Tatacoa Desert

After a short bus ride I arrived into Neiva, then hopped on a local bus to Villaviaja where Pedro Paolo, my guide, was waiting for me. Deciding to take advantage of the glorious sunshine we skipped the museum and drove straight into the desert on a three-wheeler. “It's not actually a desert”, Pedro confessed, “it's actually a dry tropical forest”. It was certainly greener than any desert I had been in but nonetheless it did feel like a desert, with it's sparse growth, cactuses and red earth. It was also very varied and beautiful. Pedro took me down to a natural pool, spectacularly set in the middle of the desert, where you could bathe and lookout at the dramatic landscape. Then on to my accommodation for the night, a room in a farmhouse of a 93-year old woman, known as “The Queen of the Desert” and she even had a plaque to prove it!

I met the French couple, who apparently were the only other foreigners in town and Pedro brought us all on a walk through an area known as Cuzco as the sun began to go down. The scenery here was truly beautiful and photo opportunities abounded. We all had dinner and a couple of beers before calling it a night. The next day I checked out the very small but interesting museum before checking some accommodation in Villavieja and Neiva, as the Queen of the Desert's accommodation was not up to the standard we expect unfortunately. Then back to Bogota on the bus.

- David