Los LLanos, Colombia’s cowboy country

Take a trip to the vast semi-flooded plains of eastern Colombia, Los Llanos, where wildlife mixes with cattle ranches and rich llanero culture, and it’s not so far from Bogotá.

This post covers a short (6-day) circular route that took us by car from Bogotá to Sogamoso and Yopal, the capital town of Casanare department, then on small rural towns of San Luis de Palenque and Trinidad.

We returned to Bogotá on a beautiful backroad via San Luis de Gaceno, Guateque and Machetá. The route can be done by local transport, with small buses, and you can organise local transport and guides to visit a Hato (ranch in the Llanos). I’ve put some practical stuff at the end of the post.

Riding out at sunset at Reserva Natural El Encanto de Guanapalo, a private ranch that offers horsebak safaris and more
Riding out at sunset at Reserva Natural El Encanto de Guanapalo, a private ranch that offers horsebak safaris and more

Getting east from Bogotá takes you quickly down the Andes (well, not always so quickly, the roads can be shit) to Los Llanos, the flat plains that comprise the large departments Arauca, Casanare, Vichada, Meta, Caqueta and parts of Guaviare, Guainia and Vaupés. It’s huge. See my post on Gorgeous Guaviare for comments on that area, which boundaries the Amazon region further south.

Capybaras (or chiguiro as they are known in Colombia) , a typical scenery with lakes and moriche palms, a large anteater and a "llanero".
Capybaras (or chiguiro as they are known in Colombia) , a typical scenery with lakes and moriche palms, a large anteater and a “llanero“.

So, that’s a vast area to cover. Where to start? For many Casanare is the heart of Los Llanos and the most accessible to visitors, and now has a growing tourism industry with more hatos opening for visitors. The hub for this is the small city of Yopal, a short flight (with Satena) from Bogotá, or an 8-hour bus ride over very curvy roads. If have access to a car I have made a map below for some idea of routes.

Some points:


– some areas of Los Llanos are also conflict zones, best to confine yourself to the main routes of Casanare and Meta.
– Los Llanos has two distinct seasons, rainy wet season (April – October) and dry season (November – March), but is generally cooler than other tropical areas of Colombia thanks to regular breezes across the plains. We never felt too hot there.
– Bus transport, food and lodging is cheap in the rural towns and Yopal, but visits to ranches relatively expensive. There are not really “budget” options or mass tourism to the farms yet. You can save money by staying in hotels in town (Trinidad or San Luis de Palenque), but then are stuck with transport costs to the farms themselves. Los Llanos might be one area where hiring a car is worth it. Remember in the rainy season you might need a 4×4 (expensive) to reach the farms.
– Los Llanos sites are often booked up over popular Colombian tourist times, say Semana Santa (week up to Easter Sunday), and December January. You can still visit but need to book ahead.
– going in a group of at least 4 persons will reduce transport costs of you have to hire transport.

in Colombia's Los Llanos, a car safari is often a better way to get close to animals than horse or on foot.
Car safari is often a better way to get close to animals than horse or on foot.

So what to expect from a Los Llanos safari?

Before you get too carried away, remember that South America has no large fauna, in fact the largest land animal is a tapir. Why? Humans arrived very recently (20,000 years ago) and the pleistocene mega fauna that existed then, such as giant sloths and mastadons, had not developed very good human avoidance skills.

Hence within 10,000 years most had been wiped out by human overkill (we literally ate them out of existence) with climate change being blamed too. So don’t expect to see anything bigger than a capybara (called a chiguiro here), a caiman crocodile, or maybe of you’re lucky a giant ant eater. In the wet season you have a chance to see an anaconda. The bird life is amazing though, and the scenery, so you will not be disappointed.

A farm (Hato) visit is relaxed and involves a walk, horse ride or car ride.
A farm (Hato) visit is relaxed and involves a walk, horse ride or car ride.

