Tatacoa Desert Colombia: Tourist Trap or Hidden Gem?

Posted 22/06/2024 | 22nd June, 2024
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If you’ve landed on this page, you’re undoubtedly asking yourself the same questions as I was a few weeks ago: is the Tatcoa Desert worth visiting?
The first thing you should be aware of is that the Tatacoa desert is, in fact, not a desert. Truthfully, it rained all three days we were in the area, which was somewhat anti-climatic!
However, we had a wonderful time visiting both the red and grey deserts, exploring at our own pace and enjoying the unique, magical sites. But there is no denying some serious ‘Instagram V Reality’ here. And even if your budget stretches to a domestic flight, it’s still pretty time-consuming and challenging to reach.
So, Tatacoa Desert Colombia – tourist trap or hidden gem?

Desert One: The Red Desert
The Red Desert in Tatcoa is the main event. It’s the one thing you seriously cannot miss if you’re in the region.
It’s extremely easy to reach the desert if you stay in Villavieja. Simply wander to the main square and find a tuk-tuk – we paid 20,000 COP for a one way journey. You could negotiate a price for the driver to wait and take you back, but a few drivers were hanging around afterwards, so this isn’t strictly necessary.
If you’re staying in the desert, your hostel or hotel can help you organise transportation.
It was great fun getting lost in the desert, exploring the red rocks and feeling like we had the whole place to ourselves. There are small posts with yellow markers directing you through the hiking route, but to be honest, these were hard to follow! We had to retrace our steps a few times to return to the right path.
In total, we spent around two and a half hour exploring and taking photos. I recomend getting there as early as possible because by midday, the sun is brutal!


Desert Two: The Grey Desert
I have to start this with honesty: I was underwhelmed by the Grey Desert. However, it is much further out of town, and the forty-minute tuk-tuk journey was absolutely beautiful!
We negotiated a price of 70,000 COP for the driver to take us to the Grey Desert, wait 90 minutes while we hiked, and then drive us back to VIllaveija. The cost to access the Grey Desert is then 2,000 COP per person.
The hike itself is very easy and short, and you can comfortably complete it within half an hour. It is pleasant. However, I must admit we felt a little deflated and were expecting something a little more special.
You certainly don’t need a guide to visit the Grey Desert; there is an obvious path, and getting lost would be challenging (even for me!)
If you’re heading to Tatacoa, do not miss the Grey Desert. However, there are many more beautiful hikes to enjoy around Colombia.

Swimming in the Grey Desert
Yes, you read that right! There are swimming pools in the grey desert near the entrance. This costs 10,000 COP per person and has basic facilities such as toilets.
Whilst this does look like a pleasant place to relax, these pools claim to be 100% natural, which is evidently not true.


Stargazing in the Tatacoa Desert
Unfortunately, on my visit to the Tatacoa Desert, it was too cloudy to enjoy stargazing, but other travellers say that on a clear night, it is truly astounding!
There are two observatories in Tatcoa, each open around 6 pm and have daily talks in both English and Spanish. If you’re lucky enough to have a clear night, I would certainly recommend this.
Where to Stay in The Tatacoa Desert
When visiting the Tatacoa desert, you have two main options for where to stay: either in Villavieja or in the desert itself. Each has its own pros and cons.
Villavieja has many more amenities (it is still a very small village), but it has a few restaurants, shops, and pharmacies. Because there are more people around, there are also more transport options.
There are obviously no amenities in the desert itself, and the accommodation options are much more basic. There are a few hostels and lots of campsites. If you’re staying deep in the desert, asking your hostel to help organise transportation from Villavieaja will probably make more sense, as arranging a tuk-tuk (especially late at night) may be tricky.
Of course, almost everywhere in this region has cold-water showers only and pretty sketchy Wi-Fi, although we didn’t have any issues with power cuts while we were there.
What to Bring to The Tatacoa Desert
😎 Sunscreen: The most important thing to bring with you to the Tatacoa Desert it high-factor sunscreen! Although it is often cloudy with spells of rain, the UV is high, and so is the temperature.
🐛 Bug Repellent: The mosquitoes in the Tatacoa desert are intense. Bring a strong insect repellant and reapply it multiple times per day.
👒 Sunhat: Protecting your head from the sun is, of course, extremely important.
👕Overshirt: I recommend bringing a long-sleeved shirt to hike in to protect you from the sun.
📚Activites: Everything in Villavieja closes very early, and the signal and Wi-Fi are extremely poor. Therefore, I recommend downloading some shows/podcasts or bringing a good book to relax with in the evening.
Getting to The Tatacoa Desert
The Tatacoa Desert is not an easy or quick place to get to, with no direct transport options from any main hubs (Salento, Bogota or Medellin).


