San Agustin in Southern Colombia seems to be on the list of every visitor. We marked it way back as a top destination as well as another archeological site in Tierradentro, but gave up on the second, “underground” part when hearing reports of recent criminal activity in that region.
We reached San Agustin in the middle of April, after a two-day drive from the Tatacoa Desert.
(Click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)
The town itself doesn’t have much to offer. We might be spoiled with all the cute and colorful pueblos we encountered north of here.
It was still nice to walk to town from our free camping spot, shop for produce at the market or Ara grocery store, go out for a couple of meals, and watch the scene from a park bench. The main reason we spent a handful of days here was to do online work.
We also walked to a smaller archeological site with Maya, an uphill trek of about an hour. When we arrived at the site – after fending off the usual masses of barking and aggressive dogs – and followed the trail down towards the river, it was blocked off and the ancient statues were not accessible. This was disappointing, despite the pretty scenery.
On the walk back to town and our camper, we stumbled across an even smaller site and were enamored by the statues and how well preserved they were.
When we needed to fill with water, we planned to drive to an “established campground;” the yard of a local couple with a decent-size property, and pay the $7 for one night. Getting there would be a bit tricky. As we drove towards the campsite with a detour allowing for a less steep approach, we saw the signs for the main archaeological park, where we initially planned to walk to. Driving would save a lot of time.
Our trio arrived at a big and empty parking lot and paid the steep but worthwhile $15 per person entrance fee for the park. Maya was allowed to join us at the outside exhibits. For the next three hours, we explored the extensive grounds with old statues, burial mounts, and tombs. The statues depict people, animals, and deities.
San Agustin Archaeological Park contains the largest collection of religious monuments and megalithic sculptures in Latin America and is a giant necropolis (cemetery). It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 and is located among a beautiful jungle setting interspersed with grassy fields where the mounts exist.
The well-preserved statues are believed to have been carved between 5–400 AD but the origin of the carvers remains a mystery, as the site is largely unexcavated. It was easy for us to get lost in time and place while wandering around this beautiful and fascinating area. A peek inside the museum completed our visit and had us on our way to the campground once more. We had to cut a few tree branches.
Mark and I rarely stay at paid campgrounds, because it saves us a lot of money and we don’t need the facilities, being a self-contained truck camper. But every two weeks or so, we have to fill our tanks with potable water. That’s when we decide to “splurge” for a guaranteed safe – but not necessarily quiet – environment. Unfortunately, the water at this place was brown, so we didn’t fill up. Regardless, the three of us enjoyed the company of the resident dogs and we made ourselves relax during the afternoon.
The following afternoon, we found a gas station with potable water and friendly employees, before returning to our free spot by the sports complex. From there, we plotted our course to our last destination in Colombia. To get to there, we had to traverse the Trampoline of Death road…
Curious about a previous ten-year chapter in our nomadic lives, which includes eight years aboard a 35-foot sailboat in the tropics with dogs, check out my compelling, inspiring, and refreshingly honest travel memoir:
May 30, 2023 at 08:59
I’d be in awe coming across something as old and as well-preserved as those statues. I’m amazed by how the creator could have created something like these given the primitive nature of tools at the time.
Trampoline of Death Road—sounds ominous.
June 1, 2023 at 21:22
Those are good points, Pete. I take these amazing artifacts too much for granted, mostly adoring them for their beauty and uniqueness. Not much information was provided in each area of the archaeological park. You made me think about it all a tad more and deeper!
(We survived the Trampoline of Death road.)
May 30, 2023 at 10:07
Absolutely amazing. I love the Maya pictures, with her new friends.
June 1, 2023 at 21:24
Hi Jacqui,
Maya is doing extremely well these months. Despite being yelled at and sniffed out by other perros (dogs) on every walk, she is taking it all in stride. 🙂
May 30, 2023 at 10:08
This area had a lot going for it and makes sense you stayed to use “civilization’s” tools for a bit. That archeological site with the megalithic statues looks fascinating! After Colombia where are you headed? Take care!
June 1, 2023 at 21:27
Hi Terri,
This archaeological park was fascinating. We rarely stay at one site for three hours. Of course, it helps that we get to take Maya, who has separation anxiety. If she’s not allowed somewhere (which is rare), we never stay long – or at all!
Mark, Maya, and I have been in Ecuador for a month now. I’m a tad behind with my blog posts. It’s hard to combine the traveling lifestyle with writing blogs… 🙂
If you’re ever curious about our current location/country, I do keep track of that in the right column of our blog.
