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Towering wax palms dot the rolling green hills of the Valle del Cocora under a cloudy sky in Colombia
Cocora Valley, Colombia

On my way to the Valle del Cocora located between Armenia and Pereira and near the town of Salento. While driving between these two cities I was stopped by the police. There are many roadblocks and police searches of vehicles throughout Colombia. However, this stop was for a bicycle tour that was headed our way. I told the policeman since the bicyclists are behind me that continuing on won’t interfere with their or my trip. Such logic (the real kind), however does not work in Colombia. The policeman said it would only be about 10 minutes. More than an hour later the first bicyclist arrived, and thirty minutes later the last straggler. We were then allowed to follow, but not pass the bicyclist.

The valley floor is almost 8,000 feet, This beautiful national park provides many scenic views of the central Andes mountain range. The park is frequently cloudy or rainy and high enough to be chilly. The many tall wax palms are rare outside the valley and the palm is the national tree of Colombia.

A panoramic view of the Valle del Cocora with Ceroxylon quindiuense wax palms scattered across vibrant green pastures beneath towering Andean mountains
The mountainous terrain of the Valle del Cocora features slopes covered in wax palms and thick vegetation
Towering wax palms sway along the ridgelines of green Andean hills in Colombia’s Valle del Cocora under a blue sky
Dozens of slender Ceroxylon quindiuense wax palms rise dramatically from the hillsides of Valle del Cocora, creating a surreal landscape
Ceroxylon quindiuense palms rise high above the rainforest canopy in Colombia’s Valle del Cocora
A rocky path winds through green pastures and scattered wax palms in Colombia’s Valle del Cocora
A muddy mountain trail flanked by wooden fences winds through the lush green terrain of Valle del Cocora beneath scattered wax palms
A vibrant Tibouchina bush with purple flowers frames the lush, hilly landscape of the Valle del Cocora in Colombia
A vibrant golden-orange tree stands out among the dense Andean greenery of Valle del Cocora, with wax palms lining the distant ridge
A single wax palm stands prominently in a wide view of the lush Valle del Cocora in Colombia
Looking east towards the end of the valley and rise of the mountains in the Valle del Cocora
Mist-covered hills and tall wax palms stretch across the iconic landscape of Colombia’s Valle del Cocora
Valle del Cocora mountains and a Tibouchina Lepidota tree
A lush green valley filled with dense subtropical Andean forest trees and misty cloud-covered slopes in the Valle del Cocora
Scenic Valle del Cocora Mountain and valley
The lush slopes of the Andes Mountains tower over the Valle del Cocora, filled with wax palms and rich greenery
A slender waterfall descends from the dense Andean forest in the heart of Colombia’s Valle del Cocora, surrounded by lush green hills

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