Latest News

Rasmussen Star: New Orchid Species Discovered in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada

By The City Paper Staff - June 7, 2025

Researchers in Colombia have discovered a new orchid species, Epidendrum Rasmussenii, in the cloud forests of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The endangered orchid highlights the region’s extraordinary biodiversity and the urgent need for conservation amid increasing deforestation.

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New bird species “El Dorado Antpitta” discovered in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada

By The City Paper Staff - February 16, 2024

Colombia has made another breakthrough in ornithology with the discovery of ‘El Dorado Antpitta’. This elusive bird species was found in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada by Fundación ProAves, marking a rare find and underscoring the region’s rich biodiversity.

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Security concerns return for foreigners visiting Colombia’s Tayrona Park

By Gaia Neiman - December 15, 2023

Amidst the landscapes of Tayrona National Park in Colombia, security concerns resurface for foreigners exploring its paradisiacal yet troubled historical terrain.

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A coming-of-age hike into Colombia’s Sierra Nevada

By Maya Salgado Swabey - November 28, 2022

On a first trip to Colombia as an adult, Maya Salgado decided to do the five-day hike to the Sierra Nevada’s Lost City, and archaeological wonder that could become a “paradise lost” with mass tourism.

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Spiritual leaders from the Sierra Nevada make historic visit to Bogotá

By The City Paper Staff - November 10, 2021

A delegation of spiritual leaders from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta made their first visit to Bogotá to petition the national government for greater conservation of their ancestral territory.

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An appeal to help the community of Minca and its tourism-dependent residents

By Dylan Satow - April 27, 2020

Hundreds of families in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta are facing abject poverty as hostels and tourism-related businesses remain closed with the nationwide quarantine.

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John Lundin: Quarantined in the Heart of the World

By John Lundin - March 31, 2020

John Lundin, a former Chicago chaplain and Dalai Lama biographer is spending his Colombian quarantine at the spiritual Heart of the World, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

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One Starry Night Toad in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

By Global Wildlife Conservation - February 20, 2020

Revered as a symbol of fertility by the Elders of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a rare harlequin toad is the focus of a conservation/photography project.

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Arhuaco youth in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada launch Earth Guardians

By John Lundin - September 20, 2015

A group of youngsters in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta have launched the Colombia chapter of Earth Guardians to spread the word on climate change.

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Does Colombian cacao have a semisweet future?

By The City Paper Staff - November 14, 2012

Cacao, the raw ingredient in chocolate, stands poised to become Colombia’s next big export, especially if artisan beans continue to attract global consumers.

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