Laguna de la Cocha

La Cocha Lagoon (Spanish: Laguna de la Cocha) is a 39,000-hectare (96,000-acre) volcanic crater lake located within the Pasto Municipality in Nariño, Colombia.

La Cocha Lagoon
La Cocha, with La Corota Island, from an overlook stop
La Cocha Lagoon
Location	Nariño, Colombia
Coordinates	01°06′00″N 77°09′07″W
Type	Volcanic crater lake
Primary outflows	Guamués River, Putumayo River
Basin countries	Amazon basin
Surface area	40.5 km2 (15.6 sq mi)
Surface elevation	2,680 m (8,790 ft)
Islands	La Corota Island
Ramsar Wetland
Designated	8 January 2001
Reference no.	1047[1]

La Cocha Lagoon is Colombia's second largest inland body of water after Lake Tota in terms of surface area.

Wildlife

La Cocha Lagoon surrounds La Corota Island Flora Sanctuary which is home to mammals such as mountain tapir, northern pudu and spectacled bears, and bird species like grebes, golden peck duck, snipes, and andean ducks.^[1]

Important plant species include frailejon, Schoenoplectus californicus, and Juncus effusus.

Climate

Climate data for Laguna de la Cocha (El Encano), elevation 2,830 m (9,280 ft), (1981–2010)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	16.5 (61.7)	16.6 (61.9)	16.3 (61.3)	16.3 (61.3)	15.9 (60.6)	14.8 (58.6)	14.2 (57.6)	14.2 (57.6)	15.2 (59.4)	16.5 (61.7)	16.8 (62.2)	16.8 (62.2)	15.8 (60.4)
Daily mean °C (°F)	12.0 (53.6)	12.0 (53.6)	12.0 (53.6)	12.1 (53.8)	11.9 (53.4)	11.3 (52.3)	10.6 (51.1)	10.5 (50.9)	11.1 (52.0)	11.8 (53.2)	12.2 (54.0)	12.3 (54.1)	11.6 (52.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	8.4 (47.1)	8.5 (47.3)	8.6 (47.5)	8.8 (47.8)	8.9 (48.0)	8.6 (47.5)	7.8 (46.0)	7.6 (45.7)	7.3 (45.1)	8.0 (46.4)	8.5 (47.3)	8.4 (47.1)	8.3 (46.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	85.5 (3.37)	89.3 (3.52)	104.2 (4.10)	142.1 (5.59)	149.0 (5.87)	145.6 (5.73)	136.3 (5.37)	104.2 (4.10)	82.9 (3.26)	100.5 (3.96)	111.0 (4.37)	98.1 (3.86)	1,339.5 (52.74)
Average precipitation days	21	19	23	25	26	26	25	25	23	22	21	22	274
Average relative humidity (%)	85	86	86	87	87	88	88	87	86	85	85	86	86
Mean monthly sunshine hours	99.2	76.2	65.1	60.0	62.0	63.0	65.1	68.2	72.0	89.9	93.0	102.3	916
Mean daily sunshine hours	3.2	2.7	2.1	2.0	2.0	2.1	2.1	2.2	2.4	2.9	3.1	3.3	2.5
Source: Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales[2]