Across the east of Colombia, from the foothills of the eastern Andes to the Venezuelan border (and then right across Venezuela to the Orinoco Delta) sprawls a vast area of lowlands. This is ‘Los Llanos’ – Spanish for ‘The Plains’.
The plains of the Llanos are characterised by their grasslands. In Venezuela the horizons are wide and open, with extreme dry and wet seasons – true tropical savannas. The seasons in Colombia’s western llanos are less extreme and the views are wide but more varied. Trees pepper the landscape and run beside the many slow winding rivers that criss-cross the plains and feed into the Orinoco. There are areas of permanent wetlands, and many more that are seasonally flooded. Temperatures are constant and high, and rain is plentiful outside the dry season which lasts from November/December to around mid-April.
The Llanos has a long history of cattle ranches and cowboys. It is steeped in a culture rooted in endless days on horseback in the middle of nowhere collecting wild horses and choosing the one to break in and ride, rounding up the cattle, milking them, or driving them for endless days across hundreds of miles of open country. The llaneros, the cowboys, have their own musical traditions, with melodic love songs, haunting laments and the cantering rhythms of joropa a style played with guitars and harps throughout the Llanos from Colombia to Venezuela. Sit by the glow of a campfire under a sky full of stars and be welcomed into this world.
The wildlife is extraordinary. You should immediately see capybaras in large numbers, and then be spotting giant anteater, white-tailed deer, nine-banded armadillo, southern tamandua, red howler monkey and crab-eating fox. With some luck and in the right season you could see one or more of the region’s cats: jaguar, puma, ocelot and jaguarundi. Anacondas, crocodiles and turtles are usually an easy find.
The birdlife is colossal. As a short introduction you will surely see Burrowing Owl, Hoatzin, and flocks of waterbirds in great variety: ibises, storks, herons, spoonbills, Whistling duck and Orinoco geese. Raptors are abundant: caracaras plus several hawks and eagles. Passerines are very numerous and varied: flycatchers, tanagers, hummingbirds, finches, manakins, cardinals, and many more. Dedicated birders can expect very long lists with a good guide, enough time, and good fortune.
Travellers to the Llanos are warmly welcomed into local lives at the handful of ranches in nature reserves within the Casanare department that have set themselves up for visitors. Their offerings include wildlife safaris by vehicle or boat, birdwatching, horseback riding, llanos culture and life on the ranch. Accommodation options range from practical cabins with basic facilities to upscale chalets with private pools. Access is via the small city of Yopal which has daily flights from Bogota, then by road for 2-4 hours or so. Easier to reach are the countryside hotels on the outskirts of Yopal that offer day trips around the area. The quality of guides at established lodges is good, though not all speak English.