Despite having been a department struck by its recent history of violence, it is worth shifting our perspective and viewing Guaviare with hopeful eyes to appreciate the peaceful beauty of its ancient landscapes and meet its people, who open their renewed doors to us. The grandeur of time that traverses Guaviare, shaping its terrain—tepuys, bridges, and stone wells that for millennia have been influenced by water and wind—also serves as canvases for cave paintings dating back over twelve thousand years. Therefore, witnessing the landscapes and natural attractions of this department confronts us with the truth of our own scale. Faced with the width of its rivers and the magnitude of its ecosystems, encompassing the Orinoco, mountain ranges, and the Amazon, we can only accept and appreciate our finiteness.

Today, Guaviare is a diverse department where people from all over the country coexist alongside ethnicities that historically inhabited the region or arrived from Brazil during the rubber boom. In this multiethnic and multicultural setting, you can witness how the fruits of the earth are utilized by those who preserve and nurture a knowledge as ancient as the territory itself. From the reserves where they currently reside, craftsmen and craftswomen weave palms of cumare, moriche, and warumá, preserving their culture through their crafts, native languages, prayers, dances, and cuisines. Arlety Quiróz, of Tariana descent, will enlighten you about her Brazilian heritage and showcase her bags, baskets, and hats made from cumare. Francisco Castañeda, an enthusiastic artisan proud of his Jiw culture, specializes in crafting cumare backpacks and warumá kitchen utensils. Meanwhile, Esteban Rodríguez, a Curripaco artisan, is well-versed in the various types of baskets woven from warumá used to process and prepare bitter cassava. Irene Vasconcello, of the Tukana ethnicity, has dedicated herself to exploring cumare to make bracelets, bags, jewelry boxes, and earrings. Lastly, Maria Alves, a craftswoman of the Cubeo ethnicity, awaits you in the southern part of the department, dedicating herself to weaving cumare on her laurel loom.

You can reach Guaviare by road or by air, and the focal point of this route will be its capital, San José del Guaviare. From there, you can visit indigenous reserves and the department’s main natural attractions: the Natural Wells, Tranquilandia resort, the stone city of San José, natural bridges, El Diamante de las Aguas Natural Reserve, and the Puerta de Orión. Don’t miss the rock paintings at Cerro Azul and Nuevo Tolima, and if you visit in August, attend the International Yurupary de Oro Festival, a folkloric event featuring various artistic activities, poetic gatherings, and dance performances. During this festival the URUTÚ Departmental Indigenous Handicraft Fair is held, featuring all ethnic communities of the department and special guests (craftsmen and entities from the country). Note that the dry season runs from January to June, and the rainy season from July to December. The rainy season is the best time to enjoy the rivers, although access to some of the shelters where our artisans reside may be affected. Don’t miss trying the smoked fish, casabe, moriche chicha (fermented drink), and for dessert, garza pudding.