A place like San Jose del Guaviare is not easy to prospect. We couldn’t find any information on the internet.
Where to start? Who should we meet? How is the bus?
Nothing, nada, nitchts.
Ten years ago, San Jose del Guaviare was a FARC’s stronghold. Even the government didn’t want to get there.
But the political situation has changed a lot in Colombia. And now, this town is a paradise filled with secret gems, colorful rivers, Colombian cowboys, and aguardiente.
San Jose del Guaviare: What you must know
If you’re in a rush, quickly learn about the most important topics in this post. ⬇️⬇️
Where: San Jose del Guaviare is in the Guaviare department, South of Bogota.
What can you expect: Many stunning sites surround San Jose del Guaviare. You can admire a river that turns red during the rainy season (like in Caño Cristales), unravel mysterious rock paintings, observe pink dolphins, and swim in various natural pools and waterfalls. The field report of our 5-day experience in San Jose del Guaviare.
Is it touristic: Not yet as this destination has recently opened to the public. It’s the ideal occasion to stay in an authentic Colombian town!
Is San Jose del Guaviare safe: Yes! We never felt insecure during our stay, even late at night, when heading back to our hotel.
When: Although you can visit San Jose del Guaviare all year round, some highlights are more worth-seeing during the rainy season.
How to get there: There are direct flights from Bogota and Villavicencio. You can also take a 10h night bus from Bogota.
How to plan your activities: You need to use a private vehicle to head to the different touristic sights—the easiest way is to use a local travel agency’s service. We went with Geotours Guaviare. They did an amazing job.
Our best tips:
- Although you might save a few dollars by planning everything on your own, the experience will be a lot better (and easier) if you book a full package.
- Ask the agency if you can join a group tour. It will be cheaper.
- You will get more possibilities if you contact them for a few months in advance.
Where to stay: The lodging offer in San Jose del Guaviare isn’t exceptional.
- Hostel Guaviare soul | Economical
- Hotel Quinto Nivel | Good value for money
How many days: You need at least 4 days in total to visit the main highlights. Save time by heading back to Bogota with a night bus.
Based on the quality of their services, we have decided to partner with Geotours del Guaviare. Use our online form to contact them easily and get a 5% discount on all their tours!
Table of contents: San Jose del Guaviare
How to Get to San Jose del Guaviare
You must leave from Bogota to include San Jose del Guaviare in your Colombia itinerary.
Travel to San Jose del Guaviare
Click on the filters below to learn how to reach San Jose del Guaviare. ⬇⬇
Fly from Bogotá to San Jose del Guaviare
Flying is always the easiest and most comfortable way to get somewhere in Colombia.
However, there are still a few inconveniences
- You can’t observe the landscapes.
- There is no daily flight. It means you have less flexibility.
- You pollute a lot more.
- They can cancel your trip in case of bad weather conditions.
- It’s sometimes difficult to book it online.
The only airline company to get to San Jose del Guaviare is Satena. They fly out of Bogota.
- Wednesday (Afternoon)
- Saturday (Early Morning)
The prices and dates can change. Check on Satena website before planning your trip.
- Flight Bogota – San Jose del Guaviare | Duration : 1h30 | Price: Around 220 000 COP
The airport is near the center.
Important: The lugagge allowance change according the model of Aircraft
A bus from Bogotá to San Jose del Guaviare
Yes, you can!
The departures are from the main bus terminal (Salitre) in Bogota.
Look for the bus company Flota La Macarena.
There are buses leaving every day, days and nights.
- Bus Bogota – San Jose del Guaviare | Duration: 9 – 10 hours | Prices: Around 120 000 COP
You can’t book your ticket on the internet. However, there are departure times.
TIP: Take a night bus to save time. Our night bus wasn’t comfortable at all! Ask at the counter desk if there is a VIP one. It should be better.
Get a boat from Caño Cristales to San Jose del Guaviare
Edit 2020: This boat trip isn’t doable anymore until further notice
After an amazing trip to the rainbow river, you can decide to extend your adventure to San Jose del Guaviare.
Don’t take the jeep. It will be a horrible muddy bumpy drive for 10 hours.
Fortunately, there is a boat leaving every week – almost – on Mondays during the rainy season from June to November.
- Boat La Macarena – S.J.D Guaviare | Departure time: 8h00 am | Cootransfluvial | Duration: 10 hours | Price: 120 000 COP
Bogotá – San Jose del Guaviare by private transportation
Geotours Guaviare can arrange semi-private transportation from Bogotá.
