The Ultimate Guide for San José del Guaviare - Terrified Tourist (2024)

San José del Guaviare is kind of like the hidden gem of Colombia. Only very few tourists come to this region in the southern part of Colombia. When I was there, I met five other tourists during my entire stay…they were all Colombians.

There is a reason it is still so unexplored, although it is only an hour’s flight away from Bogotá. Until a couple of years ago, this region was really dangerous, not only for tourists but also for Colombians.

The FARC controlled this entire area, and the cocaine plantages were booming. After the peace treaty in 2016, the area slowly started to become more accessible again.

I did a lot of research before my trip and have to say that I only found very little information about the beautiful natural sights surrounding San José del Guaviare. Either the information was misleading or not very detailed.

I had to read through dozens of Spanish Blog posts, comments on google and chat with some locals until I finally had all the information I needed. This is why I put together this guide, including all the information you need for your trip to San José del Guaviare.

Everything you need to know before traveling to San José del Guaviare

How to get to San José del Guaviare in Colombia

There are basically two ways how to get to San José del Guaviare. I have done both, so I can give you a detailed review.

By plane

You can easily reach San José del Guaviare by plane from Bogotá. It is only an hour’s flight, and two airlines fly here. First, you have the airline I used, Satena. When getting to the airport in Bogotá, you should know that all Satena flights leave from Terminal 2. Terminals 1 and 2 are quite a stretch away from each other, and I had to take an overpriced taxi to catch my flight after I landed in Terminal 1.

You will also have to go through security again, so make sure you plan with a bigger time buffer if you have a flight coming into Bogotá earlier that day. When you’re not in such a time rush as I was, there also leaves a bus at Door 1 of Terminal 1 to bring you to Terminal 2.

I also heard that a tunnel connects the two terminals with each other, but I have no experience with that.

The other airline flying to San José del Guaviare is Easyfly. They also only offer flights on certain days and usually fly a little bit later in the day.

By Bus

After the plane could not get to San José del Guaviare from Bogotá due to heavy rain, we were stuck in this little town in the middle of nowhere. You can read more about the entire story further down in the itinerary.

But we decided to take the bus because we were unsure if the plane could pick us up the following day. It is approx. a 10 hour bus ride from San José del Guaviare to Bogotá. The bus company is called “Flota la Macarena,” and you can find the so-called “Terminal,”…which is basically just the busses standing on the site of street, a little bit outside of San José del Guaviare.

Just tell your Taxi driver, “Flota la Macarena, “and they will get you there. The buses are, by Colombian standards, pretty comfy, and you pay 84.000 COP for a oneway ticket. The bus left on time, and the road was also in good condition. So, if you have time, would like to save some money, or your flight got canceled, this is the option to go with.

Is San José del Guaviare dangerous?

The short answer: No. In fact, San José del Guaviare is probably safer than a lot of the big cities like Medellín or Santa Marta.

It is still a hidden gem, and not many tourists come here because it used to be a dangerous area – probably even one of the most hazardous. Until around five years ago, neither national nor international tourists would come here since the area was guerilla-controlled.

As the primary producer of coca leaves and the base for further production, it was unsafe to visit. After the peace treaty between the Colombian government and the revolutionary group FARC in 2016, the situation improved. Today I can say that San José del Guaviare and the surrounding areas are safe to visit.

Where can I stay in San José del Guaviare?

San José del Guaviare is a relatively small town with about 50.000 residents. Since it is not that touristy yet, there are not as many options.

To make it easier for you, I have put together a list of the area’s main Hotels, Hostels, and Ecolodges.

Hospedaje Casa Blanca

This is the hotel where I stayed. It is basically a comfy little apartment in the perfect location of San José del Guaviare. Casa Blanca is close to everything, and I recommend the Burger Restaurant next to it. Another great thing is that you can walk here directly from the airport – did I mention that San José del Guaviare is a small town?

Hotel El Aeropuerto

This is the “upper class” hotel in San José del Guaviare – there are not many options. It is also in a good area and close to the airport.

If you are thinking: “Why would I want to stay close to the airport?” – Everything there is close to the airport, and you don’t get bothered by any plane noises because there are about a maximum of One or two planes that land here on certain days of the week.

Posada Reserva Diamante de las Aguas

This Ecolodge is on the outskirts of San José del Guaviare with a great price of about $30/night. The Lodge also offers excellent bird walking tours and tours to the Pozos Naturales.

You can find out more through the website linked above or just reach out to them directly through Whatsapp (+57 322 2392242).

