Murillo is the highest town in Tolima at 2950 meters above sea level. The backdrop is the impressive snow-capped Nevado Ruiz. From the town, you can hike through Paramo Leonora, visit the hidden laguna del Corazon, walk past la Cascada colores, and bathe en Los termales (thermal baths).
It’s a beautiful few days. So, if you’re looking for an adventure off the beaten path, you’ll learn everything you need to know in this post.
What to pack?
If you’ve never visited a paramo before, you’re in for a surprise. They’re inhospitable. And they can be hot, freezing, rainy, or snowy all within an hour.
There isn’t actually a direct translation in English. But it’s basically a muddy marshland with lots of micro-climates. So with that in mind, pack for all weather conditions. I’m talking about many layers, raincoats, gloves, and hiking boots/ wellies – rain boots if you’re not from the UK (you can rent these before the hike).
Day 1 – Getting to Murillo from Ibagué
Leg 1
Head to the bus station in Ibagué. From there you want to buy tickets to Libano. We bought them with the bus company Cootralíbano for 20 mil ($5) each.
Go right when you enter to find the ticket booth.
The bus isn’t the biggest for a 3-hour journey – I’m sure you’ve wedged yourself into many Colombian buses already. So I took the initiative and rode shotgun. My mate though (also around 6”3) struggled in the small seats.
Tip: I recommend wearing shorts for the first part of the journey. You’re gonna get sweaty. Ibagué is hot. That is until you start to climb altitude in the second leg.
We crammed into the bus like sardines and left the terminal around 10 pm.
The route out of the city was stop-start. I didn’t mind. I had the distant mountains for entertainment. They stretched densely along both sides of the road. Sometimes the greenness reminded me of England’s green pastures. Only the clouds clung to the summits like bubble bath foam. You wouldn’t see that back home.
As we sat in traffic again, a lady with a wicker basket full of sugar-coated nuts popped her head through my passenger window. She handed the driver and me a few samples. We exchanged words through our facemasks. What I said must have shown the driver I had some Spanish in the locker. From then on, I think he took a liking to me.
For the rest of the journey, Fred and I talked about Tolima’s beauty, pueblos we should visit, and our favorite salsa tracks. We both agreed “Gotas de lluvia” was a temazo. He even made a detour so I could try the best Avena (avena = oats) in Colombia. From Nepo Avena in Venadillo. It tasted amazing to be fair. Smooth, sweet, and filling. Not the blended quaker oats I was expecting.
We got to Fred’s home town Libano around 2 pm. We fist-bumped and I said goodbye to my new mate.
Leg 2
When you arrive at Libano, you’ll need to catch a jeep taxi to Murillo. The bus lads will point you in the right direction but they leave every 30 minutes next to the cafe next to the plaza.
The jeep winds up a steep climb to Murillo. You’ll need your jacket at least for this journey. And if you’re partial to estar mareado (feeling travel sick) a plastic vom bag too.
In about 40 minutes, you’ll arrive at Murillo, Tolima.
We arrived at 3.30 pm in the afternoon.
Where to stay in Murillo, Tolima
The sun was shining, but heavy cloud still clung to the top of Nevado Ruiz. We’d not seen the slightest hint of one so far. It was supposed to be the picture-perfect backdrop to Murillo. Jutting out over the tall white church and red and blue buildings of the main plaza. Maybe tomorrow would be the day. We looked for somewhere to stay until then.
By chance, una señora overheard us talking about places to stay. She lept up from her white plastic chair with the gusto of someone half her age. She looked more German than Colombian. She had fair hair, wrinkled skin like an anime grandma, and a glint in her eye. One of those people you take an instant liking to. Her name was Lu.
She led us through the main plaza to her Refugio. The door was locked with a heavy-duty padlock. She jimmied it free and showed us the rooms. They were basic but good enough for a few days. One even had one of those old TVs that were deeper than they were wide.
You can make out her number on the sign there if you want reserve.
30 mil pesos por habitación ($8).
That’ll do we said. We paid upfront for 2 nights. Lu also sorted us out with food for the night.
You don’t have many options in Murillo. Everyone is in their casas as soon as it gets dark. I don’t blame them, it gets devilishly cold. So definitely ask her for a recommendation.
What to do in Murillo, Tolima
Where the jeep drops you off, there’s a tour operator you can book various activities. It’s owned by Brayler. He’s your man for tours near Murillo. We only had a few days to explore so we went for the following:
A hike in El Páramo la Leonera up to la laguna del corazon. And then over to la cascada del colores before ending up at los termales for a dip and lunch.
This came to 165 mil peso ($42 US) and included transport, breakfast, and lunch.
Tomorrow’s adventure sorted, we went on the hunt for water and snacks for the hike. It didn’t take long to hear about one of Tolimas favorite drinks, brandy y leche. It was perfect to warm us up. Especially accompanied by a few cucas (careful with that word…it has a few meanings in Colombia; one of them rhymes with hunt…). They taste like a much stodgier ginger nut biscuit.
We continued walking around the town. Up the road next to the church was an old lady with sun and cold kissed skin. She was preparing arepas on a Parilla. The smell of charcoal and charred skins was enough to lure us in. We gobbled down 3 each. They were arepas tolimensas.
In the masa (dough) they mix in queso. The result is a really light arepa that you can breathe down instead of eating. I highly recommend them.
Day 2 – Hiking Páramo la Leonera
We had a 6 am meet time at the tour’s office. From there, we headed to the restaurant for breakfast. The eggs, rice, arepa, and Tinto went down a treat.
Waking up to a rainbow showing the way to the nevado.
By 6.30 am we were loaded into the back of the jeep that would take us to the start of the trek; a Finca with a Nevado Ruiz backdrop. At the Finca, we rented some wellies for the hike in the paramo (100% do this).
You’ll hike through Páramo la Leonora for about 2 hours before arriving at la Laguna de corazón. One of the things you’ll notice is the thousands and thousands of frailejones. They look like an army of soldiers awaiting orders across the marshy terrain. Unlike us mere humans, these plants thrive in the conditions of the paramo.
The legions of frailejones.
While I waited for the others to traverse a boggy part, Brailer told me how there are only 4 countries in the world with paramos; Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Peru. Colombia is home to the most.
Laguna del Corazón.
The weather changed in the time it takes to snap your fingers. It was now fucking cold. I did my best to drink in the epicness of where I was despite the cold. I wasn’t going to let the weather take the moment from me. After 20 minutes the jacket and jumper came off. We had reached the la Cascada colores – the waterfall of colors. The sulfur and minerals gave the runoff a spectacular color that only seemed to intensify the more you looked at it.
We followed the eggy-smelling river down to the la cabaña for lunch and a dip in Los termales.
I say termales, they were far from warm. If you search out one of the corners, apparently there’s a warm spot. I didn’t stay in long enough to find out…
We warmed up with some tea or agua panela. Then made our way back to the town for a much-needed rest.
Day 3 – Last day in Murillo, Tolima
If you still have time, you could visit La Cascada de Silencio. It’s only 30 mins hike from the town. Instead, we decided to head back to Ibagué. My toe was fucked and the others were exhausted from yesterday’s hike. Anyway, it’s nice to leave the door open for a return…
En fin.
If you’re looking for a very different Colombian adventure then Murillo, Tolima should be on your list. If you have any questions, leave me a comment or drop me an email.
Nick
