Chiribiquete is Colombia’s Largest National Park

Colombia stands out as one of the most diverse nations globally, boasting an impressive array of plant and animal life. Among its 59 natural parks, Parque Nacional Chiribiquete shines as the most notable. Not only is it Colombia’s biggest national park, but it has also earned recognition as a World Heritage site.

The park is located in the Amazon rainforest and it is so big that it has territory in two departments, Caquetá and Guaviare. It has a total expanse of 4.266.169 hectares, making it Colombia’s largest protected area. 

How the Chiribiquete National Park became the largest in the country

Despite its enormous size, Parque Nacional Chiribiquete was not always so extensive. Colombia’s national parks organization stated, “Over the last decade and after a series of studies, it has been demonstrated that the park has massive cultural and scientific significance,” explained Colombia’s national parks organization. “This is why it was decided that the park would be expanded twice. These two expansions have already covered areas in the aforementioned national departments. In Caqueta, the park covers Solano, San Vicente del Caguán, and Cartagena de Chaira. In the department of El Guaviare, the park has areas in Calamar, San José del Guaviare, and Miraflores.”

After these territorial expansions turned Parque Nacional Chiribiquete into Colombia’s largest national park, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 2018. 

The park, founded on September 21, 1989, has an importance that transcends flora, fauna, and sightseeing. In a rather mysterious occurrence, almost seventy thousand hyper-realistic paintings have been found in the park’s forests. This is one of the main reasons why ecotourism is banned in large areas of the park. 

Considered a national treasure, Parque Nacional Chiribiquete remains off-limits to most visitors. Ecotourism is permitted only in the surrounding area of La Lindosa, while the park itself remains largely inaccessible, even to the scientific community. Scientists seeking to explore this unique ecosystem must adhere to strict guidelines.