Every day, jeeps make the trip from Bogotá to San Jose del Guaviare, with 4 seats available for travelers.
- 250,000 COP/Pers for a trip Bogotá – Villavicencio – San Jose del Guaviare.
- 450,000 COP/Pers. for a direct trip Bogotá – San Jose del Guaviare.
The durations for these transfers are relatively identical since Villavicencio is on the way between Bogotá and San Jose del Guaviare | 7 – 8 hours.
Want to know more about the local agency Geotours del Guaviare? Click here to jump directly to this section of the article.
How to leave from San Jose del Guaviare
Because you don’t want to stay forever in San Jose del Guaviare – Sorry Andres -, you also need to know how to leave the city.
There are not many options. You must head back to Bogota or Villavicencio.
Travel from San Jose del Guaviare
Click on the filters below to learn how to leave San Jose del Guaviare. ⬇⬇
Fly back to Bogota with Satena
The flights San Jose del Guaviare – Bogota are not every day. Double-check the departures with the Satena.
- Wednesday (Afternoon)
Satu r day (Morning)
Flight S.J.D Guaviare – Bogota | Duration: 1h15 | Price: Around 220 000 COP | Website
The airport is near the center. Order a taxi for 7 – 10 000 C0P and arrive 1 hour in advance at the airport.
Take a night bus to Bogota
There are various departure times. Ask your local agency which one would best suit you.
Bus S.J.D Guaviare – Bogota | Duration: 9 – 10 hours | Prices: Around 120 000 COP
After San Jose del Guaviare, explore la Macarena
Edit 2020: This boat trip isn’t doable anymore until further notice
There is a boat leaving to La Macarena every Saturday.
I don’t recommend you to take the jeep. The trip is long and extremely muddy.
How do we know it? Because we did it ^^. Read our travel guide about Caño Cristales.
We planned to take the boat all the way to La Macarena. Unfortunately, there was a strike that day. So we had to take a boat then a jeep to La Macarena. The ride was insane! Plus, we had a massive hangover from the previous night…
Boat S.J.D Guaviare – La Macarena | Departure time: 9h00 am | Cootransfluvial | Duration: 10 hours | Price: 120 000 COP
San Jose del Guaviare – Bogotá by private transportation
Geotours Guaviare can arrange semi-private transportation from San Jose del Guaviare.
Every day, jeeps make the trip from San Jose del Guaviare to Bogotá, with 4 seats available for travelers.
- 250,000 COP/Pers for a trip San Jose del Guaviare- Villavicencio – Bogotá.
- 450,000 COP/Pers. for a direct trip San Jose del Guaviare – Bogotá.
The durations for these transfers are relatively identical since Villavicencio is on the way between Bogotá and San Jose del Guaviare | 7 – 8 hours.
Want to know more about the local agency Geotours del Guaviare? Click here to jump directly to this section of the article.
Best highlights in San Jose del Guaviare
Caño Sabana
The town of San Jose del Guaviare isn’t appealing, but we enjoyed a lot our stay there.
First of all, the town is 100% safe. We could hang out with our cameras and phones without being worried to use them.
Second, there are many bars, clubs, and restaurants. We liked to spend the evening with our crew and the staff of Geotours. It’s perfect to create bonds while sharing beers and histories.
I’m sure this place will be soon a booming touristic attraction in Colombia.
Located between the Llanos and the Amazonia, San Jose del Guaviare offers various landscapes such as an immense savanna, a deep jungle, endless river banks, and so on.
It would be best if you were a bit organized to visit the maximum of these gorgeous places in a minimum of time.
First but not least, you have to book a guide and vehicle.
All these places are outside San Jose del Guaviare and there is no public transportation to get there.
We used the service of Geotours. They were fantastic. Click here to jump directly to this section of the article.
Surroundings of San Jose del Guaviare
Click on the filters below to choose the experiences you would like to enjoy in San Jose del Guaviare ⬇⬇
Cerro Azul and the River Guayabero
Located two and a half hours away from San Jose del Guaviare, Cerro Azul is one of the main highlights in the area.
There, an old and unknown civilization drawn hundreds of pictograms on 2 large facades.
The drawings are perfectly well preserved. And that’s weird! Because they are subject to every climatic condition like rain and heat.
How is it possible? What plants did they use?
There are a lot of missing answers.
Moreover, we can find the same pictograms in the National Park Chiribiquete.
On the way back, some tours offer you to take a boat ride through the Raudal -Rapid – de Guayabero. The scenery is impressive and you can even spot of a few dolphins!
