Travel guide: Eastern Plains (Los Llanos)

Savanna, joropo and mamona three hours from Bogotá

• Almost all fincas are around Villavicencio.
• Horseback rides, coleo (a Llanos rodeo sport) and mamona, veal roasted Llanos-style.
• Caño Cristales is reached by flight from Villavicencio, June to November.

Villavicencio and around

Villavicencio (about 470 m above sea level) is the capital of Meta. The fincas are along the roads to Restrepo and Cumaral, to Acacías and to Puerto López. The road to the Llano drops more than 2,000 meters (about 6,600 ft) from the Bogotá savanna to the foothills.

Llanero culture

On the finca-hatos (working cattle ranches) you can go horseback riding, watch coleo (a rodeo sport where riders bring down a steer by the tail) and spot capybaras and herons. The signature dish is mamona, veal roasted llanero-style for several hours beside the embers. Puerto López calls itself the Ombligo de Colombia (Colombia's navel) because of the obelisk marking the country's geographic center, and it has sunsets over the Meta River. Caño Cristales, the multicolored river in La Macarena, is reached by flight from Villavicencio; the color season runs roughly from June to November.

Getting there

Leave Bogotá to the south, through Usme, and continue via Chipaque, Cáqueza and Guayabetal to Villavicencio. Buses run frequently from Bogotá's Terminal del Sur (south bus station). Once in Villavicencio: Restrepo is about 25 minutes away, Acacías about 30 and Puerto López 1.5 to 2 hours.

What they won't tell you

The Bogotá-Villavicencio road closes for landslides, especially on the Quetame and Guayabetal stretch during the rainy season. Some days it opens in only one direction or on a schedule. Before you leave, check the road status on the official channels of the highway concessionaire and of Invías, the national roads agency. And between Chipaque and Cáqueza, night fog cuts visibility sharply.