I ALMOST skipped this stop because of being short on time, and I'm so glad I didn't. The area of Sugamuxi - "Valley of the Sun" (ironic, since here is where sustained rain found me for the first time in the trip) - is home to an indigenous people called the Muisca.
The most ridiculously picturesque town in the region is (reportedly, and I certainly won't argue) Mongui, with its enchanting stone bridge over a stream running through town.
The rock for the bridge - and the water that still runs under it - both come from high above the town, where there is a very rare type of ecosystem called La Paramo: a glacier-formed tropical moor sitting at 3,000-5,000 meters. With a French tourist I ran into at the Sogamoso hostel where I stayed and our guide Moses, I took a full-day trek through this landscape of such amazing vistas and plants.
Moses cheerfully led us on the soggy slog from 3,000m to a highest altitude of 4,000m (~12,000ft), cheerfully sharing info about the Muisca culture and local environment along the way.
On the way back down out of the moors, Moses took us into a magical chasm that the Muisca have, over the centuries, used as a burial ground for esteemed community members; they carved tombs out of the rock walls that you can still see as you wander through.
Back down in Mongui, Moses also took us to the factory that Mongui is most famous for; here, locals make leather soccer balls that are exported all over Latin America.
Mongui and the Paramo were the first reason for coming to this region. Stay tuned for the next!
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