![\"Antes](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/999millas.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image-46.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nIf you're lucky enough to be there on market day (Monday), you'll be able to enjoy some very picturesque scenes<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe market is great and has everything. They have a curious business practice: if a neighbor buys fruit, they weigh it and charge them accordingly; but if I buy the fruit\u2026 oh man, then it\u2019s sold by the piece and, of course, much more expensive\u2026 I guess that\u2019s what they call \u201cfair trade\u201d \ud83d\ude1d<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nHOW CAN YOU VISIT THE SAN AGUSTIN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE? ON A GUIDED TOUR OR ON YOUR OWN?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhen visiting the San Agust\u00edn archaeological site, you can explore on your own or take a guided tour. Both options have their pros and cons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The advantages of guided tours are that you have a guide who explains things to you and it's more comfortable (you travel by jeep or on horseback); the disadvantages are that they feel too short (they usually return earlier than promised) and you go through everything a little too quickly. It's up to each person to choose what they want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1-. Tours<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"Yacimiento](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/999millas.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image-49-768x576.jpeg?resize=768%2C576\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nLong Tour Tour largo<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\nIt includes the most remote spots in San Agust\u00edn, and you'll travel by jeep. It costs 40,000 COP and runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You'll visit the places highlighted in yellow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1.b) Short Tour<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
It includes a visit to the Archaeological Park and the sites marked in the circle; I think it might also go as far as the Strait, but I'm not sure. You'll be riding a horse; it costs another 40,000 COP$ and usually runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On your own<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo visit many of the places listed above, all you need are two strong legs and plenty of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My itinerary: El Tabl\u00f3n + La Chaquira + La Pelota and El Purutal, then back to San Agust\u00edn from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., although some locals gave me a ride in their van for the last stretch \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/999millas.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/San-Agustin.png?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nEl Tabl\u00f3n has practically nothing to offer except for a small museum of traditional artifacts, which the owner explains very well. La Chaquira is very close to El Tabl\u00f3n, and in addition to the statue featured in the brochures\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"La](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/999millas.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/image-27-768x1024.jpg?resize=768%2C1024\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\u2026has a breathtaking viewpoint<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"image\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/999millas.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image-51-768x576.jpeg?resize=768%2C576\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe next two places (La Pelota and El Purutal) are quite a distance from the previous one, along a somewhat grueling and lonely path\u2026 and this is where the magic of the journey begins<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"La](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/999millas.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image-52-768x576.jpeg?resize=768%2C576\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\nAs I walk up and down the mountain toward La Pelota, the locals stare at me in amazement, and the kids on their motorcycles laugh and zoom past me, covering me in dust\u2026 I must be the only loser walking around these parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I reached the top of yet another hill after walking about 3\u20134 km (the map said 1.5 \ud83d\ude21) and came across a giant gate guarding\u2026 nothing? Luckily, a guard came out eating a sandwich and confirmed that I had arrived \ud83d\ude05<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"San](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/999millas.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/image-29-768x1024.jpg?resize=768%2C1024\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWell, we're finally at La Pelota, and now the fun begins\u2026 after all that walking\u2026 what exactly did we come here to see?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This archaeological site, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995,\u00a0is home to hundreds of monolithic statues and megalithic tombs that belonged to a mysterious pre-Hispanic culture<\/mark>. Its significance lies in the fact that it is the most important testament to a \u201cpeople of sculptors\u201d who disappeared centuries before the arrival of the Spanish<\/p>\n\n\n\nThese two figures\u2014the one on top and the one below\u2014were shamans from the civilization that inhabited this area. In both cases, you can see that they\u2019re holding a child in their hands. It seems they performed a sort of \u201cquality control\u201d on newborns, and any child that was even slightly imperfect\u2026 well, you can see the knife that one of them is holding in his hand\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Chaman](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/999millas.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/image-28-768x1024.jpg?resize=768%2C1024\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nLooking at the map from here, it seems that the Strait (the narrowest point of the Magdalena River) is right nearby, so I decide to make the effort to get there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The magic of the road pulls me in again, and I enter a sort of loop or time tunnel. I walk and ask the locals, I walk and ask\u2026 and I don\u2019t get anywhere\u2026 According to the locals, everything is \u201creally close,\u201d \u201cfive minutes away,\u201d \u201cjust around the corner,\u201d and after two hours of walking, nothing\u2026 As I said, some locals gave me a ride back to San Agust\u00edn. From there, you can take a motorcycle to the aforementioned Estrecho (about 10 km away), and for 14,000 COP$ round trip, you can enjoy the river.