Peñas Blancas, Quindío

This article is about the eco-park and tourist attraction in Colombia. For the town and municipality in Argentina, see Peñas Blancas.

Coordinates: 4°30′21″N 75°37′37″W / 4.50583°N 75.62694°W / 4.50583; -75.62694

Landscape of Armenia and the Andes. Peñas Blancas can be seen in the background to the right

Peñas Blancas (Spanish: white crags) consists of a crag and three vertical rock faces located on the western slopes of the Central Cordillera of the Andes in the municipality of Calarcá, in the department of Quindío in Colombia.

The bright white color of the rock walls is due to the presence of calcite and limestone. There are a large number of solutional caves and rock shelters inside the cliff, but access is very difficult. The caves are believed by some local people to be the location of a legendary treasure hidden by an indigenous Pijao tribal leader, the Cacique Calarcá (from whom the nearby town derives its name), during his battle against the Spanish colonialists

The cliffs are a landmark of the region, and can be seen clearly from the nearby towns of Armenia and Calarcá. They offer opportunities for rock climbing and abseiling (rappeling) up to heights of 80 meters, as well as a 40-meter zip-line (zip-slide), ecological trails of 3.2 km and 9 km, and camping and a restaurant. From the foot of the cliffs there are fine views of Armenia, Calarca and the surrounding area.

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