Wild Llanos is the passion project of two nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts, Andrés González and Julia Buschmann. The Colombo-German duo takes nature lovers to the most rugged and biodiverse places in the Llanos of Colombia.
Our Story
It all started with a bear... (not beer, BEAR - although perhaps beer was involved, too)
"Look, a bear, a bear!" Andrés whispered excitedly.
Julia looked for something that resembled a bear, equally puzzled and excited to learn that there were bears in Eastern Colombia, but of no avail.
"There!" said Andrés and pointed. Julia squinted her eyes. Off the forest backdrop peeled itself a furry creature of indefinable colour and shape. Two small dark saucer eyes blinked and a long face ended in an even longer nose and mouth -or perhaps the face consisted only of nose?
Their mouths and eyes wide open, Julia and Andrés watched the creature turn and disappear into the forest, its long and bushy tail swaying behind. This was the oddest 'bear' Julia had ever seen in her life and it soon came to her what they were really looking at.
"An... ant ... anteater!" she stammered, having found the name for the animal that is locally referred to as "oso", bear.
The sighting may have lasted only seconds but it was about to change Andrés and Julia's lives forever.
Giant Anteater, locally known as 'bear' ('oso')
In 2012 the UK based couple Andrés and Julia embarked on their first joint trip to Colombia. After visiting some of the country's popular tourist hotspots, a detour to Andrés' native Yopal was in order to meet the Llanero family. Julia was not expecting much else of the visit to this entirely non-touristic area of the country, when on a horseback ride across the family farm one afternoon she saw her first ever giant anteater.
The fascinating wildlife sighting paired with the exotic landscapes and enjoyable horseback riding experience, the local cowboy culture and fiery red sunsets became memories that would stay with Julia and Andrés for months to come, when living and working back in the UK in tourism and sustainability related jobs respectively.
They began to wonder if it were possible to have visitors to Colombia sight giant anteaters and other wildlife on professional tours, see the Eastern plains and get off the beaten path like they themselves did. They thought that it must be rewarding to connect travellers with local people in this part of the world; to place this lesser known region of Colombia on the map of international travel; to share, and ultimately promote and protect, its many treasures.
In 2014 the couple relocated to Yopal in Colombia with a vague idea and all their enthusiasm. In 2015 they launched the ecotourism project "Aventur Eco Tours". As some of the first adopters of ecotourism on the ground, Andrés and Julia designed their tours to observe wildlife in true safari-fashion, to engage locals and to experience the Llanos' essence. They let themselves be inspired by African safaris and Brazilian wildlife tours, they travelled and researched the Llanos extensively and worked closely with their local partners, all to develop novel tours and outstanding experiences.
The fascinating wildlife sighting paired with the exotic landscapes and enjoyable horseback riding experience, the local cowboy culture and fiery red sunsets became memories that would stay with Julia and Andrés for months to come, when living and working back in the UK in tourism and sustainability related jobs respectively.
They began to wonder if it were possible to have visitors to Colombia sight giant anteaters and other wildlife on professional tours, see the Eastern plains and get off the beaten path like they themselves did. They thought that it must be rewarding to connect travellers with local people in this part of the world; to place this lesser known region of Colombia on the map of international travel; to share, and ultimately promote and protect, its many treasures.
In 2014 the couple relocated to Yopal in Colombia with a vague idea and all their enthusiasm. In 2015 they launched the ecotourism project "Aventur Eco Tours". As some of the first adopters of ecotourism on the ground, Andrés and Julia designed their tours to observe wildlife in true safari-fashion, to engage locals and to experience the Llanos' essence. They let themselves be inspired by African safaris and Brazilian wildlife tours, they travelled and researched the Llanos extensively and worked closely with their local partners, all to develop novel tours and outstanding experiences.
Many anteaters later and having earned great references from clients as well as having been featured in international media outlets, "Aventur Eco Tours" underwent rebranding and became "Wild Llanos" in 2019. The name may have changed on the outside, however, the inside has remained just the same. Our tours are all about personalized and private experiences conducted by us for our like-minded clients, nature lovers, photographers, horse riding aficionados and wildlife enthusiasts from all over the world.
We are a fully licensed onsite travel specialist and eco-tour operator with extensive guiding expertise in our three key areas: wildlife observation, birdwatching and horseback riding tours.
And we are not alone anymore! We found an equally passionate and driven community here in los Llanos and today collaborate with half a dozen selected private natural reserves, several small businesses and expert local guides. Together we champion conservation efforts and serve our clients, our people and our ecosystems.
The fascination with wildlife from that first anteater has stayed with us to this day and we get to relive the moment with every new visitor, every rare wildlife encounter or novel experience. Our tours are always personal, respectful towards wildlife and as magical as our first horseback excursion back in 2012.
Learn more about traveling with us and what our clients say here.
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