The Tatacoa Desert

The Tatacoa is not a true desert but a tropical dry forest that rain has cut into a maze of gullies and pinnacles, and it comes in two distinct colours: the Cusco zone of deep red and ochre labyrinths, and the paler grey moonscape of Los Hoyos, a few kilometres apart and both walkable on marked paths. The ground is rich in fossils from an era when this was wet forest, and a small museum in Villavieja displays what has been found. What has made the Tatacoa famous, though, is the sky: the air here is dry, the horizon low and the light pollution minimal, so an astronomical observatory runs nightly sessions and the Milky Way is spectacular on a clear moonless night. Swimming pools fed by wells provide relief from the fierce daytime heat, and a handful of simple posadas let you stay out under the stars.

What you actually see

• The Cusco red labyrinth - the deep ochre gullies and pinnacles.
• Los Hoyos grey zone - the pale moonscape a few kilometres away.
• The observatory - nightly stargazing sessions under exceptionally dark skies.
• The fossil museum - finds from the era when this was wet forest, in Villavieja.

When to go

December to February and July to August are the driest; the heat is intense at any time, so walk at dawn or in the late afternoon and rest through the middle of the day. Stargazing needs a clear, moonless night, so check the lunar calendar before committing to a specific date.

Honest expectations

It is genuinely hot and shadeless, and people underestimate the water they need on the marked paths. Facilities are basic and largely limited to simple posadas without reliable air conditioning. The observatory sessions are informal and in Spanish. Cloud can ruin the stargazing, which is the main reason many people come, so allow more than one night if the sky matters to you.

Nearby

Neiva is an hour away; the archaeological park at San Agustín is a longer drive south.