Top 10 Nature & Parks in Cauca Department, Cauca Department

Reviewed By KV1234 - London, United Kingdom

Tierradentro is a little bit off the beaten path but so worth making the effort. If you don’t want to organise all of your own travel we would recommend contacting Mark at “The Colombian Way” travel agency. All of his tour prices are on his website and very keenly priced. It takes all of the hassle out of your journey and he organises private drivers, English guides and local guides. We booked a range of tours with The Colombian Way over the course of 2 weeks (from Medellin to Armenia, to Salento, to Popayan, to Tierradentro, to San Agustin, to Tatacoa and finishing in Bogota). Mark was very fast in communication and was always available to help out whenever we needed it which was brilliant as the Government were changing what was open at a moments notice. He was also extremely competitive on price being 30% cheaper than another tour operator. The highlight of our trip was the amazing underground tombs of Tierradentro and the magnificent stone sculptures of San Agustin / Isnos (the largest group of religious monuments and megalithic sculptures in South America.)… you must do it! The Colombian Way had arranged for us to be picked up in Popayan with our English speaking guide (he was the best we had in all of our 2 week trip) and then driven to Tierradentro for 2 nights and then 3 nights in San Agustin. We wanted to choose our own accommodation in San Agustin so Mark reduced the price so that we could book the Masaya Hostel directly. The drive over the mountain pass through the mini cactus valley was pleasant and we stopped along the way for some good photo spots. We arrived around 1pm and checked into La Portada. Mark had arranged for us to get a room with our own private bathroom as some do not have this. We had time for a wander around town before partaking on the afternoon’s activities. There is a small church in town and it’s worth having a nose around. Just inside the door on the right hand side there is a map and picture of all of the local tourist sights. It’s a good way to get your bearings. Our driver, English guide and local Spanish guide then took us to Pyramid San Francisco. On the way we visited the stone frog. Unless you had a guide I’m not sure you would find this and we were pleased we had one. The Pyramid was impressive. It appeared to be closed but our Guide knew better and took us up to the Pyramid where indeed there were other people. A local entrepreneur had set up selling food and I had a tasty hot ham and cheese toasty. We climbed to the top of the pyramid and took some awesome photos and also explored all of the tunnels under the pyramid where early explorers had been looking for the gold that they were sure was hidden underneath the pyramid. The stone from the pyramid comes from some distance away and it’s not known how they got the stone up the hill… After breakfast the following morning, we headed off to El Tablon where we got to see our first stone sculptures of the men… awesome, just awesome. We loved them. The way they stand with their knuckles together and have oversized heads with some looking startled. They made us smile. Then we walked down the hill beside the farmer’s fields to the main event… the tombs of Tierradentro. Make sure you bring a strong flashlight to see all of the details in the tombs. Some of the tombs have geometrical patterns and others have the distinctive wide sloping faces (that you will also see sculptures of in San Agustin) as well as the slightly sinister feeling column statues of the men with their clutching hands… I could hear a creepy voice in my head say… “we’ve been expecting you”… There is a museum at the bottom which was closed but we could still peak through the window. After visiting awesome Tierradentro we were driven to a nearby location where we hiked to a waterfall. This was also very good and we didn’t realise this was also included. On the next day we waved good bye to our English guide of 2 days and our driver transferred us to San Agustin. A note for those thinking of driving yourself… Google suggests a road that is often closed due to landslides so you have to stay on the main roads and travel 50% further. One of the benefits of using The Colombian Way driver.