After my stay in Armenia, I traveled to Bogotá to catch my breath. But after only two days, my adventurous spirit started to itch again. A good friend of mine lives in Villavicencio, someone I have known for years and who had welcomed me with her family during my first visit to Colombia. The prospect of seeing her and her family again made me excited. I took a taxi from Bogotá to Villavicencio, a journey of about three to four hours. On the way, we made a short stop at a restaurant to eat, drink and take a break.
When I arrived in Villavicencio, I had booked a hotel near my friend’s house. After checking in, I immediately took a taxi to her family. The atmosphere was warm and friendly as always. We reminisced and my friend Giselle came up with a great idea: she wanted to show me a beautiful nature reserve with several hidden waterfalls. I was immediately enthusiastic!

The next morning Giselle was ready early with a scooter for our ride to Meta. Although it was quite a distance, the journey itself was breathtaking. The cultural differences with Europe were immediately noticeable, which made the experience even more special and interesting. Just before our destination we stopped at a local restaurant for breakfast, after which we continued our way. We drove on winding roads and the closer we got to our destination, the louder we heard the barking of dogs. These dogs belonged to the owners of the nature reserve.

Upon arrival, we walked quietly to the house to register. To our surprise, they were not home. While we were hesitating what to do, we saw that several motorcycles were already parked, which indicated that other visitors had entered without permission. Should we do that too?
After waiting for half an hour, the owner finally appeared. She indicated that due to the weather conditions it might not be the best day to explore the area. However, Giselle made it clear that I, as a tourist, would like to make a video. The owner asked if Giselle was familiar with the area, to which she confirmed that she had been there several times. Finally, we were given permission to enter the grounds.

This turned out to be one of the most beautiful days of my time in Colombia.