Rock formations near the Observatory

Villavieja is a village in the Huila department of Colombia whose main interest is its proximity to the Tatacoa Desert.

Get in

Minibuses or shared Jeeps leave the transport terminal of Neiva. The trip lasts 1 hour and costs COP$8,000 (May 2019).

Get around

Getting around the city should not be a problem as it's small enough to be covered on foot. The tricky part is getting around the desert as there is no public transportation and it can get expensive. You can either:

• Get a local on the main square to drive you by car or moto for a prohibitive price of at least COP$20,000 one way, which is almost as much as what you'd pay for a tour.
• Go on a tour: prices start at COP$50,000. The guide will drive you to all the main attractions of the desert for 3-4 hours. There will most likely be someone waiting for you at the arrival of your bus. Always negotiate.
• Go walking: Distances are small enough if you're not carrying a big backpack but the heat can make this tiring. Avoid midday heat and carry a lot of water. Town to the observatory is 6 km on paved road and from there to Los Hoyos is another 6 km.

See

• Museo Paleontológico (on the Main Square). M-F 7:30AM-1PM and 2PM-5:30PM, SaSu 7AM-6PM. The local findings are divided in 3 rooms: reptiles, mammals and environment. It houses remains of a megaterio, a giant sloth that reached 5 meters. Check out the real sized model in the middle of the plaza. COP$2,000. 

Do

• 1 Exploring the Tatacoa Desert (about 7 km east of Villavieja on Via a Tatacoa). Tatacoa, Spanish name for rattlesnakes, is given to this region that is second only to the Guajira Peninsula in Colombia in terms of aridity. It is rich in fossils and contains various species of flora and wildlife, tall spiny cactus and wildcats just to name two, but most come to admire the beautiful fluted or etched landforms secondary to erosion that tend to be ocher in the El Cuzco area of the park and more gray in the Los Hoyos section. One significant point of interest in particular is the Mirador de Miguelito, on the way to the desert, which provides a great vantage point of the surrounding terrain. It's advisable to bring water and sunblock, and please refrain from climbing on the formations. (updated Oct 2020)
• Astronomy, ☏ +57 310-465-6765, +57 8 -879-7584, jrua@tatacoa-astronomia.com. Passionate and knowledgeable astronomer Javier Fernando Rua Restrepo operates the desert observatory. Sessions start as soon as the sun sets and include observation with a modern telescope. You're almost guaranteed to find him there on week ends but give him a call if you plan to visit during the week. COP$10,000 per person. 

Buy

• Prices in the desert are a bit higher than in Villavieja but still very reasonable: water COP$500, soft drink COP$1,500, beer COP$2,000, meal COP$5,000
• Conservas del Desierto, Carrera 5 No 5-78, ☏ +57 311 883-1570, +57 311 871 1256, conservasdeldesierto@yahoo.es. Sells more than 21 products from the Nopal cactus: sweets, skin lotion, shampoo, arequipe and even cactus "wine". 

Sleep

In the desert

• Observatorio
• Los Hoyos