Tatacoa Desert
Encyclopedia
The Tatacoa Desert, the second largest arid zone in Colombia
after the Guajira Peninsula
, is one of the most attractive scenery Colombia occupies 330 square kilometers of land in ocher and gray brushstrokes of green cactus. The Desert Tatacoa has two distinctive colors: ocher in the area of Cuzco and gray in the Los Hoyos.
The Tatacoa or the Valley of Sorrows, as he called in 1538 the conquistador
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada
, for traces of deterioration noted in its territory is not just a desert, but a tropical dry forest. His name "Tatacoa" also gave it the Spanish, referring to rattlesnakes and not, as you might think, harmless snakes black. As revealed by scientists, Tatacoa during the Tertiary Period was a garden with thousands of flowers and trees have gradually been drying up to become a desert.
This semiarid region that is located north of Huila
Department, 38 km from the city of Neiva
in Colombia and 10 miles from Natagaima in Tolima. It is a rich deposit of fossils and is a great tourist destination.
, alligators and wildcats who share this space, hiding in the dry, cactus
reaching between four and five meters high.
In addition to geographic and atmospheric conditions are perfect for observing the celestial bodies,
Tatacoa has no light pollution or hearing. This attractive, attracts the attention of tourists who stay there to enjoy the silence, the scenery and tranquility of the place.
How to reach the Desert Tatacoa?
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
after the Guajira Peninsula
Guajira Peninsula
Guajira Peninsula , is a peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea...
, is one of the most attractive scenery Colombia occupies 330 square kilometers of land in ocher and gray brushstrokes of green cactus. The Desert Tatacoa has two distinctive colors: ocher in the area of Cuzco and gray in the Los Hoyos.
The Tatacoa or the Valley of Sorrows, as he called in 1538 the conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada was a Spanish explorer and conquistador in Colombia. He explored the northern part of South America. While successful in many of his exploits, acquiring massive amounts of gold and emeralds, he ended his career disastrously; and has been suggested as a possible model...
, for traces of deterioration noted in its territory is not just a desert, but a tropical dry forest. His name "Tatacoa" also gave it the Spanish, referring to rattlesnakes and not, as you might think, harmless snakes black. As revealed by scientists, Tatacoa during the Tertiary Period was a garden with thousands of flowers and trees have gradually been drying up to become a desert.
This semiarid region that is located north of Huila
Huila
Huila may refer to:* Huila Department, in Colombia* Atlético Huila a first division Association football team in Colombia.* Huíla Province, in Angola* Nevado del Huila, volcano in Colombia...
Department, 38 km from the city of Neiva
Neiva
Neiva is the Capital of the Department of Huila. It is located in the valley of the Magdalena River in south central Colombia with a population of about 378,857 inhabitants...
in Colombia and 10 miles from Natagaima in Tolima. It is a rich deposit of fossils and is a great tourist destination.
Geography
Is a geographical landscape formations composed. Its area covers an area of 330 square kilometers. Located close to the urban area of the municipality of Villavieja. The location is 3 ° 13 'North Latitude and 75 ° 10' west longitude. The area is heavily eroded and crossed by dry canyons that develop transiently in the winter months. These mysterious shapes are created on clay surfaces, creating labyrinthine gullies in the landscape that can reach 20 meters deep.Fauna and Flora
In the Desert of Tatacoa there is relatively little excessive runoff and animal and plant life that is perfectly adapted to the minimum conditions of humidity and high temperatures. The plants in this area are adapted to climatic conditions through the development of horizontal roots up to 30 meters and 15 meters vertical roots deep that facilitate access to water. Find there: turtles, rodents, snakes, spiders, scorpions, eaglesEagles
The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1971 by Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner.With five number one singles, six Grammys, five American Music Awards, and six number one albums, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the...
, alligators and wildcats who share this space, hiding in the dry, cactus
Cactus
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
reaching between four and five meters high.
The astronomical rise
The Desert Tatacoa is a geographically privileged location 3 ° 13 'North Latitude and 75 º 10' west longitude, near the Ecuador Land. From there, you can:- Observe the 88 constellationsConstellationsConstellations: An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal of critical and democratic theory and successor of Praxis International. It is edited by Andrew Arato, Amy Allen, and Andreas Kalyvas...
. - ToursToursTours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
around the various sites. - Appreciate phenomena such as meteor showers.
In addition to geographic and atmospheric conditions are perfect for observing the celestial bodies,
Tatacoa has no light pollution or hearing. This attractive, attracts the attention of tourists who stay there to enjoy the silence, the scenery and tranquility of the place.
Tourism
At night you can see the stars due to meet most of the year with a cloudless sky. This motivates attraction visited by many tourists who stay there to enjoy the silence, the scenery and tranquility of the place.How to reach the Desert Tatacoa?
- By Air: The flight from BogotáBogotáBogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
to Neiva takes about 30 minutes. - By land: the road trip from Bogotá to NeivaNeivaNeiva is the Capital of the Department of Huila. It is located in the valley of the Magdalena River in south central Colombia with a population of about 378,857 inhabitants...
takes about 5 hours. - From Neiva to the town of Villavieja, the trip takes 45 minutes by road and from there to the entrance of the desert are about 15 minutes of travel.
- If you do not have the car, motorcycle taxi service is Villavieja to the desert.