Welcome to my article on the Tatacoa Desert. My name is Hanna and I live in Switzerland. My passion for travel came in early childhood as my parents were big travelers and took us around the world at a young age. They are the founders of a Christian ministry that works in different countries, and supports many social projects such as schools and orphanages.
Together, with my husband, we bought and renovated a little van because we dreamed of traveling the Pan-American Highway and visiting amazing places like the Tatacoa Desert. We love road trips and exploring new places in a flexible way. To have your own home, bed and all of your belongings with you is a very nice way of traveling the world.
In December 2023, we shipped our van from Hamburg to Montevideo. From there, we drove to Ushuaia where we started our journey. We then traveled through Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
Our plan is to complete the Pan-American Highway in three different stages because we have our own company back in Switzerland and can’t travel for too long in one go. From Cartagena, we went back to Switzerland in April of this year to work. And we’re already planning to go back and travel Central America and North America until we finally reach Alaska.
Having a Fantastic Time in Colombia
Colombia is a country that wasn’t actually in our original travel plans for this leg of the Pan-American Highway. We wanted to leave our van in Ecuador and continue the journey from there next time. But, in the end, we spent most of the time from the whole trip in Colombia. We really loved it.
The country is very versatile. You have mountains, beaches, jungles, deserts, coasts, forests and more. It’s a very interesting and beautiful destination because you can see so many different things in a short amount of time.
My highlights were definitely the city of Cartagena, the Tatacoa Desert, the Cocora Valley, and the variety of plants and animals in the jungle. But I also had so many other places on my Colombia bucket list that we didn’t have enough time to see. This just gives us a good reason to come back.
Exploring the Tatacoa Desert for 3 Days
I’m a desert lover: if there’s a desert somewhere, I have to see it. I had already seen pictures of the Tatacoa Desert on social media and for me it was clear – if we travel to Colombia, we have to visit this place. We didn’t end up there by accident, as it was the plan to go as soon as we arrived.
Since we traveled Colombia in our own van, it was easy to come and go in the Tatacoa Desert as we pleased. We drove through the whole desert and then came back to our favorite spot at sunset. Very early the next morning, we went for a horseback ride through the desert with a local guide.
It wasn’t planned but it turned out to be a nice way of being in nature. There’s also the option of taking a quad tour or going hiking by yourself. In total, we stayed in the desert for three days which was enough time.
What the Landscapes of the Desert Are Like
I was surprised by how small the Tatacoa Desert actually is. It’s much smaller than what we thought and smaller than all the other deserts I’ve visited around the world. The photos online usually show the same specific place, which is also the spot we liked the most.
There are two different areas of the Tatacoa Desert: the gray desert and the red desert. We personally like the red part more. The colors are so intense and change throughout the day, depending on where the sun is. Also, the formations of the rocks are very interesting and beautiful in the red part.
Where to Stay By the Tatacoa Desert
The closest village to the Tatacoa Desert is Villavieja. We stayed there in a hotel called Sueno Real Tatacoa. We really liked it since it has a pool and a nice restaurant. There are also many hostels and campgrounds right in the Tatacoa Desert which would be a great experience too. But it was so hot when we went that we decided to sleep in a hotel instead of the van.
Need to Know Before You Go
When planning your visit to the Tatacoa Desert, you have to know that it’s incredibly hot there. Make sure you have enough water, use a high protection sunscreen, take a hat and don’t hike in the middle of the day. It’s better to explore the desert early in the morning or before sunset. To find out more about our time in Colombia, be sure to visit my Instagram page.