Bespoke Nature Travel in Los Llanos
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Colombia boasts natural wonders and exotic wildlife, and Los Llanos is the place to experience this. Located north of the Amazon and east of the Andes, the sparsely populated Orinoquia region of savannas, gallery forests and wetlands is one of Colombia's last wild frontiers and home to some of South America's most iconic fauna.
We specialize in private wildlife safaris, birdwatching tours and horse riding adventures in the plains of Casanare. Travel with us to some of the most pristine places in Colombia, across private nature reserves and sprawling ranches, to observe an abundance of wildlife. |
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Wild Llanos is based in Yopal, Casanare, and run by nature lovers Andrés González and Julia Buschmann, ecotourism pioneers on the ground with a mission to show and to help preserve the Llanos' natural and cultural treasures.
✓ off the beaten tourist path ✓ safe and high-quality, hustle-free tour packages ✓ private tours only ✓ responsible tourism ✓ English guiding available ✓ we accept credit card payments |
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Small Group Tours |
Join our scheduled group trips to save money and share the experience in a small group of like-minded nature lovers.
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Private Experiences |
Travel at your own pace and at any time - book any of the above trips as a private tour, with a guide and driver who will cater to your interests. Contact us to request our complete brochure.
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Testimonials
Puskar Basu, Wildlife Photographer, India, Tailor-made Expedition in 2020
"DREAM EXPEDTION -
Wild Llanos deserve all my praises and respect" Read Review
Los Llanos is one of the best places on earth a nature lover can soak into. I define it as one of the best kept secrets of Latin America and it is going to be a tough competition to any other destination on the continent. Home to all the flagship species of South America including Pumas, Jaguars, Giant Otters, Pink Dolphins, Orinoco Crocodiles, Giant Anteaters, Toucans and ANACONDAS, Los Llanos have their own endemics - many easily seen and photographed in the vast savannahs. I went to Los Llanos on an expedition, totally dedicated to search, find and photograph Green Anacondas - the largest and heaviest snake species found on earth. Even though the expedition was only meant for Anacondas, the species mentioned above just crossed my path, too. Some were so frequent that I never had to struggle for a perfect frame. Each and every location we visited teemed with wildlife. There was not a single boring moment in my entire expedition. When the reptiles or the mammals eluded us, the birds took over the job of fascinating us continuously. I saw a total of 11 Anacondas in the expedition and few of them obliged us by showing up repetitively in consecutive days. The largest one that I saw was something I will never be able to forget. It was a 25 ft long and 1 ft thick monster! I couldn't have a asked for a more satisfying journey in Los Llanos. This area houses all the flagship species that we search for in the Amazon, the Pantanal or Torres Del Paine only with much better visibility and photographic opportunities. Having traveled to various wildlife destinations around the world, I have no hesitation in saying that "Wild Llanos Tours and Safaris" is one of the best trip organizers I have ever banked upon. The group of people who runs it is extremely hard working and true to their profession. Starting from when I was planning this trip, they helped me with whatever I wanted without a tiny bit of delay. They provided me with all possible itineraries, booking confirmation vouchers and invoices which I required for obtaining my visa. Right from welcoming me at the Yopal airport, Andres alway stood by my side as he knew that I don't speak Spanish. The comfortable safari vehicle made my photographic endeavors much easier as it reached even almost inaccessible terrains. The local guides were extremely talented and knowledgeable Anaconda trackers. Andres himself is an encyclopedia of Colombian avi-fauna. I always found him caring about the animals we were trying to photograph. His care and concern of these species takes