Near San Agustin one finds some of South America's greatest, and most mysterious, archaeological sites. San Agustin, about 8 hours overland travel from Popayan, is one of Colombia's top travel highlights. The town itself is small and tranquil, and is the place to organise jeep or horseback riding tours to the nearby "Valley of the Statues" which has numerous huge stone carved statues that date back as far as 3000 B.C. There are a total of 20 well preserved sites to explore (and hundreds of statues), and many more remained undiscovered. Very little is known about the culture that produced these statues so long ago - it's all very mysterious.... The area is excellent for hiking and horseback riding tours, amongst other adventure travel activities such as whitewater rafting (Class 2-5 rapids) - you could easily spend four or five days exploring the area.
San Agustin Hotels & Accommodation
All hotels in San Agustin are relatively basic - it's best to stay outside of the town centre if possible. None of these hotels are particularly expensive, some you might wish to consider include El Maco (an ecological farm just outside of San Agustin - this Swiss owned hostal is a good backpackers option), Finca El Cielo (a peaceful hotel with lovely views and an organic farm attached) and La Casa de Francois (a very reasonably priced French owned hostal). There's many other options in addition - Hacienda Anacoana, Hotel Colonial, Cambi Hotel (colonial style), Copacabana (good for horse hire), Mi Terruno (attractive gardens), Posada Campesina (a farmhouse 1km from San Agustin town), Residencias El Jardin (colonial style) and Residencias Nanez.
Sidetrip to the Tatacoa Desert
Those coming from or travelling to Bogota should consider splitting up their journey to spend a night or two in the striking landscapes of the Tatacoa Desert, which is found near Neiva - halfway between Bogota and San Agustin. The principle attractions here are the wonderful desert landscapes, the ability to be able to sleep in the actual desert and the excellent stargazing possibilities. The Tatacoa Desert (Desierto de Tatacoa) is found a few kilometres from the small desert town of Villavieja. In the desert there's a visitors centre as well as an observatory that can be visited. There's a few hotels in the town of Villavieja itself, but it's better to sleep in the nearby desert - there's campsites with open air hammocks that can be rented plus a couple of very basic cabin style hotels. Villavieja is one hour from Neiva, which in turn is 5 hours from both Bogota and San Agustin.
