Between Cerro Azul, the Sistine Chapel of the Amazon, and Trankilandia, the little brother of Caño Cristales, a visit to Guaviare was one of the destinations we absolutely had to visit!
So when we had the chance to go to San Jose del Guaviare, you can’t imagine how happy we were to be able to realize our dream of discovering this region of Colombia, which is opening up to tourism and has so much to offer.
We spent 5 exceptional days there, as much for the beauty of the natural sites we visited as for the powerful human encounters we made! Beautiful souls working to show the beauty of a Guaviare of peace and reconciliation.
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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.
San José del Guaviare
Visit Guaviare travel guide
San José del Guaviare, founded in 1938 by missionaries (amazing, isn’t it?) and officially registered as a Colombian municipality only in 1976!
This region, like the Amazon, has long been unexplored and underdeveloped. The region has always been inhabited by indigenous Amazonian communities, and small “colonies” o finhabitants from other parts of Colombia gradually settled in to form San José.
It was only after the “violencia” of the 50s that the village really took off, attracting workers in search of a new El Dorado where they could make “easy” money. Throughout its history, San José has experienced various economic booms, all linked to illicit activities: first rubber, then Marijuana, then Coca.
From the 1980s onwards, the violence linked to drug trafficking and the armed conflict between the FARCS, paramilitaries and the Colombian army plunged the region into a decades-long hell. The inhabitants have suffered the serious consequences of this rampant insecurity.
Thanks to the 2016 peace agreements and conversion programs, the region is now recovering. Tourism plays a key role in this reconstruction, and our 5 memorable days there prove it.
Gateway to the Amazon, Guaviare offers a variety of experiences that are unique in Colombia. Colorful rivers, thousand-year-old cave paintings, ancient rock formations and lush nature, with the chance to perhaps swim with pink dolphins.
After 3 days in the Casanare, we reach San José del Guaviare by bus from Yopal, via Villavicencio. Nowadays, buses and direct flights make the trip easier. So don’t hesitate, come and discover Guaviare!
Contact Marcel to visit Guaviare
Playa Güio
Visit Guaviare travel guide
We arrive in San José for lunch and meet Javier, leader of the Playa Güio community tourism project, for the first time. The connection with Javier is immediately strong, and you can sense his passion for the project he has now been championing for many years. He takes us to his home, where his wife has prepared a succulent Sancocho de gallina. Javier begins to tell us his story, a powerful and exceptional one.
Javier is one of the pioneers of tourism in San Jose del Guaviare. Before anyone else, he saw tourism as a possible alternative to illicit crops, when no one believed in tourism in the region. He rallied his coca-growing neighbors to stop growing coca and set up a cooperative offering accommodation and tourist services around the Laguna Negra. He fought for tourism to be recognized as a potential source of development for Guaviare and an alternative to coca cultivation.
As you can imagine, no sooner had we arrived than we were thrust into the reality of San José del Guaviare’s tragic history. We’ll tell you all about Javier’s story in a future post.
Over lunch, we meet Marcos, Javier’s son, who will be our guide for the day as we discover the Puerta de Orion and the Laguna Negra. So it’s with full bellies and hearts already filled with emotion that we set off to discover the Guaviare.
Contact Marcel to visit Guaviare
Puerta de Orion
Visit Guaviare travel guide
Angélica’s uncle has decided to spend the day with us, and Marcos and I head for the entrance to Puerta de Orion in a 4×4. Here, as elsewhere in Colombia, most sites of tourist interest are located on private land, where the owners charge a fee. We discover a Marcos who is totally passionate about his territory and knows the local flora and fauna inside out, having worked alongside the many university scientists who now come to study the Guaviare’s unique ecosystems.
After an hour’s walk, we arrive at the Puerta de Orion, a rock formation of marine origin (since it was covered by the ocean millions of years ago) with a significant opening in its center.
The gate, which is around 12 m high, owes its name to the constellation Orion, which can be seen perfectly aligned through the opening during the months of June… we’ve heard it’s more likely to be in December… other versions claim that the name is due to the sacred nature of the place for the natives, who used the gate to communicate with the gods.
Along the way, we come across the emblematic Guaviare plant for the first time, the “Flor del Guaviare”, a highly recognizable endemic species that can only be seen in this region.
On the way back, a stormy downpour hits us just before we reach the car. For the next three days, we’ll be lucky enough to have good weather and a heavy afternoon shower almost every day, but that’s the price we have to pay in this hot, humid region.
