GUNUNG · Colombia

Nevado del Ruiz

Volcán Nevado del Ruiz

Information

Elevation: 5.389 m
Country: Colombia (CO)
Location / Range: Cordillera Central, Andes (Los Nevados National Park)
Mountain type: Volcano (glacier-clad stratovolcano)
Volcanic?: Yes — volcano
Coordinates: 4.8953, -75.3225
Difficulty: Moderate (non-technical glacier walk) — but the SUMMIT IS CURRENTLY CLOSED
Best Season: December–February & July–August (dry seasons) — when access is open
Permits & Rules: Entry via Los Nevados National Park (Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia) with a certified guide. NOTE: since the volcanic alert level was raised to Orange (March 2023) by the Servicio Geológico Colombiano, access to the summit and glacier is CLOSED; visitors are only allowed as far as Valle de las Tumbas (~4,450 m) in the Brisas sector, on the Manizales side.
Hazards: Active volcanic activity (earthquakes, gas/ash emissions, the threat of lahars such as the 1985 Armero tragedy that killed more than 20,000 people), toxic gas in the crater, glacier crevasses, rapidly changing páramo weather, and altitude.

Description

Nevado del Ruiz (5,389 m) is a glacier-capped stratovolcano in Colombia's Cordillera Central and the highest summit of Los Nevados National Park. The volcano is infamous for its 13 November 1985 eruption, which melted its ice cap and unleashed catastrophic lahars that buried the town of Armero—one of the deadliest volcanic disasters of the 20th century. In quiet periods the normal route from the Manizales side is a non-technical glacier walk that still demands acclimatization. However, after renewed unrest in 2023 the Servicio Geológico Colombiano raised the alert to Orange and Los Nevados National Park closed summit access; guided visitors are currently allowed only as far as the Valle de las Tumbas (~4,450 m). Prospective climbers MUST check the current status before planning a visit.

Gallery

Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.

Routes

Pendakian normal puncak via Refugio/gletser (sisi Manizales) — SAAT INI DITUTUP

Salju/gletser non-teknis (PD), butuh aklimatisasi & crampon — kini ditutup

Pendakian sehari saat dibuka (refugio ~4.800 m ke puncak ~5.389 m); kini tidak tersedia

Rute klasik puncak dari sisi Manizales: berkendara ke kawasan refugio (~4.800 m) lalu menyusuri gletser hingga bibir kawah (~5.389 m), umumnya dengan pemandu. PERLU DICATAT: rute puncak dan gletser ini DITUTUP bagi pendaki akibat aktivitas vulkanik (status waspada SGC sejak unrest 2023); hanya akses sampai Valle de las Tumbas yang diizinkan.

Source

Sektor Brisas → Valle de las Tumbas (rute resmi saat ini)

Mudah (wisata terpandu, tanpa pendakian teknis)

Tur sehari dari Manizales; jalan kaki singkat di Valle de las Tumbas

Rute resmi dari Manizales lewat Villamaría menuju sektor Brisas, lalu jalan kaki singkat di Valle de las Tumbas pada sekitar 4.450 m. Sejak SGC menetapkan status waspada vulkanik, ini adalah titik tertinggi yang diizinkan—pendakian ke puncak dan gletser/kawah DITUTUP demi keselamatan, dan kunjungan hanya dengan pemandu taman bersertifikat.

Source

Climbing Experiences

Nevado del Ruiz (5,389 m) in Los Nevados National Park was once climbed as a non-technical glacier walk from the Manizales side, but since the volcanic alert was raised to Orange (2023) the summit and glacier are CLOSED—guided visitors may now go only as far as the Valle de las Tumbas (~4,450 m). The experiences cover Los Nevados footage from before the closure, the still-operating Valle de las Tumbas tour, plus coverage of the 1985 eruption and the 2023 alert escalation.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.