Dolphins in the Laguna Damas del Nare
The laguna Damas del Nare is a lagoon rich in planktons located 2 hours away on the Guayabero river.
And do you know who love planktons?
Dolphins!
A family lives there throughout the year, enjoying an orgy of food.
Moreover, they share a cute relationship with the locals residing there. They love to pick the rope throw at them in the lagoon and terrorize the visitors by swimming between their legs.
Puerta de Orion, Caño Sabana (Pinkish river) & Tranquilandia
Caño Sabana is the little sister of Caño Cristales. There, from June to November, an aquatic plant called Macarenia Clavigera grows in the bed river.
The
On the way to observe this marvelous river, local tours allow you to start the hike a bit further so you can admire the Puerta de Orion, a huge rock – 12 m high – in the middle of the savanna.
Then, you can chill at the waterfalls in Tranquilandia, hoping to spot a few monkeys.
Puerto de Orion 
Caño Sabana -
Caño Sabana 
Caño Sabana
The intriguing pozos naturales
Back in time, El Guaviare was just a small part of a huge ocean. But things are never set in stone with Mother Nature.
Nowadays, the water has disappeared and made rooms for soil composed of sedimentary rocks.
Because of the erosion, holes occurred through the ages in a bed river located 30 min away from San Jose del Guaviare. They look like natural jacuzzis. Moreover, some of them are deep enough that you can jump in it!
Serrania la Lindosa and Los Túneles
As I told you, flows, rains and tides have shaped the landscapes of El Guaviare.
Serrania de la Lindosa and Los Tuneles are 2 perfect places if you want to admire mother nature’s work.
Massive rocks create a mysterious atmosphere with sceneries comparable to an old abandoned city or a secret maze.
Where to stay in San Jose del Guaviare
The climate is very humid in this area of Colombia. Book a hotel with a pool and air-con if you can’t deal with the heat.
- Panorama hotel: It’s one of the cheapest hotels you will be able to find in town. The family in charge is always smiling and ready to help. Rooms are simple but more than acceptable for the price.
- Hostel Guaviare soul: The owner had the great idea to turn her mother’s house into a hostel where travelers can meet and share. Private rooms and Dorms. They also sell tours.
- Portico hotel: A pleasant hotel, with air-con in the rooms. As in every hotel in Colombia, the soundproofing is inexistent. Refreshing swimming pool.
- Aeroporto hotel: The value for money isn’t exceptional, but it’s still the best hotel in town. The rooms are moderns and comfortable. Guests can also relax in the pools and the gardens.
- Hotel Quinto Nivel: A modern and comfortable hotel in the city center of San José del Guaviare. The staff is friendly. The hotel offers interesting rates, especially for those traveling alone. The rooftop is charming, perfect for enjoying a drink at the end of the day.
Where to go out in San Jose del Guaviare
San Jose del Guaviare isn’t a big city. You won’t have any issue strolling in the zona rosa to pick your restaurants and bars.
List of our favorite restaurants (+)
Nomadas was my favorite restaurant for the night. They serve different delicious meals, around 22 000 COP—no menu del día.
El Dorado de Omar is a perfect restaurant if you want to eat a big fish with your menu del día. Around 18 000 COP
Carnes y Carnes is for
El Mirador del B
El Ranchon is one of the upscale restaurants in town but the menu del dia is affordable. 10 000 COP
Bars and clubs are open every day in San Jose del Guaviare. But the inhabitants usually go out on Saturdays.
The Zona Rosa – party district – is composed of 2 streets near the main square. Follow the lights and music beats. You can’t miss it.
List of our favorite bars (+)
Banana Disco club and La Cantina are 2 funky clubs with a mix of Salsa, Merengue, and Reggaeton. A bottle of aguardiente costs 70 000 COP, and there is no cover.
Also, enjoy the sunset on the river Guayabero from EL Mirador or El Barquito Sol Y Arena. Cheap Beers.
And in case you want to drink a good coffee or juice, don’t hesitate to pay a visit to Marroqui cafe. Their internet is fast!
Can you visit San Jose del Guaviare on your own?
The answer is yes.
You can book your accommodations online and pay for a bus ticket at the bus terminal in Bogota.
Once you are in San Jose del Guaviare, go to the Cultural center and find a guide who will organize your day trips – you can’t do otherwise. You’ll also need to pay for a private vehicle.
By doing so, you will need more days to visit the main highlights. Also, it might be quite expensive if you can’t join another group.
