SAN AGUSTIN
San Agustin is a small town set in lush green mountains in the department of Huila. Traditionally a very off-the-beaten track destination it becomes more and more popular with tourists each year, especially as security has improved dramatically in the last few years.
Long before any Europeans set foot on the continent, the San Agustín region was home to an ancient civilisation. Many centuries have passed since their extinction, but several hundred stautues remain dotted around the rolling green hills. Visiting these stautues is a great excuse (if one were needed) to head off into the surrounding countryside.
The biggest collection of statues is found at the Parque Arqueológico a couple of kilometers west of San Agustín. It takes a good couple of hours to wander around the entire park and there's also a museum featuring statues and artifacts found in other parts of the region.
The Alto de los Idolos contains the second biggest collection of stautes and is located across the Rio Magdalena via the Puente de la Chaquira.
In contrast to the surrounding landscapes, the town of San Agustin is fairly unspectacular. Up on the hills there are some nice hotels/hostels with vistas of the lush green hills, but basically San Agustín is a rather average town. There are some ok bars and restaurants, particularly on Calle 3 and a couple of churches, but little of any great interest. The real draw of San Agustin is its proximity to the dramatic scenery mentioned above.
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Very little is known about the ancient civilisation which created the statues in the San Agustin region. They are thought to have vanished by the 12th century long before the Spanish arrived. The ancient statues found here range in size from half a metre or so up to around 7m. Many of the statues are grouped together in parks or connected by walking trails, and many are conveniently found in picturesque settings.
El Tablón and La Chaquira are two more sites worth visiting. They are connected on a pretty trail from San Agustín. You first arrive at El Tablón, a small group of statues and a museum, before continuing on a winding path to La Chaquira. Here you find a number of statues carved into rocks. What is likely to be much more impressive, though, is the spectacular view down into the Magdalena river valley.
Salto de Bordones (see photo, right) and Salto de Mortiño are two spectacular waterfalls located several kilometers from San Agustín. The typical way to see these sights is on a jeep tour your which also takes in some of the best archaelogical parks and takes you down to the Magdalena River.
