A Guide to Visiting the Tatacoa Desert in Colombia

Although the Tatacoa Desert (Desierto de la Tatacoa) in Colombia isn’t as unknown as it used to be, it’s still a destination that isn’t on many people’s itineraries. This is because it’s a bit out of the way compared with the most popular stops in Colombia, and most visitors just can’t afford to spend long enough in the country to fit in such a detour. However, if you’re in Colombia for a little longer, or just want to get off the well-trodden ‘gringo path’, then this Tatacoa Desert guide is for you.

In this post you can read about how to get to the Tatacoa Desert, the things to do there, where to stay, how to get around, how many days you need and, of course, where to eat.

If you’d like to see the highlights of our time in the Tatacoa Desert, then make sure to watch our short Tatacoa video on our YouTube channel. For more Colombia videos check out our Colombia Series.

About the Tatacoa Desert

The Tatacoa Desert, or Desierto de la Tatacoa is located in the Huila Department of Colombia, about 300km to the south of Bogota, and 38 km from the city of Neiva. Covering over 330 sq km, it is the second largest arid zone in Colombia.

Although its name has the word ‘desert’ in it, it’s actually not a desert. It’s a tropical dry forest, so don’t expect to see huge sand dunes here. Instead, what you’ll see is an incredible landscape of tiny canyons and unique shapes created by erosion. You’ll also notice that the Tatacoa Desert has two distinct regions: the ocher (or red) coloured Cuzco landscape, and the grey Los Hoyos landscape.

Best Things to Do in the Tatacoa Desert in Colombia

Note. You’re going to be in a very hot area, therefore make sure to have adequate sun protection such as SPF, a hat, sunglasses and enough water. We recommend wearing supportive shoes, ideally hiking boots. Please do not climb on top of the formations because its a very sensitive environment. Plus, it’s also prohibited.

1. Hike in the Red Desert of Tatacoa (Cuzco)

The most popular thing to do in Tatacoa is to go on a hike in the Red Desert. Known as Cuzco, this part of the ‘desert’ will make you feel like you’ve just set foot on Mars. Iron gives the soil here its mix of rusty, ocher and copper colours.

You can follow a roughly 3.5km (2.15 mi) long trail starting from Cuzco en el desierto de La Tatacoa, not far from the Astronomical Observatory. The trail is generally flat once you’re down at the bottom. It’s also well-marked and easy to follow. There are a few points of interest along the way, such as the Cementerio de Los Fosiles. You can also enjoy the stunning views from Mirador Laberinto El Cusco and Mirador El Cuzco.

2. Hike in the Grey Desert of Tatacoa (Los Hoyos)

A day trip to Tatacoa wouldn’t be complete without going on a hike through the Grey Desert too. If you felt like you were on Mars in the Red Desert, then in the Grey Desert you’ll feel like you could be walking on the Moon. (Or in Cappadocia, Turkey for a slightly more realistic comparison!)

The Grey Desert, or Los Hoyos, is located about 8km (5 mi) from the Red Desert (Cuzco). They often call it the ‘Valley of Ghosts’ because some of the formations do look like ghosts from a certain angle.

You can reach the trailhead by getting a tuk-tuk ride from Villavieja. Once there, you can follow a short 1.3 km (0.8 mi) circular trail starting from the parking lot next to the main road.

Located at the end of the Grey Desert hike is Piscina Mineral, which consists of three artificial swimming pools. Both locals and tourists come here to cool down when it gets too hot to be out and about. We personally didn’t find the spot too inviting (plus it was raining), so decided to skip visiting it.

3. Hike the Xilópalos Trail

A much less popular hike you can do in Tatacoa is the Xilópalos Trail in Valle De Los Xilópalos. The trailhead is located a further 2 km (1.3 mi) to the east of the Grey Desert. This trail offers beautiful views of the surrounding landscape as well as a high chance to see more fossils. It also passes through 3 narrow canyons (La Señorita, La Culebra, and El Tiempo) and a goat farm.