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Yacimiento](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/999millas.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image-55-768x576.jpeg?resize=768%2C576\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nTHE SAN AGUSTIN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE ITSELF: THE TOUR<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAnd this is the one attraction you simply can't miss here. Located 3 km from town (2,000 COP$ by motorcycle and 1,000 COP$ by bus), this park is filled with pre-Columbian statues.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Yacimiento](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/999millas.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/image-31-768x1024.jpg?resize=768%2C1024\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe truth is that the statues are really intriguing; they\u2019re supposed to be mythical creatures that guard the entrance to the tombs where the natives buried their nobles\u2014a sort of silent guardians of the grave goods with which the deceased were buried, in the hope that they would enjoy them in the afterlife.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Yacimiento](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/999millas.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/image-30-768x1024.jpg?resize=768%2C1024\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nAdmission costs 20,000 COP$, and the tour lasts about 3 hours. Almost all of the sites are burial mounds and a stone waterfall \u201ccarved\u201d by the indigenous people with fantastical motifs and animals\u2014though you have to look closely to see them\u2026 Still, it\u2019s very impressive.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Yacimiento](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/999millas.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image-58-768x576.jpeg?resize=768%2C576\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nI managed to convince one of the guides to \u201ctake me in\u201d with his tour group \ud83d\ude0e, and he explained that the waterfall had deteriorated because the locals used to wash their clothes there and use it as a bathroom \ud83d\ude30<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I'm not going to bore you with any more explanations about the San Agust\u00edn archaeological site: you just have to come and see it for yourself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you really want to learn more, the Colombian Institute of Anthropology will provide you with more technical information than I can: https:\/\/www.icanh.gov.co\/?idcategoria=6222<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you found this post useful (or think it's useless), let me know in the comments!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nLong Tour Tour largo<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\nIt includes the most remote spots in San Agust\u00edn, and you'll travel by jeep. It costs 40,000 COP and runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You'll visit the places highlighted in yellow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1.b) Short Tour<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
It includes a visit to the Archaeological Park and the sites marked in the circle; I think it might also go as far as the Strait, but I'm not sure. You'll be riding a horse; it costs another 40,000 COP$ and usually runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On your own<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo visit many of the places listed above, all you need are two strong legs and plenty of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My itinerary: El Tabl\u00f3n + La Chaquira + La Pelota and El Purutal, then back to San Agust\u00edn from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., although some locals gave me a ride in their van for the last stretch \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nEl Tabl\u00f3n has practically nothing to offer except for a small museum of traditional artifacts, which the owner explains very well. La Chaquira is very close to El Tabl\u00f3n, and in addition to the statue featured in the brochures\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\u2026has a breathtaking viewpoint<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe next two places (La Pelota and El Purutal) are quite a distance from the previous one, along a somewhat grueling and lonely path\u2026 and this is where the magic of the journey begins<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\nAs I walk up and down the mountain toward La Pelota, the locals stare at me in amazement, and the kids on their motorcycles laugh and zoom past me, covering me in dust\u2026 I must be the only loser walking around these parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I reached the top of yet another hill after walking about 3\u20134 km (the map said 1.5 \ud83d\ude21) and came across a giant gate guarding\u2026 nothing? Luckily, a guard came out eating a sandwich and confirmed that I had arrived \ud83d\ude05<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWell, we're finally at La Pelota, and now the fun begins\u2026 after all that walking\u2026 what exactly did we come here to see?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This archaeological site, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995,\u00a0is home to hundreds of monolithic statues and megalithic tombs that belonged to a mysterious pre-Hispanic culture<\/mark>. Its significance lies in the fact that it is the most important testament to a \u201cpeople of sculptors\u201d who disappeared centuries before the arrival of the Spanish<\/p>\n\n\n\nThese two figures\u2014the one on top and the one below\u2014were shamans from the civilization that inhabited this area. In both cases, you can see that they\u2019re holding a child in their hands. It seems they performed a sort of \u201cquality control\u201d on newborns, and any child that was even slightly imperfect\u2026 well, you can see the knife that one of them is holding in his hand\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nLooking at the map from here, it seems that the Strait (the narrowest point of the Magdalena River) is right nearby, so I decide to make the effort to get there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The magic of the road pulls me in again, and I enter a sort of loop or time tunnel. I walk and ask the locals, I walk and ask\u2026 and I don\u2019t get anywhere\u2026 According to the locals, everything is \u201creally close,\u201d \u201cfive minutes away,\u201d \u201cjust around the corner,\u201d and after two hours of walking, nothing\u2026 As I said, some locals gave me a ride back to San Agust\u00edn. From there, you can take a motorcycle to the aforementioned Estrecho (about 10 km away), and for 14,000 COP$ round trip, you can enjoy the river.