Cristobal Colon
Elevation: 5776 m (18950 ft)
Location: Colombia, Magdalena province, N 10° 50′; W 73° 41′
Distinction: Highest mountain in Colombia.
Since Pico Cristobal Colon is situated in an area which is considered off-limits to tourists, there are no guided expeditions to this mountains. In fact, despite considerable research I did not find any report of a trip to, much less a successful summit of Cristobal Colon over the last 10 years. Reasons listed are indigenous people, guerillas and paramilitary all opposing the entry of any tourists in this area. The short answer to the question ‘Can Cristobal Colon be climbed?’ has always been: ‘No!’ That’s not to say that nobody could possibly get there and/or climb this mountain, but it would require persistent research, contacting local people and guides, paying some money just to get into the off-limits areas, organizing the complex logistics of a near 6000m climb in a remote area without much infrastructure, and last but not least taking some risk of not getting back.
There are also claims that Pico Bolivar is of the same height, alas these two mountains both share the distinction of highest mountain of Colombia. Altitudes given for both peaks vary quite a bit; I went with the data from peakbagger.com.
See also the Peakware page for Cristobal Colon.
In the end I decided NOT TO CLIMB Cristobal Colon, and due to additional time constraints I skipped riding through the country of Colombia altogether, finishing my entire project with the climb of Chimborazo near Quito, Ecuador.
Back to Peaks page.