You can complete the 4.5km (2.8 mi) long circular trail in the Valley of Xilópalos in about 1.5 hours.

4. Go Stargazing

Thanks to its remote location, there’s hardly any light pollution in the Tatacoa Desert. This means that it’s the perfect place to go stargazing.

If you’re staying in one of the hotels located within Tatacoa, then you can just go for a quick stroll in the vicinity and enjoy the starlit sky. You’d ideally want to do this on a clear night of course. It’s also best to avoid stargazing during a full moon.

However, if you want to learn a bit more about our universe then definitely visit the Observatorio Astronómico Astrosur. You can join a presentation about astronomy before getting the chance to look through a few different telescopes.

5. Walk Around Villavieja

If you have some time to kill, then definitely go for a wander around Villavieja. Of course, the small town won’t be bursting with activities, but we enjoyed walking around regardless.

You can start at the main square (Parque Principal Villavieja) where the colectivo buses drop you off. You can also arrange a tuk-tuk ride to the Tatacoa Desert from here if you wish. As with most main plazas across South America you’ll find a small blue and white church here called Iglesia Villavieja. There’s also a much older looking church on the other side called Capilla de Santa Barbara. At the plaza, you can visit the Paleontology Museum which has a cool display of fossils found in the desert.

Then you can make your way to this cool location called La Planta Brew Pub where you can get some food and a few beers. It has a small entry fee, but then you can stay as long as you want and enjoy some of the street art, handicraft shops or just relax by the pool or in the comfy seating area.

How to Get to the Tatacoa Desert

To get to the Tatacoa Desert, you’ll need to travel to Neiva first before heading on to Villavieja. The cheapest, most environmentally friendly, but longest way to get to these locations is by bus and colectivos. Alternatively, you can also fly from Bogota or Medellin to Neiva, and take a local bus from there. Below we’ll detail how to get to the Tatacoa Desert from a few major cities in Colombia.

From Bogota to the Tatacoa Desert

As mentioned above, from Bogota you can either take a short flight or a longer bus ride to Neiva. Neiva is the capital of the Huila Department.

There are frequent buses from Terminal del Sur in Bogota to Neiva’s bus terminal. The journey takes between 5 to 6 hours. You can book your bus ride online with Busbud or at the bus station in person.

Once you’re in Neiva, you can take a colectivo bus leaving from the bus terminal to Villavieja. You might need to wait around for a bit until the colectivo gets enough passengers. The journey takes about an hour.

From Cali to the Tatacoa Desert

If you’ve just explored Cali, the Salsa Capital of the World, then you can also get to Neiva and Villavieja from there. There are a few buses leaving either in the morning or in the evening to Neiva from Cali’s main bus terminal.

The journey takes about 9 hours, so we recommend taking an overnight bus if you want to save on a night’s accommodation. You can book your bus ride online with Busbud or at the bus station in person.

In Neiva just get on a colectivo bus towards Villavieja, which should take about an hour.

From Salento to the Tatacoa Desert

If you’ve just finished touring the coffee region of Colombia, you can also reach Neiva from Salento. First you’d need to take a local bus to Armenia. From there, there are a handful of buses travelling to Neiva.

The journey time is around 6 hours from Armenia. You can book your bus ticket online with Busbud or at the bus station in person. Again, you would need to take a colectivo bus from Neiva to Villavieja.

Where to Stay in the Tatacoa Desert

There are a few places you can stay if you’re planning a visit to the Tatacoa Desert in Colombia. There are pros and cons to all of them, so make sure to pick the right base for your needs.

Some travellers stay in Neiva and then take a day trip from there to the Tatacoa Desert. The pros of staying in Neiva is that there are lots of accommodation options and other amenities. You also don’t need to worry about getting back from Villavieja on a colectivo to catch a bus to your next destination. However, it’s still pretty far from the Tatacoa Desert, so you would be spending more getting there and back.

