Must-see attractions in Cauca & Huila

This 78-hectare archaeological park is 2.5km west of the town of San Agustín. There are over 130 statues in the park in total, either found in situ or…

Scattered across the hills around the little town of San Andrés de Pisimbalá, Tierradentro's Parque Arqueológico includes four tomb sites, an above-ground…

Dating back to the late 18th century, Popayán's largest colonial church is also its most beautiful. Inside are a fine high altar and a collection of seven…

This 18th-century house is the home of world-renowned Colombian artist Edgar Negret, whose vast abstract iron sculptures dot plazas around the country…

Former Tatacoa Observatory resident astronomer Javier Rua Restrepo now runs his own observatory around 1km further away from town. He is a dynamic teacher…

Technically not a desert but a landscape of red and gray rock, sculpted by ancient waterways, the Desierto de Tatacoa is one of Colombia's most unique…

On Tuesday, market day, members of the Guambiano community come down from their surrounding villages to Silvia to sell fruit, vegetables and handicrafts…

Located across the Río Magdalena 4km southwest of San José de Isnos (26km northeast of the town of San Agustín), this is the second-most important…

This site is 7km north of Isnos and has tombs lined with stone slabs, some of which still show traces of red, black and yellow coloring. One of the most…

You don't have to be an expert on religious art to be impressed by this collection of paintings, statues, altar pieces, silverware and liturgical vessels,…

These four sites are relatively close to each other; most people visit them as part of a horseback-riding tour, although you can also hike up here from…

This site (1750m) is visible from San Andrés de Pisimbalá and has seven large tombs; one of which, Tomb 5, has remarkably well-preserved depictions of…

The most important burial site has 28 excavated tombs, some of which have extremely well-preserved geometric pattern decorations. Twelve of the tombs have…

PNN Puracé is the only place in Colombia you can see Andean condors in the wild. Nearly a dozen of the great vultures were reintroduced to the park –…

The most remote burial site at Tierradentro, El Aguacate (2000m) is reachable via a stiff 1¾-hour climb from San Andrés de Pisimbalá, with the best views…

The surrounding region used to be a seabed and contains numerous important fossils from the Miocene era, some 3.8 million years old; paleontologists…

Behind the Universitario de Tulcán, this hill is topped with an equestrian statue of the city's founder, Sebastián de Belalcázar, and is said to be the…

This interesting museum is housed in an 18th-century mansion that was once home to General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, who was Colombia's president on…

This site (1700m) consists of a collection of nine weather-worn stone statues of warriors, women and priests, located under one roof and similar to those…

This observatory makes the most of the desert's clear skies and is open to the public in the evenings from 7-9pm for stargazing with the resident…