Mountain Dark Tourism: A Development Pathway in Post-conflict Zones in Colombia

Mountainous territories have been used as places of armed conflicts and refuges of illicit actors. However, tourism at these high altitudes has emerged as a choice for local development that rebuilds mountain people’s and ex-combatants’ lives. This study uses a mini case study of a tourism cooperative formed by victims of the Colombian Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) guerrilla and former combatants that operates in mountainous highlands and uses dark tourism to create economic, environmental and social opportunities for mountain dwellers. The main tourist attractions are the exotic biodiversity and stays in recreated guerrilla jungle camps with no portable water, bathrooms, energy, or access roads. This chapter is one of the first attempts to shed new light on dark tourism as a way to reintegrate ex-combatants of FARC and victims of the Colombian armed conflict as an alternative for mountain dwellers in a post-conflict developing country. The applications of this case study are to show how tourism can be used as a tool for reintegration of ex-combatants and victims of armed conflicts in mountainous regions. It also highlights the potential of ecotourism in creating economic, environmental, and social opportunities for mountain dwellers.