NB. The British FCO website currently
(2011) advises against travel to San Agustin for safety reasons.
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.
Guides vary enormously in standard in San Agustin - if possible get a
recommendation from your hotel rather than picking one up in the
street. November to March are the driest months - the rest of the year
it often rains, especially during the rainy season from April to June.
San Agustin Hotels
& Accommodation
Almost
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, such as Hacienda
Anacoana, the mid range hotel Yalconia and the hostel El
Jardin.
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.
Other Side Trips from
San Agustin
Those slow travelling through this part of
Colombia might consider a stop off at Yaguara,
which is 50km South-West of transport hub Neiva, which in turn is en
route between Bogota and San Agustin. Locals hope that this is an up
and coming tourist destination, the main activity being cruises along
the beautiful lake formed by the nearby Betania Dam. There's a handful
of budget hotels as well as some pleasant lake front restaurants in the
attractive farming town.
Another sidetrip from San Augustin is to the
rarely visited Cueva de los Guacharos National Park,
which contains various enormous caves as well as plenty of cloudforest
and rainforest. This National Park is a little South of Pitalito - and
rather remote so check the security situation if visiting.
Mocoa, the capital of
Putamayo department,
is found South of San Agustin - most of this department is full of
jungle and it's an area of Colombia that is has been particularly
unsafe for a long time. It is possible to travel from San Agustin, to
Mocoa, and from
there travel on to Pasto, near the border with Ecuador. In
Mocoa you can stay at Belgian run Casa del Rio
and experience a bit of the Amazon. The spectacular road on to
Pasto is known as the Trampoline of Death, as it is such a dangerous,
winding route through which to navigate a vehicle. The other
border crossing into Ecuador is nearby at San Miguel - its not so
safe, and not recommended to cross there. Check the local
security situation before even thinking about visiting Mocoa or
anywhere nearby.
