How to Get From Salento to the Tatacoa Desert (Colombia Travel Guide)

Posted 22/07/2024 | 22nd July, 2024
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I recently spent seven weeks in Colombia exploring the best it had to offer and found getting around to be surprisingly easy. There is a comprehensive bus network and plenty of inexpensive domestic flights for those longer journeys.
However, this journey from Salento to Tatacoa was slightly more tricky than the average route. But fear not; with the right planning, you’ll have no problems! Here is exactly how to get from Salento to the Tatacoa Desert in Colombia.


Step One: Salento to Armenia
The first step of your journey is to get from Salento to Armenia (the much larger neighbouring town). A local bus runs roughly every twenty minutes, although we couldn’t find any official bus stops.
If you want to save a few pesos and take this local bus, ask your hostel or hotel staff to direct you to the right spot. You should also note that the bus times and routes differ slightly on the weekend, so be sure to factor that into your plans.
Alternatively, an Uber from the centre of Salento to the station in Armenia will cost around 80,000 COP and takes about 50 minutes.
Step Two: Armenia to Neiva
Only two companies make the journey between Armenia and Neiva. One runs at 11.15 a.m. each day (which you can book via Busbud), and the second is slightly cheaper and runs at 10.40 a.m.
We arrived very early at the station (around 9.30 am) and booked on with the earlier bus.
Of course, this bus didn’t show up.
There was a lot of confusion about whether this bus was running one hour late or had broken down and wouldn’t show up. Therefore, to maximise our chances of reaching Tatacoa that night, we transferred our tickets to the more expensive coach.
This coach left Armenia at 11.45 a.m. and arrived in Neiva at 6.30 p.m. The bus was comfortable and had a toilet on board. The driver stopped for twenty minutes at around 3 p.m., which allowed people to get off, stretch their legs, and restock their snacks.
Step Three: Neiva to Villaveija (Tatacoa)
Now, this was the most stressful part of the journey. We arrived in Neiva at around 6.30 p.m., expecting to be able to jump on a bus or in a colectivo. There was a desk for this specific colectivo, which cost 11,000 COP per person.
However, the woman working at the desk advised us that the colectivo stopped running at 5 p.m. and that we would need to get a taxi. After some negotiation, she advised us that she had a driver who would take us for 100,000 COP (50,000 COP each). We reluctantly agreed after checking with other drivers (the best deal we found directly with a driver was 120,000 COP).
Once in the car, we ended up waiting around twenty minutes (very frustrating!) for two other passengers. Yes, we thought we had paid for the whole vehicle, but apparently not. We managed to get 30,000 COP back from the driver for the hassle, bringing the cost for this leg of the journey to 35,000 COP per person.
The journey takes around one hour and ten minutes and is quite unpleasant. It’s a long country road that isn’t well-lit and extremely bumpy in parts. However, the driver got us there safely and soundly.
Once you’re in Villavieja, almost all hostels and hotels are within walking distance from the main square. However, if you’re staying out in the desert, you must arrange for onward transportation from here.


Final Thoughts – How to Get From Salento to Tatacoa Desert
The journey from Salento to the Tatacoa Desert is long and tiring. However, it is well worth it to see this exciting and relatively unexplored part of Colombia.
An alternative way would be to fly between Armenia and Nierva, but honestly, I wouldn’t recommend this! The flight is expensive, and when you factor in the time you spend waiting in the airport (and the two journeys on either side), it doesn’t really save you much time at all.
MORE COLOMBIA INSPIRATION:
Tatacoa Desert: Hidden Gem or Tourist Trap?
How to Visit Guatape from Medellin