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nTHE SAN AGUSTIN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE ITSELF: THE TOUR<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAnd this is the one attraction you simply can't miss here. Located 3 km from town (2,000 COP$ by motorcycle and 1,000 COP$ by bus), this park is filled with pre-Columbian statues.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe truth is that the statues are really intriguing; they\u2019re supposed to be mythical creatures that guard the entrance to the tombs where the natives buried their nobles\u2014a sort of silent guardians of the grave goods with which the deceased were buried, in the hope that they would enjoy them in the afterlife.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nAdmission costs 20,000 COP$, and the tour lasts about 3 hours. Almost all of the sites are burial mounds and a stone waterfall \u201ccarved\u201d by the indigenous people with fantastical motifs and animals\u2014though you have to look closely to see them\u2026 Still, it\u2019s very impressive.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nI managed to convince one of the guides to \u201ctake me in\u201d with his tour group \ud83d\ude0e, and he explained that the waterfall had deteriorated because the locals used to wash their clothes there and use it as a bathroom \ud83d\ude30<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I'm not going to bore you with any more explanations about the San Agust\u00edn archaeological site: you just have to come and see it for yourself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you really want to learn more, the Colombian Institute of Anthropology will provide you with more technical information than I can: https:\/\/www.icanh.gov.co\/?idcategoria=6222<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you found this post useful (or think it's useless), let me know in the comments!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To visit many of the places listed above, all you need are two strong legs and plenty of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My itinerary: El Tabl\u00f3n + La Chaquira + La Pelota and El Purutal, then back to San Agust\u00edn from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., although some locals gave me a ride in their van for the last stretch \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n\n\n\n El Tabl\u00f3n has practically nothing to offer except for a small museum of traditional artifacts, which the owner explains very well. La Chaquira is very close to El Tabl\u00f3n, and in addition to the statue featured in the brochures\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n \u2026has a breathtaking viewpoint<\/p>\n\n\n The next two places (La Pelota and El Purutal) are quite a distance from the previous one, along a somewhat grueling and lonely path\u2026 and this is where the magic of the journey begins<\/p>\n\n\n I reached the top of yet another hill after walking about 3\u20134 km (the map said 1.5 \ud83d\ude21) and came across a giant gate guarding\u2026 nothing? Luckily, a guard came out eating a sandwich and confirmed that I had arrived \ud83d\ude05<\/p>\n\n\n Well, we're finally at La Pelota, and now the fun begins\u2026 after all that walking\u2026 what exactly did we come here to see?<\/p>\n\n\n\n This archaeological site, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995,\u00a0is home to hundreds of monolithic statues and megalithic tombs that belonged to a mysterious pre-Hispanic culture<\/mark>. Its significance lies in the fact that it is the most important testament to a \u201cpeople of sculptors\u201d who disappeared centuries before the arrival of the Spanish<\/p>\n\n\n\n These two figures\u2014the one on top and the one below\u2014were shamans from the civilization that inhabited this area. In both cases, you can see that they\u2019re holding a child in their hands. It seems they performed a sort of \u201cquality control\u201d on newborns, and any child that was even slightly imperfect\u2026 well, you can see the knife that one of them is holding in his hand\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n Looking at the map from here, it seems that the Strait (the narrowest point of the Magdalena River) is right nearby, so I decide to make the effort to get there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The magic of the road pulls me in again, and I enter a sort of loop or time tunnel. I walk and ask the locals, I walk and ask\u2026 and I don\u2019t get anywhere\u2026 According to the locals, everything is \u201creally close,\u201d \u201cfive minutes away,\u201d \u201cjust around the corner,\u201d and after two hours of walking, nothing\u2026 As I said, some locals gave me a ride back to San Agust\u00edn. From there, you can take a motorcycle to the aforementioned Estrecho (about 10 km away), and for 14,000 COP$ round trip, you can enjoy the river.<\/p>\n\n\n And this is the one attraction you simply can't miss here. Located 3 km from town (2,000 COP$ by motorcycle and 1,000 COP$ by bus), this park is filled with pre-Columbian statues.<\/p>\n\n\n The truth is that the statues are really intriguing; they\u2019re supposed to be mythical creatures that guard the entrance to the tombs where the natives buried their nobles\u2014a sort of silent guardians of the grave goods with which the deceased were buried, in the hope that they would enjoy them in the afterlife.<\/p>\n\n\n Admission costs 20,000 COP$, and the tour lasts about 3 hours. Almost all of the sites are burial mounds and a stone waterfall \u201ccarved\u201d by the indigenous people with fantastical motifs and animals\u2014though you have to look closely to see them\u2026 Still, it\u2019s very impressive.<\/p>\n\n\n I managed to convince one of the guides to \u201ctake me in\u201d with his tour group \ud83d\ude0e, and he explained that the waterfall had deteriorated because the locals used to wash their clothes there and use it as a bathroom \ud83d\ude30<\/p>\n\n\n\n I'm not going to bore you with any more explanations about the San Agust\u00edn archaeological site: you just have to come and see it for yourself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you really want to learn more, the Colombian Institute of Anthropology will provide you with more technical information than I can: https:\/\/www.icanh.gov.co\/?idcategoria=6222<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you found this post useful (or think it's useless), let me know in the comments!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\nAs I walk up and down the mountain toward La Pelota, the locals stare at me in amazement, and the kids on their motorcycles laugh and zoom past me, covering me in dust\u2026 I must be the only loser walking around these parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nTHE SAN AGUSTIN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE ITSELF: THE TOUR<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n