How do I get around in the area?

When I was doing all the planning beforehand, I had quite some difficulties deciding whether I should just book a tour for all the sights or if I would want to explore on my own.

The problem is that many of the blogs writing about San José del Guaviare have cooperations with local guides and basically say that you can get nowhere on your own, that you need a 4×4 Jeep, or that you will just get lost. I could not believe that and reached out to some locals, who told me that you can just get to most sights by taxi and even gave me the numbers!

After being there, I have to agree. You can visit most sights on your own, and the taxi will get you there with no problem. (Find out more about that in the 4-day itinerary below).

Just text them through Whatsapp where you want to get picked up and where you want to go, and they’ll be there within minutes.

One piece of advice: You won’t have a phone signal outside San José del Guaviare. So when the taxi driver drops you off, tell him a time when you want to get picked up. I was pleasantly surprised that all the taxi drivers were always on time when picking me up.

• Taxi 1: +57 315 5555510
• Taxi 2: +57 313 4090375
• Taxi 3: +57 317 7739407

Do I get along speaking English?

This might be a problem for some people. English will get you nowhere in this part of Colombia.

If you think: “They’ll probably speak some English,” – They don’t. So do yourself a favor and learn a little Spanish before coming here. It will make your trip a lot more pleasant.

A list of all the Tour Guides in the region

All the following contacts are great tour companies. So if you are on the search to book any kind of tour, just reach out to them through Whatsapp.

I went to Cerro Azul with Guaviare Soul Hostel and Travel and had a great experience! The Number of “Fantasías de Cerro Azul” is actually the Finca from where the trek starts, meaning you would still need transportation to get there.

Reserva Natural el Diamante de las Aguas: +57 322 2392242

Guaviare Soul Hostel and Travel: +57 315 9260380

Aliki Bohórquez: +57 323 2475937

Geotours del Guaviare: +57 320 8815678

Biodiverso Travel: +57 313 4785605

Fantasías de Cerro Azul: +57 312 3946343

A 4-day itinerary for San José del Guaviare

I took this trip in September 2022 with my sister and her boyfriend after looking forward to it for a long time.

It is one of my favorite trips I have ever done because it is so off the grid, and we were the only tourists there. I will talk you through every day with the different experiences, and to help you plan your trip.

Day 1: Exploring Tranquilandia

Getting to Tranquilandia by taxi

After getting settled into the hotel, we called ourselves a taxi through Whatsapp and five minutes later were on our way to our first destination, Tranquilandia.

It is about a 20-minute drive on an unpaved road, but the taxi could easily handle it. The trip cost us 20.000 COP, which was not bad at all. We told the driver to come back and pick us up in 3 hours, and off he went.

We started walking, following the sign. After about 350m, we reached a small bridge, which we crossed and continued walking on the path. After another 3 minutes, you get to a small gate of the Finca Tranquilandia.

Accompanied by a guide

Here you have to pay a small entrance fee of 18.000 COP. They are open from 08:00 am to 04:00 pm. A guide will take you to the river and the algae, tell you everything about them, answer all your questions, and even takes pictures if you ask nicely.

Rule number one is to not touch the algae at any point. I know they look like little pink clouds, but it is forbidden to touch them. The sun shone beautifully and made the red color of the algae stand out even more.

The natural swimming pool

After following the river bed and taking plenty of pictures, we returned to the Finca. Here you can cross a little bridge leading you to two little waterfalls. It is so pretty here, and you can even swim! So definitely pack your bathing suit.

After enjoying the waterfall, we walked back to the road, where we got picked up by our taxi. By that time, it was already late afternoon. After a tasty dinner at La Hamburguesería Gourmet, we went to bed relatively early because we knew tomorrow would be a long day.

Day 2: A day trip to explore the Cerro Azul or Sistine Chapel of the Ancients

Today is the day I have been looking forward to for such a long time. Cerro Azul was the main reason I wanted to come here.

I first heard about the Sistine Chapel of the Ancients, believe it or not, on Wikipedia. Reading this one paragraph started some massive research action on my part. And it was indeed not easy to collect reliable information, so I wanted to go there even more.

Without further do, this is how the day went:

A bumpy drive

Guaviare Soul Hostel and Travel organized the entire tour, and we paid 230.000 COP per person. We got picked up at 5:00 am from our hotel by a 4×4 Pickup truck.