Contact Marcel to visit the Guaviare
Laguna Negra
Visit Guaviare travel guide
On our way back from Puerta de Orion, we set off for Playa Güio, where we’re about to enjoy three nights in the heart of nature in Javier’s charming cabins. There’s no network or WiFi here, just the wild call of the forest and the rhythm of our breaths.
The stilted cabins, with bathrooms and solar panels, offer us an enchanted interlude, far from modern worries. Marcos takes us on a boat trip to the Laguna Negra, where we admire a sunset shimmering on the dark waters, the opportunity to discover the local flora and fauna, and enjoy a delicious swim in the lake’s warm waters.
At last, the last light of day sets the sky ablaze, as the wading birds return to their heronries. In the evening, we enjoy a hearty meal prepared by Marcos’ wife, before drifting off to sleep lulled by the sounds of the forest, from crickets to crocodiles to greedy monkeys. A true immersion in the heart of the wild!
The Laguna Negra and Guaviare is a great place for birdwatching in Colombia.
Contact Marcel to visit Guaviare
Cerro Azul, rock paintings
Visit Guaviare travel guide
The next day, we meet up with Marcel, our local partner in San José, who has settled in San José del Guaviare where part of his family is from.
He picks us up at Playa Güio to take us to see the rock paintings at Cerro Azul, just a few hours away by 4×4 in the Serrania de la Lindosa. On the agenda: the discovery of rock paintings dating back more than 12.000 years !
Access to the rock paintings is regulated, and it’s only possible to get there if accompanied by a local guide from the Cerro Azul community. So it’s William, a young man from this village, who will accompany us with Marcel.
After an approach walk through savannah and forest, we arrive at the foot of the Tepuye walls and discover the first rock paintings in Cerro Azul. An impressive discovery!
We’re going to walk around the Tepuye to discover more painting panels, and climb to the summit to admire a panorama of the Amazon rainforest as far as the eye can see.
It’s impossible to remain indifferent to a place so full of history, mystery and magic! The ochre paintings tell mysterious stories that are impossible to decipher, but which stimulate the imagination.
One thing’s for sure: it’s a day to remember!
Back in Playa Guio, after a good meal in the company of Javier and Marcos’ family, sleep calls! The days are intense and the evenings are agitated by the deafening sounds of nature and the humidity of the Amazonian night.
Contact Marcel to visit the Guaviare
The pink dolphins of Damas de Nare
Visit Guaviare travel guide
Early in the morning, we set off for the Laguna Damas de Nare for an exceptional encounter, or rather two exceptional encounters! Pacho and the pink Amazonian dolphins.
After a sail on the Rio Guaviare, we reach the headquarters of EcoNare, a community-based tourism initiative stemming from the government’s program to convert illicit coca crops.
Pacho, the project’s leader, tells us about the region’s turbulent history and the saving grace of tourism. Pacho’s story is moving, and bears witness to the many tragedies experienced by many Guaviare inhabitants.
For as long as he can remember, he and his wife have been rubbing shoulders with the “toninas”, the pink dolphins that populate Nare’s Laguna Damas. So he can’t wait to introduce us to his friends!
Once on the water, Pacho calls them from our boat and the pink dolphins appear, as if by magic, curious and playful.
Free and wild, the dolphins decide how to interact with us. We dive and chat with Marcos and Pacho, while the toninas play around us. A unique and unforgettable moment comes when one of them grazes Samuel’s legs with its soft skin!
Enthralled by this unforgettable experience, we return home to monkeys and birds, giving us a glimpse of the local fauna. Exhausted but fulfilled, we let sleep envelop us in the lancha on the way back, our hearts still vibrating from this incredible encounter.
Contact Marcel to visit the Guaviare
Caño Sabana (Trankilandia)
Visit Guaviare travel guide
The last day promises to be a rich one, with the discovery of Caño Sabana, the five-coloured river of Guaviare (otherwise known as Trankilandia). Just like its big sister, Caño Cristales. Every year, these Colombian rivers take on sumptuous hues of red, orange and yellow. Images that have travelled the world to showcase Caño Cristales, but can also be seen around San José del Guaviare!
Guided by Franklin, a young self-taught enthusiast, we explore the local flora and the reasons behind these dazzling colors. The endemic “Macarenia clavigera” algae is responsible for this phenomenon, its colors changing according to the amount of water in the river. Although the most intense hues appear in June, our visit in September reveals a majestic spectacle.
The preservation of this exceptional site means that we mustn’t swim where the algae is present, but the pools offer us a refreshing moment of relaxation at the end of our walk. And so ends our morning in Trankilandia, lulled by the natural beauty of the Guaviare.
The colors of the Caño Sabana are only visible during the algae blooming season between June and November.
