A Weekend in Colombia's Eastern Plains
Friday
5pm: Monumental walk
Trinidad is a small town, easily explored on foot. The central plaza, lined with restaurants and shops, is a good place to start.
From the plaza, you can visit two parks--Parque Lineal and Parque de los Novios--to explore their respective cultural monuments. If you’re interested in a more in-depth understanding of Trinidad's culture and history, Trinidad Tours (yobis3188@hotmail.com, +57 310 867 1676) offers a two-hour tour that includes a visit to the parks with an English-speaking guide, followed by a short joropo dance session. They can also provide dinner if you let them know a day ahead (100,000COP w/food 120,000COP).
Saturday
8am: Breakfast on the corner
The main bakery (the one located on the main plaza) often sets the tone for the rest of the town. If the setting is unpleasant and the pastries are tasteless, you’re in trouble. Fortunately, Trinidad’s Deli Valle offers comfortable outdoor seating, friendly service, and a decent breakfast.
9:30am: Llanero safari
If you’ve ever dreamed of putting on a cowboy hat, getting on horse, and charging out into the wild, this is your chance. Trinidad is located near two hatos (large farms) that can accommodate even novice horse riders.
(Both hatos offer overnight and multi-day packages; day prices are reduced if you’re in a group of two or more)
7pm: Evening outing
In addition to grilling up a mean chorizo, the folks at ChoriRico, a homey restaurant off the main plaza, make a delicious cow foot stew. It might not sound appetizing, but I had two servings.
After dinner, head to el muelle/the dock, for cold beers and loud llanero music. If you're lucky, you’ll see some locals displaying their joropo skills.
Sunday
11:30am: Mamona time
There are numerous places that prepare mamona around Trinidad. They range from traditional restaurants (Estadero La Sabana Trinitena, Asadero Donde Leiva) to more informal places by the dock/el muelle or in a parking lot. You can settle at one, but I recommend contacting Yilmer (+57 3118215463, 3144937882), a local guide, who can take you on a tour (65,000COP) to sample mamona at all four places.
4pm: Local Rodeo
Part sport, part social event, Coleos, Colombia’s answer to the rodeo, are held on occasional weekends near Trinidad. People from all over the region assemble to drink, chew tobacco, and sit on high, unforgiving rails inches from two cowboys on horseback pursuing a bull down a long, narrow tract of sand. The competitors earn points based on how quickly they’re able to pull down the bull by the tail and how many times the animal flips over before coming back to its feet. It’s certainly not an event for animal lovers, but it is a one-of-a-kind experience.
Accommodation
Transport
To get from Bogota to Yopal, Libertadoes offers frequent bus departures for 93,000COP. The ride takes roughly nine hours. Alternatively, you can fly to Yopal with Avianca or Latam for 300,000COP. Flights take one hour.
From Yopal, Libretadores operates frequent busses to Trinidad that leave the main bus terminal every half hour. The ride takes roughly 90 minutes and costs 24,000COP.
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