With us were three other tourists from Medellín, our guide, and our driver. We first went to Puente Nowen, a bridge over the Guaviare river to enjoy the fantastic view of the sunrise over the water.

After a quick fruit snack, we continued our journey on an unpaved road. We were sitting in the back of the pickup truck, which was quite an adventure. One could easily describe it as the Colombian version of a rollercoaster – I mean, you really had to hold on to your seat not to hit the ceiling. (Apparently, the road is even worse in the rainy season)

The drive took about 1 1/2 hours, and we reached a tiny village. Here we enjoyed a typical Colombian breakfast and got registered by a local.

Another 20-minute drive and we arrived at a Finca in the middle of nowhere. Here we got greeted by our second guide. After a quick instruction and warm-up for the hike, we started our journey.

A first glance of Cerro Azul

Only a short walk and we could already see the giant rock in the distance. This would be our destination for today. Our guide explained that this formation was not only a holy site to the indigenous surrounding the area. The Maya and even indigenous from Venezuela made their way here to pay tribute to their ancestors. Although it is still early in the morning, the heat and humidity are really high, making this relatively easy hike exhausting.

Wear a long sleeve shirt, long pants, mosquito spray, and some sun protection. Otherwise, you’ll get eaten by mosquitos and other insects.

After a bit, we get to a small bridge. Here we stop for a couple of minutes and ask mother nature for permission to enter the Cerro Azul. I really liked this kind of appreciation for nature. We slowly make our way uphill while our guide stops every noun and then to explain certain plants or trees.

And then, after the last steep part, we finally reached Cerro Azul – at first glance, I was confused. All the pictures I saw online and all the videos…what happened? All I saw there and then were a few paintings fading to almost a yellowish color. Where were the bright red paintings I had been craving to see?

Remains of the last decades

Well, let me explain. This is only a tiny part of the paintings and the ones most easily accessible. While this area was ruled by the FARC, the Cerro Azul was not protected or preserved. Therefore locals came and touched the paintings, posed for pictures, or even added their own “Paintings.”

For that reason, the original images faded over time. Some good news I can share with you is that those severely damaged paintings are currently regenerated and conserved.

We continued our hike, and shortly after, we reached the breathtaking paintings in their full glory. I stood there and could not believe it – it was simply jaw-dropping. The amount of different paintings is insane, and the detail.

We stood there for about 20 minutes, looking at all the little details. After our necks started hurting from looking up, we continued our journey.

Meditation in complete darkness

The trail is pretty narrow but not really difficult. After another 15 minutes, we reached the entrance to a cave. We had to go through the cave to reach the top of the rock. This was one of my favorite parts of the entire adventure.

We entered the cave, and once we were deep in the belly of the cave system, we sat down. We then turned off all of our flashlights and sat in complete darkness. There was no light at all when we started to meditate. It was so peaceful and quiet – Just incredible. After sharing our experiences and thoughts, we continued our journey out of the cave.

On top of the rock formation, we had the most insane view. Wherever you look – everywhere, only jungle and lush green.

Paintings everywhere you look

As we continued our hike, we discovered even more paintings. There are no words to describe this beauty – even pictures don’t do it justice. You just have to come here and experience it yourself.

Our guide told us more about the history of this place, pointed out details that no one would have noticed otherwise, and answered all of our questions. I could have stayed there much longer and just enjoyed the view, but eventually, we had to make our way back down the hill. This time, the way back to the farm felt much shorter.

After a quick refreshment, we jumped back into the Jeep, this time with the privilege that we could sit in the front seats, which made the ride much more pleasurable. Lunch was already waiting for us, where we had breakfast in the morning. Sitting there, you realize how exhausting the trip was.

We headed back the rest of the way and got dropped off in front of our hotel. I was so happy that I was finally able to check Cerro Azul off my bucket list.

Day 3: Ciudad de Piedras, Los Tuneles Naturales and the Pozos Naturales

A new day – a new adventure.

Ciudad de Piedras

Today we picked three destinations we wanted to see. All the sights are on the same dirt road, Ciudad de Piedras being the one that was the furthest away from San José del Guaviare. So we decided to start there and work our way back to The Pozos Naturales. We took a taxi and told the driver to pick us up at our final destination around five clock. After talking about The City of the Stones, I’ll explain a better option.

The Ciudad de Piedras was described on the internet as an unreal experience with many stone figures in all shapes and sizes. I was disappointed with it and would recommend spending more time in Los Tuneles Naturales and the Pozos Naturales instead.

