in my bathrobe, 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 bath 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 fitting in the whole thing -:).
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 hike, the hummingbirds were the star of the show. It was easy to see, that the reserve is a hot spot among birdwatchers and photographers, because one photographer had an even bigger lens than the other! Not surprising, considering that there are over 160 species of birds in the nature reserve.
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 will allow your body to gradually get used to the altitude.
- The hotel is very remote and no public transportation goes there. You can only get there 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 if you want to make a reservation with 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 go there for lunch. Whole families go out to grab a bite to eat at their favorite little restaurant, especially the specialty Chorizo is very popular then.
Updated: June 2024
Check out our travel guide Coffee Triangle for more information on Colombia’s coffee region. If you are traveling from the coffee region on to Jardín or Medellín, check out our travel guide Medellín and surroundings.