San Agustín - A pretty Andean town

 


Famous for the archaeological sites around it, San Agustín itself is a very beautiful place. Standing at about 1800 metres ASL, it is reminiscent of other Andean towns in Peru and Bolivia. Following are information about transport and the attractions in the area with maps, plus random photos of this colourful, peaceful, friendly town.

Getting to San Agustín

There are direct coaches between Bogotá and San Agustín, but coming from Medellín (the way I did it), first you have to stop at Popayán. It's a beautiful Andean city, very worth a stay - I wish I had more time. Then, from Popayán you have to take a smaller local bus to San Agustín. Operated by Sotracauca, the travel company has an office at Popayán's main bus station and runs buses several times every day. The very scenic trip is only around 130 kms, but it takes around 5 hours over a quite bumpy road. Below are pictures of the office and the bus in Popayán, and the map of the routes where the company operates. 





Map of the San Agustín area


1. San Agustín town. Jeep route (yellow): 2. Salto del Mortiño; 3. Alto de los Idolos; 4. Alto de las Piedras; 5. Cane sugar factory; 6. Obando; 7. Estrecho del Magdalena. Hiking route (red): 8. San Agustín Archaeological Park; 9. El Purutal la Pelota; 10. La Chaquira; 11. El Tablón. (Based on map: rcquinn.com) 

Most visitors do two 1-day tours by jeep or horse, which covers all the main attractions. All operators offer more or less the same programs. It makes sense to take one of the so-called jeep tours as some of the attractions, including archaeological and natural sights, are a bit far from the town of San Agustín, but the other attractions can be covered in a one day hike independently. 

Related posts: San Agustín Archaeological Park, Jeep Tour; Walking Tour.


SAN AGUSTÍN IN PHOTOS












































































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