Have a great WW (Washington Weekend)!!
May 30, 2023 at 15:29
Fascinating place. Trampoline of Death does not sound good though!
June 1, 2023 at 21:29
It was a challenging road but (spoiler alert): very beautiful. 🙂
May 30, 2023 at 16:00
Great and interesting post with cool photos! Thanks for sharing.
June 1, 2023 at 21:30
Hi Nilla!
Thanks for following along. I’m sure some of my future posts might bring back memories for you… 🙂
May 30, 2023 at 17:13
“The Trampoline of Death”: Uh-oh. I sense another exciting story is forthcoming.
And I got a chuckle out of the cowmobile dairy treat vehicle – maybe Thirsty Bella needs a giant longhorn head, too…? 😉
June 1, 2023 at 21:34
Hi Diane,
You are right about that exciting story coming up. And, surprisingly, it happened before we even reached the Trampoline of Death… Stay tuned!
You know, I never thought the cow theme was so popular before we added these black spots to our camper! Friends have suggested adding an udder as well.
Recently, we’ve been asked a few times by people (officials and otherwise) what we carry in the back… Next time, we will answer “milk” (leche). 🙂
June 2, 2023 at 10:10
🤣
May 31, 2023 at 08:30
Yay to free camping spots and to awesome archeological sites–and to potable water. I see you can take Maya many places, a good thing, Liesbet! 😀
June 1, 2023 at 21:36
Hi Marian,
Yes! We have been so happy with the dog allowances everywhere, especially in Colombia. I had no idea the country was this dog friendly. Plus it warmed our hearts to see how well dogs (even strays) are being fed and cared for. Ecuador has been a mixed bag. More skinny dogs and strays, unfortunately, especially in the indigenous villages. 🙁
June 1, 2023 at 13:57
Maya is very brave — and looks awesome amongst the statues.
I continue to greatly enjoy your adventures (from my couch).
But the Trampoline of Death Road now has me on the edge of my seat. I will definitely be staying tuned!
June 1, 2023 at 21:45
Hi Donna,
The dynamics are so very different in these countries when walking with a dog or without. I wonder if you noticed those differences in China as well…
Yes, Maya is brave. But there have been many occasions where we have to pretend to pick up a rock (a good trick to chase dogs off) and where she pancakes, not wanting to go any further. These kinds of walks are super annoying, unfortunately.
The Trampoline of Death was an adventure alright. Spoiler alert: we survived. 🙂
June 2, 2023 at 16:15
The campground looks relaxing. But the water – surely people don’t drink water like that?
Love the statues. They are so well preserved and have such interesting detail. We have been to lots of ruins sites and I’m always amazed at the unique things that we find at each one. We’ve never seen so many statues like that! Glad you finally found the place and were able to visit.
I think that cow mobile one upped you big time!
June 2, 2023 at 16:34
Hi Duwan,
Mark has been looking for a “moo” horn, but they are very expensive on Amazon and not available for Vine Voice members… We will see how else we will embellish our Bella. Finally, after seven months, I was ready to add the stick-on vinyl letters I brought for the back of the camper, to create my website address. To my dismay, I discovered the letters were made out of flimsy construction paper, without adhesive… Now I have to order different material.
And, yes, people drink that brown water. The owner of the property and his family and some campers do. It’s potable but comes out of a river. Overlanders even tested the water with tools and it is deemed drinkable. I tried it, too (you know me), but we were not filling an entire two tanks with it.
June 7, 2023 at 06:40
Oh, my goodness, the colour of that water, Liesbet. It looks more like something else I won’t mention. Glad the garage with the friendly employee had better water.
San Agustin looks very cute, but the history the town has is amazing. To think how long back those statues were craved. They must have taken so much time and hard work. What a great find. No mention of any crowds, so it sounds like it’s not a tourist hotspot.
And the Trampoline of Death road? Huh! I can’t wait to read about it.
June 8, 2023 at 13:34
Hi Hugh,
We have found that there is a big difference here between visiting sites during the week or during the weekends as local tourisms is popular in Colombia and Ecuador. I agree with the color of that water in the glass. Not appealing at all – but of course I did have to try and take a sip of it. 🙂
The post about the Trampoline of Death road has been live on WordPress for a few days. I think you’ll enjoy the scenery!
June 29, 2023 at 12:54
Great post….we also have this on our list!
June 29, 2023 at 20:56
I think you two will really enjoy the archeological park, and some of the restaurants in town, Susan. 🙂