Colombian Safari - Excursion to Los Llanos

In October we undertook a trip to Casanare, a so far not very frequently visited region, where we were impressed by what flora and fauna had to offer.

Located only about 350 km southeast of Bogota, Yopal, the capital of Casanare, can easily reached either by plane or car. It is either a 1 hour flight or 7.5 hour ride to get there. Casanare is quite a contrast to the bustling big city life and climate of Bogota – it is very laid back, and the climate is warm and pleasant.

First stop for us is our hotel, Hotel Lisseth, which is only a short ride out of town but however surrounded by pure nature already. The multitude of birds we see upon arrival impresses us, and this is only the start…

Next item on our agenda: Safari. One might not necessarily think about Safari, when talking about Colombia, but once you see the backcountry of Casanare, you understand that Safari is just the right word to describe what we are about to do. The Safari tour takes us through the private reserve around Hato Matepalma (hato = local term for finca), a beautiful rustic accommodation where tourist can enjoy the tranquillity of nature and delicious regional food. Here we also learn about rural life in Los Llanos, which means lots of cattle, horses and Cowboys. Los llanos are enormous planes, which allows us to see far and spot lots of animals – rare birds, capybaras, deer, ant-eaters, caymans, even an anaconda – and in the evening a breath-taking sunset.
The next day we go by boat down a river and visited a small finca with a little on site museum. Its owners cultivate cacao which we got to taste after a delicious lunch prepared from freshly caught fish. 

Our last activity is horse back riding which, to be honest, we are not too excited about at the beginning. However, after rounding up the horses, catching them with a lasso and saddling them ourselves we realize that this might me more fun than expected. Not only the setting is amazing - beautiful hato surrounded by lush green meadows and forests, but also the ride is fun. We cross creeks, see lots of birds, and learn a lot about the ecosystem, flora and fauna.

Back in Yopal we couldn´t help but buying beautiful souvenirs like typical hats, sandals and other leather products, which are typical for the region.

In Yopal and its surroundings there are a couple more hotels and Hatos, i.e. various options to accommodate your clients, according to their needs. 


Our trip to Los Llanos reminded us that this area, although not very touristic yet (or precisely for that reason), offers fun and interesting activities and we would love to send more clients there.
We are more than happy to provide you with more information about the area and to design an individual itinerary for your clients.