HIT THE ROAD AND VISIT US
Our study site is located in the southern Andes of Colombia, in an area known as the Colombian Massif that is also part of the Andean Belt Biosphere Reserve.
Strait of theMagdalena river
Photo: ©Sergio Sandoval-A
To get there you have to travel to Bogota and then, take a flight to the city of Pitalito, from where we pick you up to take you to the municipality of San Agustin.
The town of San Agustín
Photo: ©Sergio Sandoval-A
There you can visit a number of archaeological sites, such as the Archaeological Park of San Agustin and stay in one of the good hotels in this small colonial town.
San Agustín Archeological Park
Photo: ©Sergio Sandoval-A
The next day, we pick you up to take you to the village of El Rosario, where our project is based. From there we go by 4×4 to the village of La Castellana, from where we start a two and a half hour walk that will take us to one of the sites where one of our monitoring stations is located next to the Balseros River. That is a place where tapirs come frequently, even during the day. There, you will learn first-hand about the conservation work we do with the help of local people.
A tapir photographed near Balseros river, San Agustín.
Photo: ©Segre Foundation
After the visit to the Rio Balseros sampling site, we will return to the village of El Rosario where we will stay. The next day, you can return to San Agustín or continue with us for a couple more days and visit our second tapir monitoring site.
Gallito de Roca, colorful bird of the Andes
Photo ©Sergio Sandoval-A
In this case we will leave very early in the morning back to La Castellana from where we will take a three-hour hike to a rustic cabin next to the Granadillos River where we can rest and have lunch.
Horse riding along the Granadillos river
In the afternoon we will take short walks around the area to observe birds and the beautiful landscapes of the area while in the evening, after dinner, we will choose to camp or stay in one of the rooms of the cabin.
Mountain tapirs in the forest of San Agustín.
Photo©Segre Foundation
On the third day we will leave early to visit the Granadillos monitoring station, next to the river of the same name. It will take us about three hours of walking immersed in the Andean jungle.
Wood fire near Granadillos River
Photo:©Sergio Sandoval-A
Upon arrival at the site and with your help we will maintain our camera traps and collect the images captured since our last visit. We will hike around our monitoring site and have lunch by the river. In the afternoon we will return to our site for dinner and a well-deserved rest around a campfire.
A camera trap near a salt Lick frequented by mountain tapirs
Photo:©Sergio Sandoval-A
On the fourth day we will return to the town of El Rosario for lunch and then return to San Agustin where we will stay in one of the beautiful hotels in this tourist town. The next day visitors can return to Bogota from Pitalito or take a road trip to the city of Neiva and from there visit the Tatacoa Desert, a dry enclave in the Andes Mountains, famous for its paleontological richness and for being a site of great interest for astronomy enthusiasts.
Tatacoa Desert - La Venta paleontological site.
Photo©Sergio Sandoval-A
Another alternative after the visit to our project is to travel from San Agustin to Popayán, crossing the Colombian Massif and the Paramo ecosystems of the Puracé National Park. In this park you will be able to stay and visit the volcano of Puracé and take pictures of the beautiful landscapes of this park. After Puracé you can stay in Popayán and enjoy the architecture of this colonial city. The next day you will travel to the city of Cali, where you can visit the Cali Zoo to see the only pair of mountain tapirs that exist in Latin American zoos: Mayo and Sedona.
Puracé volcano at Puracé National Park
Photo:©Sergio Sandoval-A
If you want to visit us, please contact us through our whatsapp link on the right of your screen
Mayo and Sedona at Cali Zoo
Photo:©Sergio Sandoval-A.