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Casanare

Llanos Orientales (eastern plains)

Casanare

East of the cordillera, Colombia runs out of mountains and a plain begins that floods and dries to the rhythm of two seasons. Here cattle live alongside the jaguar and you measure distance in horizons, not in kilometers. Casanare is the heart of that savanna.

Why go

What makes this destination unique

Colombia sells itself on its mountains and its Caribbean; the Llanos, the eastern plains, are the opposite of both. In Casanare the wildlife does not hide beneath a canopy: it is seen in the open, from a jeep, as in Africa. Chigüiros, or capybaras, by the hundred, giant anteaters, anacondas, more than four hundred bird species and cattle ranches that have not allowed hunting for three decades.

  • When to goDecember to March, the verano llanero or plains summer: the savanna dries out, the animals gather at the few channels still holding water and the tracks are passable. January and February are the best months.
  • Getting thereA one-hour flight from Bogotá to Yopal (El Alcaraván), with Avianca, LATAM or EasyFly. From there, two to five hours by jeep to the ranches.

What to see

What you should not miss

Where to stay

Hotels we recommend

A selection of houses with character. We work with others too: tell us what you are looking for and we will propose the one that fits.

Luxury tented camp on the savanna

Corocora Wildlife Camp

Four tents with private bathrooms in a private reserve at San Luis de Palenque, with a naturalist guide and its own kitchen.

Ecolodge inside Hato La Aurora

Juan Solito Ecolodge

Simple rooms and cabins on the banks of the Ariporo, inside the oldest private reserve in Casanare. Llanero guides from the area.

Traditional llanero ranches turned reserve

Reserva Natural El Encanto de Guanapalo

Three ranches and almost nine thousand hectares two hours from Yopal, with accommodation in llanero houses with private bathrooms.

City hotel in Yopal, for the connecting night

GHL Style Yopal

Practical and well run, five minutes from the airport. It serves for the night before or after the ranch, and no more than that.

Small hotel with a pool in Yopal

L'aurora Hotel Boutique

A more domestic alternative to the chain hotel, with a garden and a pool, in a quiet district near the airport.

Where to eat

The destination's table

The kitchens worth a reservation. We take care of the booking and the transfer.

Llanero grill house (Villavicencio)

El Cabrestero

An institution on the Puerto López road for more than twenty years. Ternera a la llanera, beef on the spit, with no concessions.

Llanero grill house (Villavicencio)

El Amarradero del Mico

Open since 1998, beside the road to Vanguardia airport. Mamona, young beef, over the fire and a long list of regional dishes.

Llanero grill house (Villavicencio)

La Topochera

An open caney of guadua bamboo seating four hundred on the ring road, with different cuts of mamona over the embers.

Carne a la llanera (Yopal)

Asadero La Mamona

One of the benchmarks for carne a la llanera in Yopal: simple, busy and with no pretension to a tablecloth.

Does this destination interest you? We build it into a tailor-made route.

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Hotel and restaurant information is for reference and is confirmed at the time of booking. The recommendations do not imply any commercial relationship with the establishments mentioned.

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