Next stop on our tour in Colombia was a place called El Penon. We didn’t know anything about this place before coming to Colombia but the photos of caves, rock formations, vertical forests and waterfalls that were scattered in a small area made it interesting enough to make the detour.
Like everywhere else in Colombia, the road to get to the next destination was as fun as the destination itself.
First of all, it worth mentioning that there are two El Penons in Colombia. First one is El Penon de Guatape which we visited the first few weeks that we were in the country. This one is El Penon of Sartender region and while it was regulated for tourism but it was definitely less popular and known comparing to the other El Penon. It is famous for its interesting caves, dramatic hikes and its Pandora forest and due to its location, it is considered more an off the beaten track destination.
We arrived at El Penon mid afternoon and headed directly to the Pandora forest entrance to see if we can do the hike before setting up camp.
There was an entrance with some information about the access and entrance fee only in Spanish. We tried to get more information from one of the guides that was sitting in the information center. She said that we can only visit the area with a guide and it’s too late to do it today. She offered us the next day tour. We got her contact info and went to set up camp. Like most places in Colombia, every piece of land is a private land and we settled in the front yard of one of the locals for a small fee.
After talking to the owner and his passeniote 11 years old daughter, we realized that for going to the caves, we need a guide too!! He offered to take us himself the next day after he sorted out his farm works.
We picked a cave called Caracoal cave that the daughter of the family liked the most. She said that she will join her dad and us the next day for the hike because schools were closed. During two days that I’ve spent time with her, My Spanish improved dramatically since she had so much questions and forcing me to find the right words to give her the answers.
We had a peaceful night at their place with dramatic views over lush green meadows and stunning rock towers poped out of the ground and scattered through out the scenery.
Nest morning we had breakfast and watch all the family members looking after the animals and milking cows before everyone was ready to leave.
Hiking in the area was regulated and we needed helmet and torches for the hike. Our host who was the local guide provided us with all the necessary gear and we headed toward the cave. The day before, we were a bit annoyed that we couldn’t do the hike on our own but after starting the hike, we realized that it is almost impossible to do it without a local guide. The path wasn’t marked and it was going through people’s farms all the way to the cave entrance.
That was a beautiful hike and we really enjoyed it.
After around two hours hike, we could see the cave entrance. That was just stunning. Inside the cave was equally stunning with the beautiful waterfall inside. And all that beauty was sitting there with no one in sight! We were so thankful to be able to visit this area and do the hike. We had our helmets and torches on and visited inside the cave.
We had an amazing time in El Penon. It’s a place that worth a week to explore all the hikes and the Pandora forest but we were moving really slow already and we had to move on to the next destination. If you ever get a chance to visit this area and spend time with this family, we can always send you the information. Highly recommended.
From here we continued our journey in the Sartendere area toward a well known destination called Barichara. One of the best well preserved towns of Colombia. But before getting there we had a stop in a town called Velez and it was also stunning.
All these little towns, we didn’t even know about and just found them by accident because we had to have a stop for lunch!
I don’t know how many more gems like this are there in Colombia that we didn’t get a chance to visit. It’s not just the architecture, these towns are all clean and spotless and the attention to details is breathtaking. Below are few scenes from Velez
After Velez, we arrived at Barichara. We were looking forward to this place for a long time. It was really beautiful and well preserved but clearly it was a tourist destination. Lots of local tourists were around and the souvenir shops and more fancy restaurants were visibly more than any other little town that we ‘ve visited so far.
We stopped in town to have a lunch and get some supplies and fill our water tank before heading to our camp spot. While we were busy with filling our water tank, a traveller approached us and said if you are going to stay here, you should come and stay in a camp site that we are staying , it is lovely. I’ve asked the name of a place and it was indeed where we were heading.
The campsite was called Camping Guaimaro, nestled high in the mountain in a an epic location in the outskirt of Barchiara, owned by a lovely Dutch couple. We’ve arrived there later in the afternoon and met the biggest number of overlanders in one place since Antigua, Guatemala.
The camp site was so beautiful and comfortable and everything was set up tastefully with great facilities for the long term overlanders. Definitely a must stop in the area to enjoy the views, amenities and finding great friends with the same passion and sharing stories.
We had an unforgettable night having pisco sour and wine and sharing stories with other overlanders.
There are some ancient tracks around the campsite to do and it is possible to walk via these tracks to Barichara and Guane.
We went back to Barichara the next day to explore it more and take some photos. It was another beautiful place in Colombia and definitely worth a detour.
From Barichara, we headed toward a small town called Guane with the same architecture as Barichara but more rustic and less touristic. The road from Barichara to Guane was narrow, windy and steep but we managed to make it to Guane. A beautiful charming little town with people hanging out in the main plaza on a sunday morning.
From Guane, we will start heading south on the same mountain range toward Bogota, the capital. But there will be few stunning stops along the way. In the next post, we’ll continue south through some epic landscape and charming little Colombian towns.
Till then, take care and enjoy life.
