Parque Arqueológico Tierradentro ★★★
The archaeological park contains five main burial sites, which are spread out on a 14km loop from the main entrance. All five sites can be seen in 1 day, though most spread it out over 2 (tickets are good for 2 consecutive days). Upon entering and receiving your wristband you will come to two museums: the Museo Etnográfico and the Museo Arqueológico. The Museo Etnográfico focuses on the Paez culture, an indigenous group that of around 25,000 who are not believed to be related to the tomb builders. The Museo Arqueológico centers on the tombs themselves, with models of tombs and funerary urns. Both help shed some understanding on what you will soon see, especially helpful since there is practically no information out on the trail.
From the museums, walk counterclockwise toward Segovia, which is about a 20-minute uphill hike. This is the most important site in Tierradentro. There are several dozen tombs here, most decorated with red, black, and white patterns and figures. These tombs are some of the best preserved. Continue on another 20 minutes to El Duende, which has just four tombs. Another 25 minutes on is El Tablón, where there are nine badly deteriorated stone statues that look similar to the ones found in San Agustín (though they were built centuries later). Continue until you reach the restaurant La Portada in town, where you can have lunch or hop on the trail that runs along the side of the restaurant to Alto de San Andrés, 10 minutes away. There are six very well-preserved tombs here with still visible wall paintings. The path continues on to El Aguacate, the farthest site, about 1 1/2 hours away (plus another 1 1/2 hours to walk back to the main entrance). The views of the valley below are stunning and there are several dozen tombs, which are in various states of ruin but have some unique styles of wall paintings. Keep in mind that very few of the tombs have lighting, so be sure to bring a flashlight.
www.icanh.gov.co. COP$20,000 adult; COP$10,000 student; COP$5,000 child. Daily 8am–4pm.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