Now, if you’d like to enjoy some comfort and a better variety of amenities, then we recommend staying in Villavieja. The small town has a decent amount of accommodation options, although you might want to book one in advance. There are also a good amount of food options. Plus, it’s only a short tuk-tuk ride away from the Tatacoa Desert, which means that you can spend longer there if you only have one day.

Lastly, if you want to be super close to the Tatacoa Desert, then there are a handful of accommodations that you can book within the desert itself. This would give you the chance to enjoy hiking without having to organise your transport there and back. The downside is that you’ll be further away from amenities and will have a limited amount of food options.

How Long to Stay in the Tatacoa Desert

It depends on where you’re coming from, but you’ll most likely be spending a long time reaching the Tatacoa Desert. This means that you would need to allocate about two days just for travelling.

Luckily, if you’re short on time, you can see the highlights of the Tatacoa Desert in just one day. You can take a trip to the red and gray deserts, enjoy the pools and then head back for a stargazing event in the evening.

That being said, if you want to enjoy the landscape a bit longer and would like to do some independent hiking, then definitely consider adding another night or two to your stay. That would give you plenty of time to hike the Xilópalos Trail and lounge around the pool, or walk around Villavieja for a bit.

Best Time to Visit the Tatacoa Desert

You can basically visit the Tatacoa Desert all year round. Desierto de la Tatacoa is one of the hottest places in Colombia, where temperatures can reach 40°C during the day. Bear in mind that in April, May, October and November it can rain a lot, and the path might be closed if it has rained too much.

Possibly the best time to visit is between June and August. Now, that being said, we visited at the end of July and it rained on-and-off all day. It wasn’t horrible and thankfully we could still visit, but hiking in rainy conditions made the trail very slippery and resulted in our shoes collecting a massive amount of mud which made walking more difficult.

How to Get Around the Tatacoa Desert

Depending on where you’re staying, you can get around Desierto de la Tatacoa with a tuk-tuk driver, by bike or on foot.

If you’re staying inside Tatacoa, then you’ll be able to just go on a hike from your accommodation and explore the area at your own pace.

In case you’re staying in Villavieja but would still want to explore Tatacoa on your own, then you can consider renting a bike in town. Alternatively, you can also join a bike tour around the ‘desert’.

Another great and easy way to visit the Tatacoa Desert if you’re coming from Villavieja is with a tuk-tuk. You can arrange to hire a tuk-tuk driver with your hotel or hostel and they’ll then pick you up from there. They’ll drive you to the ‘desert’ and take you on a short hike through the red and grey deserts, stopping at a few lookout points along the way. You can try to arrange a ride with a driver who speaks English, but of course you can also use Google Translate if one isn’t available.

If you’re basing yourself in Neiva, then it’s probably easiest to book a day trip. You can visit Tatacoa on your own too, but you would need to get a bus to Villavieja and then hire a tuk-tuk driver, which might be more time consuming.

Where to Eat in the Tatacoa Desert

If you’re staying in Villavieja, then there are quite a few places you can eat.

• La Planta Brew Pub is a really cool place to visit and eat in Villavieja. They have an entry fee of 5,000 COP that allows you full access to all their facilities. You can check out their artwork scene or relax at the pool.
• Sol del Desierto has a spacious outdoor seating area and serves some delicious local food. They also offer a daily menu.
• Café Mael also has a nice leafy seating area and serves some lovely desserts and drinks.
• Restaurante Salsipuedes is located at the main square and serves some delicious local meals. Their servings are also pretty generous.

Final Thoughts on Visiting the Tatacoa Desert in Colombia

Visiting the Tatacoa Desert was one of the highlights of our Colombia trip. Even though we didn’t have the best weather conditions, we still enjoyed this unique landscape that Mother Nature had created. Whilst the Tatacoa Desert is getting slightly more popular, it was nowhere near as crowded as other places in the country.

Have you ever been to the Tatacoa Desert before? If so, what was your experience and how long did you spend in the area? If not, would you add a trip to Desierto de la Tatacoa to your Colombia itinerary? Let us know in the comments below.