priority over any other activities and proves that the future of the wildlife of this location is in safe hands with Wild Llanos. Andres was so full of energy that he always got up before me, waiting to go search for wildlife. He also employed a very effective communication network by sending people to different probable locations and using walkie-talkies to communicate, thus, extending the search on a much larger area. The lodging was super comfortable at each and every location. Each and every meal in those 14 days was delicious and plentiful. Hosts welcomed me with all their love and warmth and made an effort to communicate despite language barriers. Overall my experience with "Wild Llanos Tours and Safaris" was more than satisfying. I am overwhelmed having shared one of my dream expeditions with them. They have deserve all my praises and respect. A shame Trip Advisor only offers a maximum ranking of 5 stars. I would have loved to give a few more :-) |
Toby Ross of Audubon Society, USA
Small Group Birding Trip in 2019 "The Llanos is a MAGICAL place that everyone
MUST VISIT" Read review
Each year I organize an international birding trip with Seattle Audubon where I am the Senior Science Manager. The 2019 trip was to the Central Andes of Colombia. However, myself and a sub-set of the larger group wanted to add an extension to the main trip and the Llanos was an obvious choice. Our itinerary was a 4 day/3 night introduction to the birds and wildlife around Yopal. Julia and Andres are a fantastic couple. Both are very warm and friendly and constantly went over and beyond. Booking the trip with Julia was super easy, and I experienced very quick and clear communications, which is refreshing. Julia even reached out to the airline when we heard of flight delays. Andres, our guide, was excellent, both passionate and excited to show us around. His knowledge of local birds, by both sight and sound, was fantastic. To compliment his birding knowledge, he also provided excellent information on the other wildlife, geography and history of the area. Julia and Andres both lived in the UK, and so their English is flawless and made communication very easy for us. There are a range of habitats around Yopal that are easily reached, plus opportunities to go further afield. This range in habitats provided us great opportunities to see/hear over 160 bird species in 3 full days - plus other amazing wildlife. For our short trip, the number of birding locations was perfect. We visited the Andean foothills around Yopal, Finca La Independencia, Finca La Tairona, Reserva Natural Hato Berlin, Vereda La Primavera. All of these locations can be found on eBird. We stayed at Hotel Campestre Villa Lisseth just outside Yopal and were made to feel like family. The rooms were spacious and had everything we needed, inc. A/C. There was a pool which we were very grateful for. The meals were prepared by the co-owner and we were treated to true local foods. This was the best food we'd had on the entire two week trip. We felt very welcome and taken care of. Our group always felt in safe hands and in the 3 days we were there, we got to see as much as we were able to cram in. More time is definitely needed. I'd like to be back when the landscape floods to see how things change. |
Petra Hein and Family, Germany
Llanos Wildlife Tour in 2020 "The absolute HIGHLIGHT
of our wonderful Colombia trip" Read review
We spent unforgettable days with Julia in the Llanos. She made this fantastic area, which is little explored by tourism, tangible for us. The llanos are relaxing, exciting, versatile, and offer an incredibly authentic nature experience. Whether by jeep, on foot or in the saddle of a horse, Julia made us experience everything. Julia knows everything about the region and simply belongs into this unique environment. We were automatically humbled by the great landscapes and its inhabitants. At the end it was very difficult for us to leave the hammocks, the capybaras, the haciendas. If the term 'deceleration' fits anywhere, it is in the Llanos. We will never forget this experience and urge everyone who loves nature to go - and book with Wild Llanos! All the best for Julia, Andres and the team! Thank you for everything! You are great! Petra, Charly and Roswitha |
Valerie Neave, United Kingdom
Tailor-made experience in 2019 "A SAFARI TO RIVAL AFRICA!"