See the calculations
- 4 nights El Portico : 90 000 COP * 4 = 360 000 COP
- 5 breakfasts – 2 pers : 10 000 * 2 * 5 = 100 000 COP
- 5 Lunches – 2 pers : 20 000 * 2 * 5 = 200 000 COP
- 5 dinners – 2 pers : 20 000 * 2 * 5 = 200 000 COP
- 4 day trips: 500 000 COP * 4 = 2 000 000 COP | Jeep + Private guide + entrances
You should budget at least 2 860 000 COP / 2 pers.
If you wish to visit San Jose del Guaviare without being stressed by the organization, then I advise you to use the services of a local tourist agency.
Visit San Jose del Guaviare with a local agency
This is the option we chose.
We had a great experience with Geotours Del Guaviare. They are now part of our partners’ network with whom we work for our company’s travel services Colombia Insider.
There are other local travel agencies in San Jose del Guaviare, and I’m sure some of them are doing a great job too.
Tip: Don’t book your tour with a national travel agency. Try to find a local travel agency in town. Thus, you will avoid paying an intermediary.
1# How much do you need to visit San Jose del Guaviare on your own?
Let’s say you are a couple who wants to explore San Jose del Guaviare 4 days / 3 nights
Considering you arrive at the last minute, you’ll have to stay one extra day and night to organize your trip.
Moreover, it will be hard to join another small group – As it’s not very touristic yet.
You’ll need at least 2 860 000 COP / 2 Pers (see the previous section).
2# Budget if you join a group with Geotours del Guaviare (on fixed dates)
If you notify Geotours Del Guaviare in advance, they can give you different dates for programmed trips. This coincides with the dates of public holidays and holidays in Colombia. You will then benefit from very advantageous prices.
How much does a stay of 4 days / 3 nights cost (Price 2021):
- Only 1 200 000 COP / pers !!
They offer various plans to visit San Jose del Guaviare. Discover them by clicking on the links below.
- Plan Dry season (December – May) 3D/2N
- Plan Dry season (December – May) 4D/3N
- Plan Dry season (December – May) 5D/4N
As you can see, prices can be super interesting if you can join another group! Besides, you get other advantages like:
- Geotours helps you to book your bus tickets
- They organize everything for you – Peace of mind!
- You meet other travelers – You will be able to avoid your travel buddy.
- The staff hangs out with you at night.
- You know they are doing an excellent job.
On the other hand, groups can be up to 20 people, and you will not choose the schedule of activities.
3# Private tours organized by Geotours del Guaviare
This is the perfect option if you want to visit San Jose del Guaviare at your own pace.
A driver and a local guide will be at your disposal to help you discover the different secrets of this magnificent region.
Contact Geotours del Guaviare in advance so that they can organize and have everything ready when you arrive!
How much does a trip of 4 days / 3 nights cost: (Price 2021):
- 2 450 000 COP / Pers | Group of 2 People.
- 1 500 000 COP / Pers | Group of 4 People.
- 1 200 000 COP / Pers | Group of 6 People.
As you can see, rates are degressive according to the total number of travelers in the group.
Geotours also offers other plans to visit San José del Guaviare. Discover them by clicking on the links below.
- Plan dry seasons (December-May) 2D/2N
- Plan dry season (December-May) 3D/2N
- Plan dry season (December-May) 4D/3N
- Plan dry season (December-May) 5D/4N
Plans for the 2021 wet season (June – November) will be available soon.
I believe it’s 100% worth using a local agency’s service, especially when traveling to an off the beaten path destination.
The experience and the quality of your trip will be much higher, you’ll be less stressed, and your money directly benefits the local economy.
Book your trip with Geotours del Guaviare
We have an exclusive partnership with the local agency Geotours del Guaviare. As the reader of Tomplanmytrip, you have got:
- a 5% discount on all tours offered by Geotours.
- They can find you a translator who speaks English (for an extra cost).
1# The easy steps to book your trip
It’s quite straightforward. We have already arranged everything with the local agency Geotours del Guaviare.
- Click on the “Start” button of our form (at point 2# 🔽).
- Answer a few quick and simple questions to help Geotours fit your needs.
- You will receive an email from us to confirm that everything went well.
- Geotours will contact you via WhatsApp or email within 24 hours to organize your trip.
- You will then have to pay a 25% deposit (secure online platform) to confirm your reservation.
- Geotours will help you to buy your bus or plane tickets.
2# Our online form to contact Geotours!
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