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[cecilia74]

For my 5 week solo trip to Colombia in early 2013 I am hoping to do one or two days of hiking with a guide or a guide + group. My main goal is to see varied, changing scenery, for example with a view of snow-capped mountains but no desire to actually climb to the tops of them! ;-) And I love lakes, waterfalls, caves, volcanic activity...

I have a bit of a wobbly knee but am otherwise fit. I can do 4-6 hours of hiking per day if it's not too streneous (going downhill on round rocks is toughest for me), and the weather not too hot (about 25 degrees C / 77F max). I don't want to carry a lot of gear, so I guess a day hike would suit me best, or a two day hike with an overnight stay in some cabin or homestay (so I won't need to carry sleeping gear).

I'm looking for an area where it's easy to find an affordable guide (US$40 per day or less?) or share a guide with a group. I am flexible enough to wait a few days before a group departs.

My rough itinerary for 5 weeks might be: Bogota - (Suesca?) - Villa de Leyva - San Gil & Barichara - El Cocuy?? - PNN Tayrona (not El Dorado) - Cartagena - (Medellin) - Manizales / Rio Claro / Valle de Cocora / Salento / Jardin - Bogota. Or the same circle the other way around.

Help? Is El Cocuy too difficult for me? Any nicely varied areas? Thank you very much for any comments!