Amazing palm trees of the cocora valley in Colombia

The highest palm trees in the world grow in the valley of cocora (Cocora Valley de) in Colombia. Palm valley as it is called by the locals, is located in the Northwest of Colombia in the upper reaches of the river Quindio (Quindio). To see these very tall palm trees in the world that their green tops, in the truest sense of the word, reach to the heavens, you need to visit the Colombian national Park "Los Nevados" (Los Nevados). It was here, at this Park and palm valley are. By the way, this is the highest point where there are these palm giants 2410 meters above the sea level.

This kind of palm Ceroxylon Indian (wax palm) can only be seen here, in this valley of cocora, and it is a symbol of Colombia. Eighty meters, these giants are, on average, live about 120 years. Perfectly straight, smooth trunk of the palm is completely covered with wax. In ancient times, when the world did not know what the electric light bulb, the wax served as the main source for the production of wax candles which were used by locals in everyday life and as a ceremonial candle. The trunk of the palm tree were used for the construction of houses, fruit trees, cattle, and the leaves did the original decorations and bouquets, especially on the eve of palm Sunday Christ.

Due to frequent use and for felling trees, their number in the valley declined rapidly. So the Colombian government to prevent the complete disappearance of the trees that had to put a complete veto on the felling of these trees, and the punishment was quite severe — the death penalty. Only after adopted such tough measures since 1985 in the area suffered at the hands of a man none of the palm and the valley gradually began to revive, and accept its natural appearance.

Annually to admire such an unusual landscape of slender, the tallest trees in the world, it attracts more than 150,000 tourists from different corners of our planet.published