The taxi ride I wanted to do in the afternoon turned out to be an extended sightseeing trip. Trainee Alejandro from the hotel, suggested to go with me and he had also already arranged a taxi. I was a little overwhelmed by all this well-meaning “arrangement,” but I decided to accept the offer.

Chilling in Yopal after safari trip

Before the trip, I didn’t have any expectations of Yopal. The town has few tourist attractions and other travelers I talked to only stayed there for a night on their way to a nature reserve. Still, I decided to stay there for two nights rather  than spending the night in cold Bogotá before my flight home. With a reservation for a hotel with sauna, Turkish bath and swimming pool in my pocket, that was by far the most relaxing option -:)

Typical lunch
Student Gabriela, whom I had met earlier in the trip, gave me some tips for Yopal. My plan was to relax at the hotel and take a cab to El Mirador and Historia en Piedras in the afternoon. The day went a little differently than planned. Since Gabriela herself had also arrived in Yopal by now, we went to lunch together at Restaurante La Mamona. Here we ate the local meat specialty Mamona. Gabriela is studying English and anthropology in Bogotá and was in the Llanos as a translator for a Dutch couple. We had interesting conversations over lunch. For example, Gabriela told me about her life as a student in Bogotá and her roots in the Llanos.

Spontaneous city tour

After lunch, Gabriela spontaneously gave me a tour of the city. We started at the square and the white church Catedral San José de Yopal. After this we wanted to go to the city’s small museum, but it turned out to be closed on Saturdays. At the monument of the Llaneros, Escultor Llanero, there were posters of several famous Llaneros and Llaneras on display.

Well-meaning “arrangement”
The taxi ride I planned to take in the afternoon turned out to be an extended sightseeing trip. Trainee Javier from hotel Casa Morales, was afraid that the taxi driver would charge me too much, as a “solo traveler.” Therefore, he suggested to go with me. He had also already arranged another driver. Ms. Aurora, who was an acquaintance of the hotel, would drive us around. Cheaper than a regular taxi driver of course -:) I was a little overwhelmed by all this well-meant “arrangement,” but decided to accept the offer.

Sightseeing trip
Aurora drove us first to Historia and Piedras, but it turned out to be closed. Then we headed for the Mirador on the other side of town. On the way we would stop at Doña Barbara restaurant, the restaurant that is said to have the best arepas in Yopal.

The best arepas in Yopal
Restaurante Doña Barbara turned out to be a very cozy place. We had a coconut lemonade there and ate cheese arepas, which totally lived up to their reputation. I never had such delicious, well-filled arepas! Alejandro explained that later in the year, the Garzas (herons) come to the plains in front of the restaurant, to breed. As far as you can see then, there are birds and people come here especially to enjoy the view from a special platform. The restaurant is then a hot spot with stalls selling all kinds of food.

The Flintstones
On the way to the Mirador, we stopped at restaurante Mozarella Gourmet, a theme restaurant about the Flintstones. Too funny!

Viewpoint

From the Mirador de La Virgen with the statue la Virgen, we looked out on the lights of Yopal. It was bustling with people who came for the view and athletes walking up and down the hill. Fruit, drinks and (of course) arepas were being sold. I’m sure it must also be beautiful during the day to look out over the plains and mountains. After our visit to the Mirador, we were in the mood for a beer and headed back toward town.

Bogotá Beer Company
At the Bogotá Beer Company on the la T nightlife strip , we enjoyed a beer and exchanged WhatsApp numbers. I said goodbye with a promise to bring Dutch cheese on my next visit to Colombia.

Hospitality
Yopal had surprised me: there was enough to do to keep yourself entertained for a day and the people were super nice. These people made the difference for me between a nice trip and a great trip!

 

Written by Jeanette
Travel date: February 2020.

Want to know more about a Colombian safari from Yopal? Check out here for more info.

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