Heading south, our first stop was the Tatacoa Desert . This place is vaguely called “desert”, but in reality it is a dry tropical forest. During our visit to the Tatacoa Desert we went for a hike with a local guide that showed us some of the hidden gems of this place. It is beautiful place and we really recommend it. If you go, you must try “cabrito con pipitoria”, a traditional dish of goat and rice with blood and offal.
One of the nights we went to an open air observatory. The guy running the place gave us an interesting talk about the stars and we enjoyed a couple of hours of star gazing through the telescopes, unfortunately there were a bit of clouds, so we could not take nice photos.
After a couple of nights at the desert we drove to San Agustin, a small town in Huila, it is close to San Agustin Archeological Park which is recognized by the UNESCO as World Heritage site. This park is composed of many sited with pre-Colombian ruins.
On the way to San Agustin – Horseshoe Viewpoint, Betania Reservoir, Huila, ColombiaOn the way to San Agustin – Gigante, Huila, Colombia
The first morning we did a guided tour through the main site of the park and visited the museum. In the afternoon we did a horse riding tour that took us to some of the the other archeological sites. This was an amazing experience, we had not been on a horse since we were young and had not good memories of the experience, so we were a bit scare to do it at first; however after a few minutes in the horse, we relax and really enjoyed the afternoon. Woke up a bit sore next morning but it was all worth it.
San Agustín Archeological Park, Huila, ColombiaSan Agustín Archeological Park, Huila, ColombiaSan Agustín Archeological Park, Huila, ColombiaSan Agustín Archeological Park, Huila, ColombiaSan Agustín Archeological Park, Huila, ColombiaSan Agustín Archeological Park, Huila, ColombiaSan Agustín Archeological Park, Huila, ColombiaSan Agustín Archeological Park, Huila, ColombiaSan Agustín Archeological Park, Huila, ColombiaArcheological Site El Purutal, Huila, ColombiaRiding Pinina – La Chaquira, Huila, ColombiaRiding Estrella – La Chaquira, Huila, ColombiaLa Chaquira, Huila, ColombiaLa Chaquira, Huila, ColombiaEl Tablón, Huila, ColombiaEl Tablón, Huila, ColombiaSan Agustín, Huila, ColombiaHostal Alto de los Andaquíes, San Agustín, Huila, Colombia
On march 18 we did a day tour that took us to the narrowest part of the Magdalena river. The Magdalena river is the most important river in Colombia and in the northern part of the country, after covering around 1528km, the Magdalena River becomes quite wide… so it was impressive to see how little it is at the start.
We then went to Obando, a small town with a small museum and more ruins from the pre-Colombian era. We also went to the Alto de los ídolos another archeological site and the Bordones Falls, these beautiful falls are 400 meters high and believe to be the highest in the country.
Narrowest Point of the Magdalena River, Huila, ColombiaNarrowest Point of the Magdalena River, Huila, ColombiaNarrowest Point of the Magdalena River, Huila, ColombiaArepas with Hot Chocolate, Huila, ColombiaArcheological Site Alto de los Idolos, Huila, ColombiaArcheological Site Alto de los Idolos, Huila, ColombiaArcheological Site Alto de los Idolos, Huila, ColombiaArcheological Site Alto de los Idolos, Huila, ColombiaArcheological Site Alto de los Idolos, Huila, ColombiaArcheological Site Alto de los Idolos, Huila, ColombiaBordones Falls, Huila, Colombia
Then, we visited the last of the archeological sites, Alto de las Piedras. Our final stop for the day was the Mortiños Falls, another amazing natural beauty.
Archeological Site Alto de las Piedras, Huila, ColombiaArcheological Site Alto de las Piedras, Huila, ColombiaArcheological Site Alto de las Piedras, Huila, ColombiaArcheological Site Alto de las Piedras, Huila, ColombiaMortiño Falls, Huila, Colombia
Barranquilla’s Carnaval is the second largest in the world after Rio de Janeiro. Since it was happening while we were in Colombia we could not afford not to go. We packed our bags, my in-laws and off we went.
We drove from Medellín to Montería and spent the night there with some relatives. The next day we arrived in Barranquilla, we are staying at Marcela cousin’s house. We spent the next three days enjoying Barranquilla’s Carnaval, it was great to be part of it; although the heat was hitting us hard!
We attended all the parades and have to admit that most of the participants are very well prepared and the show is impressive! However if you ever get a chance to go to the carnaval, we will recommend you only go to the parade on day one and then try to get tickets for the big concert that is organized every year.
We then drove to Mompox, a town recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage. We stayed at a small hotel where we were accepted almost as family.
On the way from Barranquilla to Mompox, ColombiaMagdalena River, Mompox, ColombiaMompox, Colombia
We spent the next couple of days walking around the town, going to see the sunset on the river and visiting the local cheese factory.
Magdalena River, Mompox, ColombiaSunset in the Magdalena River, Mompox, ColombiaMompox, ColombiaMompox, ColombiaMompox, ColombiaSilver Jewellery, Mompox, ColombiaMompox, ColombiaMompox, ColombiaMompox, ColombiaSunset in the Magdalena River, Mompox, ColombiaSunset in the Magdalena River, Mompox, ColombiaMompox, Colombia
On our way to Cartagena we decided to take the old access way to Mompox… via ferry. Up until a few months ago Mompox did not have road access, one had to take a ferry to cross the Magdalena River in order to get to Mompox. Currently there is one bridge in operation and the second one under construction and it is expected to open in just over a year.
We drove the car on the ferry together with more than 20 other vehicles including transport trucks and off we went cruising along the river. It took just over an hour to reach Magangue; from there it took us a few hours to reach Cartagena.
On the Ferry from Mompox to Magangue, Colombia
From Cartagena we visited Barú, an island nearby. The beach is beautiful, comparable to the beaches in Maldives or Bora Bora. We have never been here but were impressed with how touristic this place is and the amount of ilegal hostels they have built on the beach and the amount of restaurants. We also witnessed how pushy locals can be with the tourists, it was not nice!
Barú Island, ColombiaBarú Island, Colombia
In Cartagena we are staying at Marcela aunt’s house. We spent time visiting the Old City and the San Felipe Castle. We had not been to Cartagena in years and we loved it. The old city is very organized and the architecture of the city is just magnificent. While there we also attended the baptism of Marcela cousin’s son.
Cartagena’s Old City, ColombiaCartagena’s Old City, ColombiaCartagena’s Old City, ColombiaCartagena’s Old City, ColombiaCartagena’s Old City, ColombiaCartagena’s Old City, ColombiaSan Felipe Castle, Cartagena, ColombiaMarcela and her Father, San Felipe Castle, Cartagena, ColombiaSan Felipe Castle, Cartagena, ColombiaSan Felipe Castle, Cartagena, ColombiaCartagena’s Old City, ColombiaCartagena, ColombiaCartagena, ColombiaCartagena, ColombiaBanana Plantation, Urabá, ColombiaMountains in Colombia
It was an excellent trip to the north of Colombia, where we knew some places but had not been there for many years.
