Yopal

Yopal is the capital of the Casanare Department. It is on the border between the Andes and Los Llanos. It is only a few metres above sea level and thus very hot. Yopal is a gateway into Los Llanos. Tourism hasn´t quite reached Yopal yet so there is not much to do other than to enjoy the warmth.

If you wish to visit Los Llanos from here or any of the surrounding lakes for wildlife, it would be a good idea to arrange transport and a guide before arriving.

Getting There:Buses leave from Bogota Terminal and take about 7 hours. Tickets cost about 36,000COP. Libertadores and Concorde run services between Bogota and Yopal.

Where to Stay:There are no foriegn hostels in Yopal but plenty of hotels, we paid 40,000COP a night for a double room which was clean and had an on suite bathroom. Unfortunatley we had 50,000COP stolen from our room so I will not be publishing the name of that hotel. There are plenty of hotels near the main square (Carrera 20 and Calle 8).

Things to Do:It is very hot in Yopal so chances are you won´t want to do too much. You can go swimming in some pools on the river about 15 minutes outside of Yopal. You can walk up to the Virgin. You can sit in one of the many bars or in the main square and watch people.

Map:This is a file for Google Earth with the key sites pinned. It also contains some extra places for eating and drinking. The file can be downloaded here. You can also see this map in Google Maps.

Aguatoca is a small swimming hole about 15 minutes drive from Yopal. The swimming is very pleasent and there is a bar. This is the outdoors enjoyed Colombian style.

Getting There:The local bus station is on Carrera 19 and Calle 9/10, there is a small plaza with a police station in the middle. There are cars that go from this plaza to El Morro, they can drop you off at Aguatoca.

The river is very rocky here and if you´re feeling adventurous you could follow the river either up or down the hill.

Aguatoca.

The Virgin is a large white guady statue that can be seen from all over Yopal. The walk up takes about 1.5 hours and is steep up hill (it is recommended to do the walk in the early morning before it gets too hot). Ask your hotel receptionist how to get there. From the top you can see across Los Llanos. The virgin must be on the last hill of the Andes.

On the road up to the Virgin there is a sign on the left to Al Monumento Cristo del Calvario, there is a small grassy path that leads off. If you decide to explore please let me know what you find.

The view from the Virgin across Yopal.

The sign to Monumento Cristo del Calvario.