Read REview
Julia and Andres have put together a truly wonderful wildlife experience which we certainly did not expect in Colombia. This area was, until recently, little visited even by Colombians, but Wild Llanos offers an experience to rival the well established safaris of East Africa, especially if you are interested in bird-life. On safari we stopped off at the various hatos on the reserve and were warmly welcomed with delicious food and drink. Wildlife was abundant and unexpectedly varied. Julia and Andres were sensitive to our predicament and also organised the perfect downtime in a wonderful haven of peace and tranquility. We hung out in hammocks, drank homemade lemonade, played with wild monkeys and parrots and got up close to caiman and turtles. State your preferences and interests and leave your itinerary and accommodation choices to Julia who knows exactly what she is doing. This young couple deserve to have a very successful business, their client focus and empathy will ensure they do. |
Judy Fusek, United States
Llanos Essential Tour in 2019 "Been to 50+ countries - this was one of my FAVOURITE experiences"
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In November 2019 I spent 3 weeks in Colombia with my adult son, and wanted to experience an area that was "under the radar" for tourism in that country. I decided to book a tour with Wild Llanos Tours and Safaris due to wanting to see wildlife and experience Llanos culture. From the beginning I had very quick responses from Julia, who is the owner of Wild Llanos, along with her husband, Andres. All of my questions were answered promptly, and she worked very hard at putting together an itinerary that worked for our time frame, interests, and budget. Here is a quick synopsis of our personal itinerary, though these short descriptions can't do it justice. Our tour began in Yopal, which was a cheap, quick, and easy flight from Bogota. Julia was our guide, and she ended up being a treasure, so knowledgeable about the area, and the wildlife, and just fun to be around. We spent the first day at the beautiful hacienda of Hato Berlin, with Heiler, a wonderful host, who took us on a long horseback ride and an evening canoe trip to see all kinds of wildlife and beautiful scenery. Our second day was my favorite, when we spent the day with Seco, a true Llanero (similar to a cowboy). He and his wife live very much in a traditional way, and he has devoted his life to preserving and teaching the traditional llanero culture. He has created a museum on his property, and demonstated to us traditional crafts, food, and cocoa production. He sang llanero songs on his guitar, and even swam across the river on his property with his horse in true traditional llanero fashion. Words cannot describe the love, hard work and authenticity that Seco and his wife put into this lovely and educational day for us; it is definitely worth a day away from wildlife. On our third day we spent in safari at a gigantic hacienda in a typical African safari vehicle. We went searching for jaguar, anteaters, and anaconda, along with so many, many types of birds. I have been on a number of African safaris, and of course this is different, but I enjoyed it just as much. Our guides were so patient and so expert at finding wonderful things for us to see, and we stayed out until dark. We spent our last night outside of Yopal in a magical BnB set on top of a tropical hillside with a swimming pool, monkeys and parrots everywhere. The important thing to know about Julia and Andres at Wild Llanos Safaris, and also Heiler, Seco, and some of the other people we met, is that they are working very hard to build sustainable tourism in Casanare. They work with and hire local people, and their goal is to provide us tourists a chance to really see and learn about a place and culture while helping the area and the environment, which can be difficult to do in this age. I have been to over 50 countries, and I have to say this was one of my favorite, and most authentic experiences in my travels. I feel so fortunate to have taken this tour, and seen the beautiful sights of Los Llanos, and met some amazing people. I loved the rest of the areas of Colombia we visited, but this trip was by far the highlight. |
Sach Wijesinghe, Australia
Wildlife Expedition in 2019 "SPECTACULAR - definitely some bucket list wildlife experiences"
Read Review
Me and my partner did an 8 day tour with Wild Llanos and it was an absolutely phenomenal experience! It exceeded all our expectations in every aspect. Our guide was Andres who also owns the company. He is a wonderful person and he put in so much effort to ensure we had an incredible time. If you want to see wildlife this is THE place to visit. Just to give you a short list of the wildlife we saw it included Anacondas (one almost 7 metres in length), Giant Anteaters, countless amounts of Capybara and Caiman, Giant Otters, the highly venomous Mapana Viper, Tamandu, Common tree Boa, Scarlet Ibises, Macaws, Toucans, Boa constrictor, Whip snake, Agouti, Jabiru and so many more animals. On top of all this we were given delicious local foods by all the lovely hosts we were staying with. The whole adventure was perfectly organised and some of the animals we got to see were definitely bucket list experiences for both of us. I can't recommend this tour company enough. It truly was an amazing experience and if you have the opportunity to visit you 100% should! |
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A Traveler's Choice since 2019
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