Farallones de Cali is a cluster of mountains in the West Andes of

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...

. It is located west of the city of

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...

and gives rise to many of the rivers that provide water and electricity to Cali. The PNN Farallones de Cali encompasses in the mountains as well as much of the Pacific slope and is an area of very high

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity'') ...

. The average temperature ranges from in the tropical foothills to in the

páramo Páramo () can refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrowe ...

. In this territory are located the district of Pichinde, Andes and Leonera, and two villages Penas Blancas and Lomas de la Cajita.

Climate and topography

Average yearly rainfall is in the Pacific region and in the mountainous sector. Plants growing in the area have sufficient water throughout the year. The topography of the park is characterized by the high, craggy peaks, the highest being . These peaks are referred to as ''Los Farallones'' (which means ''cliffs''), the namesake of the mountains and national park. The foothills on the eastern side meet the Cauca Valley and the city of Cali. On the west slope there are numerous river canyons that wind their way toward the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

. The Farrallones are visible from the city of Cali.

Rivers

On the east slope the following rivers flow from the Farallones de Cali (from north to south):

, Pichindé, Cañaveralejo, Melendez, Lilí, Pance, and Jamundí. These river all flow into the

Cauca River The Cauca River () is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. From its headwaters in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán, it joins the Magdalena River near Magangue in Bolivar Department, and ...

. On the west slope there are many rivers flowing into the Pacific, but the main ones area the

Dagua Dagua () is a town and municipality located in the Department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative divisio ...

and Anchicayá. There is a hydroelectric dam on the Anchicayá River.

National Park and biodiversity

The PNN Farallones de Cali is the largest national park in the Valle del Cauca Department and was formed in 1968. The area is popular for hiking and birdwatching. Access from Cali is by two main routes: by way of the

Pance River The Pance River flows along the southern side of Cali, Colombia and is a popular place for locals for recreation and leisure activities. It is one of the only rivers in the city that is not polluted, and in which people can still swim. The Pance ...

at the southern end or at the northern end via Peñas Blancas or the Pichindé River. Access to the Anchicayá area is via the town of

El Queremal El Queremal is a town in the Dagua municipality, Valle del Cauca Department, Colombia. It is located about west of Cali and is at an elevation of . The town is situated on the upper part of the Old Cali-Buenaventura Road and is about from ...

. The lowest altitude of the park is in the Pacific lowlands.

Ecological zones

Due to extreme height of the mountains and the nearby

, which largely determines the climate in western Colombia, there are various ecosystems in the park such as lowland jungle, mountain cloud forest and

. :Tropical Wet to Humid Forest is located between and above sea level. It is characterized by tall

rain forest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

trees and a

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...

reaching up to . This area is on the western slope of the West Andes and is part of the Chocó Biogeographic Region. One of the key areas of biodiversity is centered around the upper Anchicayá River watershed. :Subtropical Cloud Forest is situated between and . The

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud ...

is usually blanketed in fog and inside the forest it is extremely mossy with many

epiphytes An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

. This ecosystem is also referred to as ''Subandean Forest - Bosque Subandino''. :Montane Forest is located between and . This high mountain forest is characterized by dense vegetation and a canopy that reaches up to . As the elevation increases the tree height generally decreases. This ecosystem is also referred to as ''Andean Forest - Bosque Andino''. :Páramo is situated above the treeline at altitudes over . This ecosystem is geographically isolated from other

Northern Andean páramo The Northern Andean páramo (NT1006) is an ecoregion containing páramo vegetation above the treeline in the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador. In the past, when the climate was cooler, the treeline and the páramo units were lower and the units were c ...

s and is unique in the fact that it does not have the characteristic '' Espeletia'' plant of the Colombian páramo. The ecosystems in the park face several threats including commercial logging, illegal mining, agriculture, tourism, forest fires, hunting and road construction.

Characteristic fauna

Birds

The Farallones de Cali is home to probably more than 300+ species of birds, including several endemic species such as the

multicolored tanager The multicoloured tanager (''Chlorochrysa nitidissima'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to the mountains of Colombia, and as of 2010 has been categorized as vulnerable (VU) by the IUCN. Description The multicolored ...

(''Chlorochrysa nitidissima''),

crested ant-tanager The crested ant tanager (''Habia cristata'') is a bird in the family Cardinalidae. It is endemic to Colombia. Taxonomy and systematics The crested ant tanager was originally placed in family Thraupidae, the "true" tanagers. In the early 2000 ...

(''Habia cristata'') and

chestnut wood-quail The chestnut wood quail (''Odontophorus hyperythrus'') is a bird species in the family Odontophoridae, the New World quail. It is found only in Colombia. Taxonomy and systematics The chestnut wood quail has at various times been proposed or ...

(''Odontophorus hyperythrus'').

Andean cock-of-the-rock The Andean cock-of-the-rock (''Rupicola peruvianus''), also known as ''tunki'' (Quechua), is a large passerine bird of the cotinga family native to Andean cloud forests in South America. It is widely regarded as the national bird of Peru. It ha ...

(''Rupicola peruvianus'') leks can be observed, the most famous being in the Peñas Blancas area of the Pichindé River valley. The avian diversity of the Anchicayá is world-renowned.