Salento to Tatacoa
Salento was one of my favourite places in Colombia. It is a popular spot to visit on the way to or from the Tatcoa Desert.
This journey has three stages: Salento to Armenia, Armenia to Neiva, and Neiva to Tatacoa.
First, you need to make the journey from Salento to Armenia. A local bus comes roughly every twenty minutes, although we couldn’t find any official bus stops. So, it would be best to ask the staff at your hostel or hotel where to get the bus. The bus times differ on a weekend, so be sure to factor that in.
Alternatively, an Uber from the centre of Salento to the station in Armenia will cost around 80,000 COP, and takes about 50 minutes.
From Armenia, there are two bus companies that run to Nieva. One at 10.40 am, and one at 11 am. Although you don’t need to pre-book these tickets (you can just buy them when you arrive), it is imperative you get there before these busses, as there are no later departures.
The bus from Armenia to Neiva takes around seven hours, depending on traffic.
From Neiva, you then have to get to Tatacoa (or Villaviejia, where you are likely staying).
Unfortunately, we were advised that the last bus ran at 5:30 p.m. Very frustrating, as the bus should cost just 11,000 COP per person.
Therefore, we had to negotiate a price for a driver and a car. We were lucky that there were two other passengers heading in this direction, so we managed to get a driver for around 30,000 COP each.
Of course, there is safety in numbers, and the price will depend on your situation and negotiation skills. I read online of solo travellers paying 200,000+ COP to get to Villavieaja the same day!
The bus will drop you off at Villavieja square, where you can take a tuk-tuk to your accommodation. Be sure to check the map first though as most are completely walkable.
Total Time: 11+ hours
Bogota to Tatacoa
The journey between Bogota and Tatacoa is the most straightforward with just two steps: Bogota to Neiva, then Neiva to Tatacoa.
Your first step is to take the bus from Bogota to Neiva, which departs from the Salitre station. Several companies run this route multiple times per day; expect to pay around 60,000 COP per person.
I recommend setting of as early as possible to make the next leg of your journey as smooth as possible.
From Neiva, you need to take the bus to Villavieja, which takes around one hour and fifteen minutes. Arriving before the last bus (around 5:00 pm) costs 11,000 COP per person.
As mentioned above, we missed the last bus and had to negotiate the price of a whole car. If you can’t find any buddies to share it with, expect to pay 100,000+ COP.
Total Time: 8+ Hours
Medellin to Tatacoa
Now, this is one hell of a journey! If you’re taking this route, good luck!
As with other routes mentioned above, the first step is to make the journey to Neiva. The bus companies claim that this drive takes twelve hours, but travellers report fifteen hours, which is much more realistic.
Taking the bus from Medellin to Neiva in the morning likely leaves you stranded in Neiva for the night, with no way to get to Tatacoa Desert until the morning. This would mean paying for a costly taxi (I imagine there will be a massive surcharge for travelling through the night) or spending the night in Neiva.
Instead, I recommend taking the night bus from Medellin to Neiva. Many depart in the early evening and arrive around 8 a.m. These buses usually stop for a food break during the night, but I would stock up on plenty of snacks and drinks just in case.
As you will arrive in Neiva in the morning, you should have no problem getting the colectivo bus from the Neiva transport hub to Villaviaja. This takes around one hour and fifteen minutes and costs 11,000 COP per person.
Total Time: 18+ Hours
Is The Tatacoa Desert Worth It?
The Tatacoa Desert is a fun stop if you’re on a very long trip around Colombia. But, you should remember that regardless of where you are departing from or heading to, it is a very long journey.
There isn’t a huge amount to do here, so you can comfortably see the Red and Grey Desert in one day, saving stargazing for the evening.
Meaning, that you probably only need one full day (and two nights) in the desert.
If you have more than six weeks in Colombia, a Tatacoa desert trip is worth it. However, if you have less time, your time and money would be better spent elsewhere.