Our itinerary from San Luis de Palenque visitinga hato in Reserva Natural El Encanto de Guanapalo was:
– 8am to 9am: drive to El Encanto, last 5kms over farm tracks.
– 9am: Arrival, lemonade, coffee and snacks (popcorn). Watch the capybaras, caimans, turtles and birds in the lake.
– 10am: Walk around the lake (2 hours) and see more capybaras, caimans, deer, turtles and birds.
– 12pm: hammock time, watch the llanero cowboys round up some horses.
– 1pm: lunch, sancocho de gallina, nice.Watch the capybaras, caimans, turtles and birds in the lake
– 1.30pm to 3pm: hammock time, siesta, or watch the capybaras, caimans, turtles and birds in the lake.
– 3pm to 5.30pm: horseback ride across the hato to see….more capybaras, caimans, deer, turtles and birds.

Some lucky folk do spot pumas, which are attracted to their prey of capybaras. We got a fleeting glimpse of a giant anteater at our finca hotel in San Luis de Palenque. You see these most around dawn or dusk.

Big cats you might see, if you are very lucky, and an iguana (which you will see). Trees and the varied acacia seed pods are amazing here too.
Big cats you might see, if you are very lucky, and an iguana (which you will see). Trees and the varied acacia seed pods are amazing here too.

OK, so it was maybe a bit too relaxing, and between the walk and the horseride the guides left us to sit around and there was zero effort to explain the farm workings or anything else. But this laid back approach was part of the charm and we all enjoyed it alot. The cost is $205,000/person (around US$40) so OK for a full day. The horses were very tame and we felt very comfortable on the riding.

Map of the route we took, the H is where we overnighted in hotels.
Map of the route we took, the H is where we overnighted in hotels.
Scenery on the roads down from the Andes, tip right is the spectacular Chivor Dam lake, between Guataque and San Luis de Gaceno.
Scenery on the roads down from the Andes, tip right is the spectacular Chivor Dam lake, between Guataque and San Luis de Gaceno.

PRACTICAL STUFF

See map above for driving times, estimated. Any roads off the Andes are prone to landslides, especially after heavy rain, and there are currently roadworks on all routes. For this reason we planned a leisurely trip with overnights in Yopal and San Luis de Gaceno, whereas if you are travelling hard you could make Bogotá to San Luis de Palenque or the Hatos in one long day.

Yopal is the heartland of Llanero culture, the malecon and sunsest in San Luis de Palenque, road problems on the road off the Andes, and the Parque Iguana on Yopal. worth a visit and also the Rio Cravo Sur, which is a short walk from the park.
Yopal is the heartland of Llanero culture, the malecon and sunsest in San Luis de Palenque, road problems on the road off the Andes, and the Parque Iguana on Yopal. worth a visit and also the Rio Cravo Sur, which is a short walk from the park.

Hotels: many in Yopal, some with swimming pools, it’s a small town and easy to get around.
San Luis de Palenque: we stayed at the Posada Hato El Diamante, a small farm on the Rio Pautó about 3kms south of the town. Zulma, the owner, is wonderful and can help book trips etc, but there is also lots to see at El Diamante. We saw an anteater, monkeys, many caiman, some amazing birdlife. Contact Zulma on + 57 313 362 7804. there are also small local hotels in town and in nearby Trinidad.
San Luis de Gaceno: several small hotels here too, and amazing scenery, very beautiful hills here.

Booking a tour: here are contact numbers and links to try for booking a safari, stay on a Hato, etc
– Reserva Natural El Encanto de Guanapalo, three hatos that have formed up to makea a large reserve. One of the most popular sites, with overnight accommodation. Contact Carlos on +57+57 311 876 3814
– Hato Berlín, closer to Trinidad, has safaris etc, Tel. 314 331 9158 or 310 867 1676
– Experiencia Naturaleza, tour operator in Yopal, can probably arrange packets and transport etc,
whatsapp +57 312 400 1414, or experiencianaturalezasas@gmail.com
– Natural Charm Travel, based in Yopal, whatsapp +57 313 811 8169 naturalcharmtravel@gmail.com
– Cunaguaro Travel: +57 311 674 9732 cunaguarotravel@gmail.com