Here is the reason why: We got here and didn’t only have to pay for our tickets but also for a guide, which was mandatory.

The guide basically rushed us through everything and barely talked or explained anything. When being asked questions, the answers mainly consisted of one word. Maybe he had a bad day. I don’t know.

But the rock formations themselves could have been more impressive too. They all looked the same and were mostly overgrown with grass. If you plan to go to Los Tuneles Naturales, you can save time here since the rock formations on the way to the tunnels are prettier and more impressive.

After returning to the entrance – the experience took no more than 20 minutes – we started walking in the direction of the natural tunnels. It was an hour’s walk, and we hoped some car would give us a ride. We got lucky, and the only two other tourists there that day allowed us to get in their taxi. If you want to avoid taking any chances, you can pay for a taxi for the entire day, meaning it will always wait for you at each location. Few cars use this road, so you might not get as lucky as we did. The walking option is not really great since it’s pretty long and usually hot or humid.

Los Tuneles Naturales

Once you get to Los Tuneles Naturales, you pay a small entry fee, cross the road and start making your way to the tunnels. We also didn’t need a guide this time; so we could take as much time as we wanted to explore everything. The trail is well-marked, so you won’t get lost. Overall the journey will take you about 2 – 3 hours.

You will cross a grassy landscape in the first part of the hike. Eventually, you will get to some incredible stone formations, where some even look like animals. The great thing was that it was only us and the couple that we hitchhiked with.

After we’ve walked forever, we finally reached the tunnels. They are open at the top, so don’t worry if you did not bring a flashlight – although, it is helpful to explore – and yes, there are bats. Did I freak out? Maybe a little bit.

Anyway, you can take really neat pictures there. After getting out of this maze, it is only a short distance until you reach a small natural pool with crystal-clear water. You can even swim in there – just be careful not to step on the tiny hummers. After enjoying the cool water for a while, we made our way back, which is much faster because you basically walk around and not through the tunnels.

Pozos Naturales

Our final destination of the day involved hiking again, but only 40 minutes to the Pozos Naturales. They are basically natural sinkholes filled with water in a riverbed.

We got dropped off at the restaurant La Recebera. Here you have to pay a small entry fee again. Usually, there is a guide that shows you the way, but when we were there, there was no one available, so they just showed us a map, and off we went.

The trail was well-marked, so you could not miss it. The Pozos were fantastic. They were like little swimming pools that you could just float around in. The perfect way to end such an eventful day. Our taxi picked us up right on time, and we made our way back to our accommodation.

Day 4: Leaving early in the morning…or not

Already during the night, it started raining. We should have known before we even left for the airport. We get there, do our check-in and wait.

The flight is already late – which is nothing new for Colombia. We go through the “security,” if you can call it that, and wait some more. The plane we were supposed to take had to first arrive from Bogotá.

I decided to check the plane location on the flight tracker, and … the plane had turned around to Bogotá. 20 minutes later, the message was announced at the airport as well, adding that the flight was rescheduled for tomorrow due to bad weather. Great – so we would miss our connecting flights in Bogotá. Sigh.

We weighed out our options by checking the weather for the following day and seeing that it would be heavy rain again. After asking around a bit, we had the following two options:

Option Number One:

Take a bush plane to a small city three hours away from Bogotá and take a bus from there. The only problem was, that it was basically a cargo plane, which first had to arrive in San José del Guaviare. The pilot could not tell us when the plane would come – so it was quite the gamble.

Option Number Two:

This is the option we ended up choosing. It was a painful option – a 10-hour bus ride from San José del Guaviare. I do not like bus rides because I usually get motion sickness. But it was the only option to get us to Bogotá that night.

I have to say that the bus ride was not too bad by Colombian standards. The seats were comfortable, the streets were not too crowded, and we only had one traffic jam. One ticket had a price of 81.000 COP. So if you have the same problem that your flight gets canceled or you want to save some money, the bus ride is not a bad option.

Wrapping up

San José del Guaviare – is an extraordinary destination, and I would describe it as the diamond of Colombia.

If you’re planning your trip to Colombia right now and don’t have enough time for everything you want to see, skip one of the major tourist magnets like Medellín, Bogotá, or Santa Marta. Trust me, you will not regret it.

In San José del Guaviare, you will experience authentic Colombia with its breathtaking nature. It is one of the few destinations I would describe as a true adventure because it is just so off the grid.

San José del Guaviare will boom in just a few years and become a tourist magnet because it has so much potential. So make sure to travel there as soon as possible.

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