la macarena - Programa de Transformación Productiva

LLANERO CULTURE
A horseman chases a young bull down the Coleo track
Local customs and folklore are heavily influenced by Llanero cowboy culture.
The music speaks of the endless horizons
of the low-plains, and of days spend herding
cattle; the local dance, Joropo, involves the
men stomping their feet to make the sound
of a horse; the food is meat-heavy with the
local speciality, Mamona, being nothing
more than a plate of (succulent, delicious)
slow-barbecued veal and a few potatoes; and
the favourite local sport is Coleo, an interesting variant on a rodeo, where instead of
lassoing the bulls, two riders chase them
down a track and try to flip them over by
pulling their tails.
Check with a UNIGMA tourist guide for details of local music, dance and sports events
while you are in town, and if you like meat
be sure to try Mamona at the open-air restaurant near the Punto Verde Hotel (only on
Saturdays and Sundays).
The annual Velloussea Festival is held on the
third weekend of November, and you can
see a sample of everything Llanero, including
sports, music, dance and poetry.
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INFORMATION
Getting there
During high-season (June - December) Satena
has regular direct flights from Bogotá. At other
times of the year, you can fly to La Macarena in
a small plane from Villavicencio airport. There
is a weekly boat from San José del Guaviare (8h,
leaves San José every Saturday, returns Monday), and a daily bus down the rough dirt track
from San Vicente del Caguán (110km, 8h). Although the area surrounding the Macarena is
safe, there is still sporadic guerrilla and paramilitary activity in some other parts of Meta
Department, so check on the current situation
before attempting to reach the Macarena by
road or river.
LA MACARENA
A TRAVEL GUIDE
Local transport
In the town, everything is within walking distance. For out of town trips you can walk to
some places, and get to others by canoe, motorcycle or jeep. Some sites require that you go
with a tour guide, so check before you leave.
Communications
The town has good cellphone coverage (Claro
network only) and a number of Internet cafés,
but data speeds are very low.
Contact
UNIGMA
Official tourist guide association
(+57) 311 545 7379
asounigma@hotmail.com
Credits
Original texts produced by UNIGMA tourist
guides during the El Naranjo Contextualised
English Course in February 2015.
Photographs, editing and additional texts by
Nick at El Naranjo (www.elnaranjo.org).
Project funded by the Programa de Transformación Productiva at the Colombian Ministry
of Commerce, Industry and Tourism.
One of Colombia’s long forgotten
treasures, La Macarena, Meta, is
a lovely town surrounded by the
inspiring landscapes of Los Llanos.
It is the starting point to visit the
stunningly beautiful Caño Cristales,
the fascinating Ciudad de Piedra
rock formations, the Raudal rapids,
and other parts of the Serranía de la
Macarena national park.
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THINGS TO DO
THE TOWN
Sunset over the Río Lozada
In addition to Caño Cristales, the world renowned ‘River of Five Colours,’ there are
many other natural wonders in the region.
Be sure to catch at least one dawn, and sunset, from one of the many hills that dot the
surrounding area.
Caño Piedra is a beautiful series of natural
river pools, just 20 minutes from the town by
motorcycle or 2 hours on foot.
Cristalitos is a miniature version of Caño Cristales, with almost as many coloured plants. It
is a 50-minute canoe ride from the town.
The point where the Lozada and Guayabero
rivers meet is a great place to catch the sunset, and also to see dolphins at certain times
of the year. It is a 30-minute canoe ride from
town.
El Raudal & Ciudad de Piedra can be visited on the same day. After passing through the
impressive Raudal narrows, where many rocks
are decorated with ancient carvings, you can
visit the spectacular ‘Rock City’.
In the town, it is worth visiting the local
church to see the surreal mural behind the
altar.
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Hotels
Hotel Punto Verde has large rooms with a fan that
look out over a nice garden and pool area.
Hotel Casa Real has comfortable rooms with a fan or
air conditioning.
Hotel Mariana has comfortable rooms with a fan.
The hotel has a swimming pool.
Hotel La Cascada has comfortable rooms with air
conditioning.
Restaurants
Restaurante Punto Verde is one of the best in town,
with a variety of meat and locally-caught fish dishes.
La Casa del Pan makes the best three-milk cake
(torta de tres leches, a local speciality) in town.
Restaurante Deli Pollo serves a variety of dishes, mainly chicken-based. The service is excellent.
Zhara Restaurante y Bar serves good quality fast-food;
we recommend the Mazorcada. A good option to
drink cocktails in the evening.
On Saturdays and Sundays you can find excellent
Mamona at the stand near the Hotel Punto Verde.
Entertainment
Paparazzi Bar is a popular venue for locals and tourists to dance and drink beer on the weekend.
La Hielera Bar serves the coldest beer in town.
Doña Flor Pool Hall has the best tables in town, and is
a good place to meet locals and drink cold beer.
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