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proved irresistible to the local sculptors, who made up for their lack of skill with great enthusiasm – more than 500 life-sized statues scatter the green hills surrounding San Agustín. Many of them are anthropomorphic figures, some realistic, others resemble masked monsters. Others depict sacred animals such as the eagle, jaguar and frog. The largest is 7m high. Archeologists have also uncovered a great deal of pottery, but very little in the way of gold – unlike the Tayrona on the Caribbean coast, there was no gold here to mine.

Little else is known about the peoples of San Agustín. They didn’t have a written language and had disappeared many centuries before the Europeans arrived on the scene.

Only keen archaeology buffs will derive much delight from the statues themselves. The ancient sculptors never achieved a high level of sophistication; don’t expect King Tut’s tomb. Nor is the town of San Agustín particularly interesting – it is small and ugly and full of opportunists trying to rip you off.

The real reason to come to San Agustín is the spectacular scenery that surrounds the town, and to enjoy hiking and horseback riding in the region, with the archaeology as a side dish, not the main course. Two tour operators also offer white-water rafting on the nearby Rio Magdalena. Connected by a good road to Bogotá and served by fast overnight buses, San Agustín attracts the Colombian dreadlocked crowd from Bogotá, attracted by the, err, ubiquitous local weed.

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Orientation

The statues and tombs are scattered in groups over a wide area on both sides of the gorge formed by the upper Río Magdalena. The most important sight is the Parque Arqueológico, which boasts the largest number of statues and a museum. The second most important is the Alto de los Ídolos, 4km southwest of San José de Isnos on the other side of Río Magdalena from San Agustín town. You buy one admission ticket (COP$7000), which is valid for two consecutive days for entry to both parks. There’s no admission fee to other archeological sites.

The town of San Agustín centers around two main plazas, Plaza de Bolívar near the church and Plaza Civica near the police station.

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Information

There are numerous tour agencies masquerading as the ‘official tourist office.’ The real tourist office ( 837 3062, ext 15; adarmesirma@hotmail.com; cnr Calle 3 & Carrera 12; 8am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Fri) is in the alcaldía (town hall) building and is staffed by a member of the tourist police; look for the sign, in English, that says ‘Government Tourist Office.’ The government sets the official prices for all tours in town. Drop by and ask for a copy of the current list.

Banagrario (cnr Carrera 13 & Calle 4) Bank.

Enter.net ( 837 3832, 314 451 5261; Carrera 10 No 3-46; per hr COP$1500; 7am-11pm) A dozen computers.

Hospital Arsenio Repizo Vanegas ( 837 3565; Calle 3 No 2-51)

Internet Galería Cafe ( 311 885 7589; Calle 3 No 12-16; per hr COP$1300; 8am-10pm) Internet access right across from the government tourist office. Sometimes hosts live music events, and sells beer.

MegaRed (Calle 3 No 12-73) Internet cafe.

Tourist police ( 837 3606; Carrera 3 No 11-56)

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Sights

You’ll need three days to see all the archaeological sights – one day for the archaeological park; one day on horseback to El Tablón, La Chaquira, La Pelota and El Purutal (four hours); and one day for a jeep tour to El Estrecho, Alto de los Ídolos, Alto de las Piedras, Salto de Bordones and Salto de Mortiño (six hours).

The going rate for a guide is around COP$30,000 per day, and COP$40,000 for an English-speaking guide. Horses rent for around COP$20,000 per half-day, plus you’ll be expected to pay for the guide’s horse (thus making it cheaper to go in a group). Jeep tours go for around COP$150,000 per day (maximum five people).

PARQUE ARQUEOLÓGICO

The 78-hectare archeological park (admission COP$7000; 8am-4pm) is 2.5km west of the town of San Agustín. There are in total about 130 statues in the park, either