Located 20 minutes from San José del Guaviare, near the vereda Playa Guio, a visit to the Laguna Negra in Guaviare allows you to discover an Amazonian ecosystem and meet former coca growers who have seen tourism as an opportunity for social transformation.
Guaviare is a laboratory for these professional reconversion initiatives, which place tourism at the heart of peace-building in Colombia.
On our visit to Laguna Negra, we met some wonderful people, with a strong and difficult history, and a wonderful project to support.
Disclaimer: we apologize in advance for any grammatical or syntactic errors, as our native language is not English (we're a Colombian-French couple), so we hope you'll forgive us and still enjoy the information we share with you! Please note that all the information on our blog is based on our own experience, and is checked and updated regularly.
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Tourism as an alternative to illicit crops
Laguna negra in Guaviare
Guaviare has always been considered a kind of Far West, an El Dorado to which “settlers” from all over Colombia arrived, drawn by the dream of making a fortune in the illicit crops that succeeded one another there: rubber, marijuana, then coca, manufacturing laboratories and drug trafficking.
When we met Javier in Playa Güio, we listened as he told us his story, at once singular and representative of many inhabitants of this territory wounded and stigmatized by years of armed conflict.
Javier, a former coca farmer, was one of the first to see the potential of San José del Guaviare as a tourist destination, and tourism as a chance to break out of the vicious circle into which a large part of the population had been plunged.
By uniting his neighbors to encourage them to leave coca cultivation behind and offer a guide service to discover the Laguna Negra, his dream became a reality.
Today, the Laguna Negra has become one of the classic destinations to visit during a stay in San José del Guaviare. Not only do you discover a magical ecosystem and flora and fauna, but you also support a community tourism and social transformation project.
Favorite thing to do
Contact Marcos to visit Laguna Negra
The Laguna Negra in Guaviare
An Amazonian ecosystem
Located 20 minutes from San José del Guaviare, in the middle of a flooded forest, the Laguna Negra is a magical place, an ecosystem full of life, where you can observe one of the strangest birds we’ve ever seen: the Hoatzin!
The Laguna Negra owes its name to the deep black color of its water! Although the water is completely crystal-clear, it’s the sediment at the bottom of the lake that gives it its dark hue.
Again, the Guaviare marks a border with the Amazon rainforest, and a glimpse of this is provided by a visit to Laguna Negra. The dense jungle here is inhabited by various species of primate (woolly monkey, howler monkey and marmoset), spectacled caiman and even anacondas.
But the kings of the place are, of course, the birds – many species of birds, including numerous kingfishers, wading birds and the incredible hoatzin, a prehistoric animal with an improbable look!
The Laguna Negra is reached with a guide from the local community, via a boat trip lasting a few hours through a canal in the shape of a natural corridor, leading to the immense lagoon.
Favorite thing to do
Contact Marcos to visit Laguna Negra
Our Laguna Negra experience
San José del Guaviare
During our stay in Guaviare, we were lucky enough to discover the Laguna Negra with Marcos, Javier’s son, who has trained as a local guide.
Once we’d packed up at Playa Guio, we set off with Marcos for a boat trip along the canal to Laguna Negra for sunset. The trip is another opportunity to chat with Marcos, who tells us all about the flora and fauna in the area, and we see many monkeys and bird species, difficult to photograph because of the distance and movement of the boat.
The Laguna Negra and the Guaviare is a great place for birdwatching in Colombia.
At the end of this natural corridor, encircled by forest, the horizon suddenly opens up onto the Laguna Negra. Absolutely calm, these dark waters are a perfect mirror of the surrounding landscape – magnificent!
The color of the Laguna Negra, which gives it its name, is mainly due to the lake’s great depth and the microorganisms present in the water. However, the water is perfectly clean for swimming, and we’re not above taking a dip!
The water is warm and pleasant, and at the end of a day when the heat has been intense, the moment is great and does both body and soul good.
We climb back into the boat for the return trip, admiring the sky ablaze with the last light of day as the many wading birds settle into their heronry (Garcero). A moment that reminds us of previous days in the Casanare. We then return to Playa Güio for a gentle rest.
Favorite thing to do
Contact Marcos to visit Laguna Negra
Playa Güio, nature cabins
Laguna Negra in Guaviare
We spent three nights at Playa Güio, on the outskirts of Laguna Negra, in the cabins built by Javier and Marcos to welcome visiting tourists. Set in the middle of nature, on the banks of a canal leading to the Laguna Negra, the Playa Güio accommodation can only be reached by crossing the canal in a canoe.
Here, there’s no network connection, no WiFi, just the sound of the forest, our breath and our voices. It’s worth noting that, apart from in the center of San José, it’s very rare to find a network in the surrounding area. So it’s going to be 4 days of real disconnection, or connection to nature, depending on how you look at it.
The cabins at Playa Güio are very pretty, built on stilts as the land is flooded several months a year during the rainy season. They have a bathroom connected to the canal water and electricity thanks to solar panels installed on each cabin.
In the evenings, it’s possible to eat on site and take advantage of the evening to chat with Marcos and his family. Then, when it’s time to go to bed, a night of powerful forest sounds awaits you: crickets will invade the night, monkeys may come to eat fruit above the roof, and in the distance, you’re sure to hear the snapping of caiman jaws.
Book a tour to visit Laguna Negra
Local agency in Playa Guio
Responsible tourism
Marcos was self-taught, accompanying various scientific expeditions in the Guaviare region. Born into a family of former cocaleros, he is now a tour guide and a prime example of what tourism can bring to a region hard hit by armed conflict.
Opening hours and prices
Finca Trankilandia is open to the public from June to December.
- Opening hours: 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (last admissions, closes at 5:00 p.m.)
- Rates :
Where to stay in San José
San José del Guaviare
Hotel
Hotel El Aeropuerto
Hotel El Aeropuerto is, as its name suggests, located right next to San José del Guaviare airport. With its swimming pool, nice common areas and all the services of a classic hotel.
San José del Guaviare
Hotel
Hotel Quinto Nivel
The Hotel Quinto Nivel is one of San José del Guaviare’s best-known hotels. Most local agencies lodge their clients in this hotel.
San José del Guaviare
Eco Lodge
Playa Guio
Playa Guio is a haven of peace in the middle of nature, a 20-minute cab ride from the center of San José del Guaviare. On site, you’ll find the warmth of the Melo family, a large common room where you can eat and have a good time, a large hut for those who want to sleep cheaply in a hammock, and two private cabins for those who want privacy.
How to get to San José del Guaviare
Around San José del Guaviare lies the Laguna Damas de Nare, only accessible with a local guide, by lancha or 4×4 depending on the season.
Getting to Guaviare by bus
BUS | Bogota <> San José del Guaviare (8h)
- Fare: approx. $70.000 COP
- Companies: Flota La Macarena
- Departures: all day, with night bus departures as well.
BUS | Villavicencio <> San Jose del Guaviare (5h)
- Fare: approx. $50.000 COP
- Companies: Flota La Macarena
- Departures: approximately every hour
Getting to Guaviare by plane
PLANE | Bogota <> San José del Guaviare (1h15)
- Departures: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
- Fare: approx. $210.000 COP one-way
- Airline: Satena, Clicair
