The Central Andes is one of three branches of the Andes mountain range, which traverse Colombia from the south to the north. It is 500 miles long and is home to some of the highest and most prominent peaks in Colombia, including Nevado del Ruiz (17,457 feet), Nevado del Tolima (17,060 feet), and Nevado de Santa Isabel (16,240 feet). These glaciated volcanoes are part of the Los Nevados National Natural Park, a high-altitude ecosystem known for its páramo landscapes, glaciers, and endemic species. Among them, Nevado del Ruiz remains active and dangerous—its 1985 eruption triggered a lahar (volcanic mudflow) that buried the town of Armero and killed over 23,000 people, making it one of the deadliest volcanic disasters in the 20th century.The Cordillera Central also supports one of Colombia’s most vital agricultural regions. Its slopes and valleys are world-renowned for producing high-quality Arabica coffee, and form the core of Colombia’s “Eje Cafetero” or Coffee Axis, a UNESCO-recognized Cultural Landscape. Departments like Caldas, Quindío, and Risaralda make up this coffee heartland, where small and medium farms cultivate beans on steep, fertile terrain nourished by volcanic soil and ideal microclimates.