Orinoquia Region
The Llanos Travel Guide
- Area: 20% of the total territory (285,437 km²)
- Population: approx. 1.7 million
- Indigenous population: approx. 60,000 divided into 39 different ethnic groups
- Departments: Arauca, Casanare, Meta, Vichada
- Main towns : Villavicencio, Yopal, Arauca, Granada, Tame, Puerto Lopez, Puerto Carreño
- Climate: Tropical dry and monsoonal
- Average temperature: 27 °C
Orinoquia General information
The Llanos Travel Guide
The Orinoquia region is perhaps Colombia’s least-known region. It is otherwise known as the “Llanos region”, the region of the plains, and it’s easy to see why when you visit! Located to the east of Bogotá, its immense plains stretch for thousands of kilometers to the Venezuelan border, and are devoted to traditional livestock farming. The two main activities in the Llanos are cattle breeding and oil extraction. It’s a bit like the Colombian Far West!
Tradition, music, dance – the entire llanera culture is linked to the activities of these true Colombian cowboys. The Orinoquia is a unique world that has to be seen to be believed, a world totally apart in Colombia: you can admire the most beautiful sunsets in Colombia (in the world?) and a wildlife that is simply stunning! The Llanos are probably the region where we saw the greatest number of wild animals in Colombia. Watch out!
All our posts about the Orinoquia region in Colombia
The Llanos Travel Guide
So far we’ve only visited part of the Orinoquia region, but it’s been a revelation for us! We loved our few days in Yopal and our stay in La Macarena to see Caño Cristales. And we can’t wait to discover the other treasures of this unexplored region of Colombia.
We’re thinking in particular of the Tuparro Natural Park, but also of the little secret destinations around Villavicencio and surely lots of places we don’t know yet!
Best things to do in the Llanos region
Orinoquia Travel Guide
Did you know? One of Colombia’s most famous tourist destinations is located in the Orinoquia region! Indeed, Caño Cristales and its five-coloured river is one of the tourist sites that the Meta department in the Orinoquia region boasts.
These colors can be found in the rivers around San José del Guaviare, but above all in the rock paintings dating back over 12,000 years in the so-called “Sistine Chapel of the Amazon” at Cerro Azul.
It’s here that we understand that this Orinoquia region, which is mostly associated with economic activities (livestock and oil), and which might seem a poor region for tourism, possesses an unsuspected natural and cultural wealth.
Villavicencio in Meta and Yopal in Casanare are surely the most accessible destinations in Orinoquia. Here you can experience the llanera culture, visit hatos, traditional farms and discover the incredible wildlife that resides there.
Further afield in the department of Vichada lies the Parque Natural del Tuparro, another of the region’s natural wonders, with its rivers and rock formations and its totally preserved flora and fauna. There’s also the Ventanas nature refuge near Puerto Carreño.
Contact a local guide to visit Orinoquia region
The Llanos Travel Guide
There is some destinations in Colombia that are supposed to be in the edge of Amazonian region and Orinoquia region. So here you’ll find San Jose del Guaviare and Cerros de Mavecure which should also be part of the Amazonian part. Anyway.