I'm living in Medellin for the next year, and naturally I'm already itching to get into the mountains. Unfortunately, the closest tall peak, Nevado del Ruíz, is closed due to volcanic activity (sounds like a good time to me!). So, I started looking into los Picos Cristobal Colón y Simón Bolivar, but I'm finding various vague talk of "dangerous access." Does anybody know about this? There were some references to guerrilleros y paramilitares, but with the ever-changing political conditions and the current 'peace talks,' I wondered if anyone had any updates on the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
And, if that really is out of the question, where are my next best options for big mountain adventures? I have almost 4 weeks from the end of December to the middle of January, and I want to see some mountains!