For a second,imagine you spent the night in a tent,you open the fabric that serves as a door and the first rays of sun flood everything. In the distance,a breathtaking landscape and families of capybaras feeding on dew-covered grass. That is the scene that awaits visitors to the eco-lodges of the department of Casanare,which can be reached from the towns of Yopal,Pore and Paz de Ariporo.

If Villavicencio is considered the gateway to the llanos,Yopal is the front porch. The area around Yopal is a paradise for nature lovers and will captivate photographers with its stunning landscapes. There you will find traditional cattle ranches blending with wetlands teeming with birds.

In the past,cattle ranching was the city's only spectacle,but winds of change have also blown here,and conservation has become an important priority. Locals therefore aim to ecologically preserve many valuable parts of the farms and to protect other lands in the area.

Inspired by this contagious movement,local entrepreneurs began adapting the large haciendas to host visitors interested in nature,and now there are several places where travelers can live the Latin American safari experience.

And what a unique experience it is! By day you'll spend your time watching anacondas,monkeys and anteaters or trying to photograph the elusive jaguar. But when the sun goes down,the atmosphere fills with abundant traditional food and the music and dances of the local culture appear.

In fact,there are few destinations that combine nature and culture in as perfect a pairing as the plains of the Amazonía-Orinoquía colombiana.

Yopal, Casanare

Attractions and experiences

La Aguatoca Natural Pool

Surrounded by nature,this deep natural pool eagerly receives the crystalline waters of a small stream that flows over a little waterfall. What better way to cool off and recharge than to dive in?

Outdoor life

Mirador de la Virgen de Manare

To the east of the city,you'll find a hillside popular with locals for exercising. It also features a large viewpoint offering panoramic views of Yopal and the plains that stretch beyond.

La Calaboza Waterfall

Less than three kilometers from the city,you'll find this beautiful round natural pool,whose emerald-green waters invite you to swim and enjoy its small waterfall and surrounding forests. Weekends are quite busy with local residents,but weekdays are wonderfully tranquil.

Practical details

Accommodation

While Yopal offers a wide variety of affordable hotels,most travelers prefer to stay outside the city in one of the rural eco-lodges found in Casanare,as they provide the opportunity to fully immerse in the nature and culture of the plains.

Getting there

Yopal has a modern airport conveniently located on the outskirts of the city with regular flights to Bogotá and,less frequently,to Bucaramanga. By road,Yopal connects to the department of Boyacá in the eastern Colombian Andes via a scenic mountain road that becomes a highway heading south toward Bogotá. You will reach that city after a trip of about seven hours in total.