Mammals

Mammal species that are possible throughout the various habitats include: bats, squirrels,

procyonids Procyonidae is a New World family of the order Carnivora. It comprises the raccoons, ringtails, cacomistles, coatis, kinkajous, olingos, and olinguitos. Procyonids inhabit a wide range of environments and are generally omnivorous. Characteri ...

anteater Anteater is a common name for the four extant mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua (meaning "worm tongue") commonly known for eating ants and termites. The individual species have other names in English and other languages. Together wit ...

s, several

felid Felidae () is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a felid (). The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to the dom ...

s, foxes, and marsupials. The spectacled bear (''Tremarctos ornatus'') has suitable habitat on the western slope of the mountains and is listed as a vulnerable species. Five primates species exist within the park: * White-headed capuchin - ''Mono manicero'' * Red howler *

Mantled howler The mantled howler (''Alouatta palliata'') is a species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central and South America. It is one of the monkey species most often seen and heard in the wild in Central America. It takes its "mantle ...

Gray-bellied night monkey The gray-bellied night monkey (''Aotus lemurinus''), also called the grey-legged douroucouli Colombian spider monkey The Colombian spider monkey (''Ateles fusciceps rufiventris'') is a subspecies of the Black-headed spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, found in Colombia and Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic o ...

(''Ateles fusciceps rufiventris''): listed as critically endangered; referred to as ''Marimonda'' in Colombia.

Amphibians

*'' Bufo hypomelas'' ? - Sapo Mamboré *'' Dendrobates lehmanni'' - Red-banded poison frog or ''Oophaga lehmanni''

Characteristic vegetation

On the western slope, between 200 and 1,000 m, there is a dry tropical forest with trees up to 40 m high. Beneath these trees grow tall grasses. There are different kinds of

liana A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a t ...

s and woody

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themsel ...

s. On top of tree branches there are numerous

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

s. Some endemical species are called cargadera, guabo sleeper, wild cacao and sirop. Among the palms of this forest there is taparín, barrigona or pambil and cumbi. In the temperate zone, between 1,000 and 2,000 meters the most representative tree species are oak, sapote bush, media cara, encenillo, azuceno, white yarumo and

balsa ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as the balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma''. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, with the name ''balsa'' being ...

. The cold zone, between 2,400 and 3,600 meters, abounds in epiphytes. Above 3,600 meters starts the moorlands, where frailejones are the characteristic plant. Among the Farallones endemisms there is a wild violet.

Geology

Sites of interest

El Topacio Acampadero Pance very close to town. To spend the night in a tent needed a permit from the Regional Autonomous Corporation of the Valle del Cauca - CVC. The parking area is very limited. It has basic services, including a radio station in the ranger's house. From Topaz can visit two waterfalls. Pico de Loro The trail starts at the Topaz. The upgrade can take several hours depending on the climber. At its peak, at 2832 meters above sea level is part of the city of Cali, Cauca river and its valley. No acampadero on top, on the rise there are several springs. Punta Pance With 4020 meters is a journey that can take one or two days, recommended for those with more experience as walkers. At the top is a unique view of the region. On clear days you can see to the west and the Pacific Ocean port of Buenaventura (really clear days you can see the larger vessels) looks eastward

, the river Cauca and valley, and eventually the Cordillera Central with sticking the Nevado del Huila, in the south-west you can see the Cerro Naya, to the northwest is the Cerro Calima. You can camp at a place known as "Balconies" which has a spring and a wide area to accommodate tents 5-10. Another possibility is to climb a little higher and camping in Punta Pance Lagoons. Alto del Buey A 3480 m. His ascent is made from the input to Peñas Blancas and can take a whole day on a road in good condition. From the top is Part of Buenaventura and Cali. The camping area is limited allowing no more than 2 or 3 stores. Gaps of Alto del Buey It's tortuous descent from the top of the Ox, but sometimes necessary in the absence of water on top. From above gaps are much larger than they actually are. Remember to always go with a guide. Valley de los Osos Accessible from the mountain edge north of Punta Pance and towards the western side, there is a river and you see that landscape has been altered by man. It is located between the blade tip and the Massif Cajambres. Macizo Cajambres To the west of Punta Pance, after passing the Valley of the Bears. It shows some erosion in its eastern slopes. Peñas Blancas

Gallery

File:Cajambres.jpg, Macizo Cajambres & Valle de los Osos File:Penas Blancas.jpg, Peñas Blancas Image:PanoFarallonesPage-JesusAlfonsoLopez.jpg, Panorama File:Los Farallones.jpg, Panorama File:Punta Pance.jpg, Punta Pance from the northeast File:Punta Pance desde el noreste.JPG, Punta Pance from the southeast File:Casa guardabosques el Topacio.JPG, Ranger Home - El Topacio File:Selva Humeda Farallones de Cali.JPG, Rainforest File:Anchicaya River.JPG, Anchicayá River

References

{{authority control Páramos Mountains of Colombia National parks of Colombia Geography of Valle del Cauca Department Tourist attractions in Valle del Cauca Department Protected areas established in 1968