The Tatacoa Desert

Also known as the Valley of Sadness, as it was named in 1538 by the conqueror Jimenez De Quesada, the Tatacoa Desert (Tatacoa is a harmless local snake) does not exhibit the typical natural features of a desert. Instead of the classic sand dunes, you can admire curious red earth sculptures that in some areas merge and intersect, creating natural labyrinths of majestic beauty, the result of centuries of soil erosion. The sky over this desolate and silent expanse is almost always clear, ideal for astronomy lovers and scholars who at night, with a good telescope, can distinctly observe and analyze the crisp celestial vault. The apparent scarcity of life forms, typical of a desert, is even more intriguing when considering that during the Tertiary period, millions of years ago, this area was a vast garden full of trees, flowers, and many other plant species, inhabited by monkeys, turtles, crocodiles, and giant sloths. Fossil remains of the lush flora and abundant fauna from that remote and unknown era make the Tatacoa Desert a true paradise for geologists and paleontologists. The climate is hot and dry, with daytime temperatures around 27 degrees Celsius. The ideal time for a few hours’ excursion among the rocks, shrubs, and cacti of the Tatacoa Desert is the late afternoon, when the sun lowers and the climate cools. The reference point for reaching the Tatacoa Desert is the small colonial village of Villavieja, about fifty kilometers from Neiva and about ten kilometers from the first desert signs in the landscape. In Villavieja there is a paleontological museum – worth visiting before venturing into the desert – where fossil remains of animals that went extinct millions of years ago are kept, and where the natural historical phases of the evolution of this territory are reconstructed, from the birth of the universe to the appearance of humans on Earth.