Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [222]
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Sleeping & Eating
Casa Pastoral ( 775 4463, 316 740 0601; www.sanctuariodelaslajas.org; s/tr/q COP$10,000/30,000/40,000, d COP$16,000-20,000) Run by nuns for a long time, this large, basic hotel caters to the faithful and heathen alike. Some rooms have views of the cathedral. All rooms have private bath with hot water, and a large cafeteria serves simple budget meals. Take the first set of stairs on your left as you walk downhill toward the cathedral. Bookings are recommended. Two other hotels next door offer a similar style of accommodations.
Restaurante El Santuario ( 775 4436; mains COP$3000-7000; 6am-3pm) Crossing the bridge heading away from the church, walk along the opposite side to get to this small restaurant with great views. It serves breakfast, lunch, snacks and coffee. The waterfalls a bit further along offer the best views of the church.
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DESIERTO DE LA TATACOA
Halfway between Bogotá and San Agustín lies the Tatacoa Desert. It is a striking landscape of eroded cliffs and gullies, sculpted by the infrequent rain. Because of the dry, clear conditions, lack of light pollution, and location at the equator, Tatacoa is a great spot for stargazing – the skies above both the northern and southern hemispheres are spread out for all to see.
Tatacoa isn’t really a desert, although the thermometer says otherwise – it can hit 50°C times. It’s technically semi-arid dry tropical forest, averaging 1070mm of rain per year. Surrounded by mountains in every direction, the peaks around Nevado de Huila (5750m) grab most of the incoming precipitation, leaving 330-sq-km Tatacoa arid for most of the year. The result is an ecosystem unlike anywhere else in Colombia – there are scorpions and weasels, fruit-bearing cacti, and 72 bird species have been recorded here.
To get here, you’ll have to pass through Neiva, the hot, sleepy capital of the Huíla department and a port on the Río Magdalena. There’s nothing in Neiva of interest. Take a bus to Villavieja, an hour’s ride northwest of Neiva. You can spend the night in Villavieja or, better yet, spend the night in the desert.
Be sure to bring sturdy shoes (there are cactus spines on the ground) and a flashlight (torch).
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VILLAVIEJA
8 / pop 7700 / elev 440m
This small desert town was founded in 1550 and has largely been forgotten about since. A few families continue to eke out a living raising cattle, but most have turned to tourism – hordes of bogotano tourists come on weekends and holidays to warm up.
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Information
At the local library ( 7:30am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Fri), out back of the museum, you can use the internet for free. Next door is the office of the single police officer ( 312 453 2488) who patrols the region. He offers tourist information when not riding his motorcycle around.
There’s no ATM in town, but Banco Agrario ( 879 7503, 879 7513; Calle 4 No 30; 8am-1pm Mon-Fri) will let you withdraw cash with a cash-card and passport.
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Sights & Activities
The region used to be a sea bed and contains numerous important fossils from the Myocene era; paleontologists continue to work in La Venta, a remote region of the desert. You can see some of their findings at the Museo Paleontológico ( 879 7744; admission COP$1500; 8:30am-noon & 2-5pm) on the main square.
Be sure to visit Conservas del Desierto ( 879 7567; conservasdeldesierto@yahoo.es; Carrera 5 No 5-78; 8am-5pm), which sells various products made from the locally grown Nopal cactus, including cactus sweets, pickled cactus heart, and cactus wine (8.7% alcohol). The cactus is reputed to have medicinal properties, and is quite tasty.
As you leave town you’ll pass through Bosque del Cardón, a small cactus forest. Four kilometers from Villavieja is El Cusco, where you’ll find the Observatorio Astronómico de la Tatacoa ( 879 7584,