There’s absolutely nothing to do at Tierradentro or the town of San Andrés de Pisimbalá after the park closes at 4pm. So what are your options?
Tierradentro is an archaeological park in Colombia with a fascinating collection of underground tombs, the largest in the Americas. The tombs are at least 1,000 years old. Many contain painted geometric designs or rock carvings. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage site but is endangered due to landslides and human interference.
Tierradentro is hard to get to. It’s well off the beaten tourist trail and all roads that lead to it are horrible. I was second-guessing my decision to visit while driving there. It was easily the worst road I had ever driven on with some terrifying stretches. Once we arrived and settled in, however, I was sure our time spent there would be a spectacular few days.
One of the best meals I’ve eaten in Colombia came at Hotel Camino Real in the historic city center of Popayán. This award-winning restaurant offers excellent French and Colombian food in an elegant setting.
As a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, one can’t visit Popayán without trying its unique local cuisine. The locals sent us to Mora Castilla, a small and simple restaurant in the historic city center that many regard as the best place to sample payanés delicacies.
Popayán has a nice collection of colonial churches scattered throughout the whitewashed historic city center. They were all closed until after 3:30pm on the Friday I visited but I was able to admire most of them from the outside.
While exploring the historic city center of the “White City” of Popayán, there are a few interesting museums to pop into. The only negative is that you have to be a Spanish speaker to get anything out of them.
Besides the local specialties at Mora Castilla and phenomenal meal at Hotel Camino Real, we found a good variety of Colombian and international restaurants in Popayán.