About 30 km southeast of Pereira, this national sanctuary protects a stretch of Andean cloud forest along the Otún River valley. The 489-hectare reserve sits between 1,800 and 2,400 metres, right in the transition zone where coffee country gives way to high-altitude forest.
The trails wind through dense, dripping vegetation past waterfalls and mossy ravines. Birders come for the more than 180 recorded species, including several endemic hummingbirds, the Cauca guan, and multicolored tanagers. Howler monkeys are common, and if you are patient and lucky, you might spot a spectacled bear -- the reserve is part of their corridor through the Central Andes.
There are basic cabins and a visitor centre inside the reserve. Most visitors arrange transport through a Pereira tour operator or hire a jeep, as the final stretch of road is rough.