Desierto de la Tatacoa
The night was not too noisy and after filling up the water, it is the turn of the gas that we recharge before reaching the "Desierto de la Tatacoa".
Ten to 16 million years ago, the Tatacoa desert was a rainforest similar to the Amazon. A forest that offered ideal conditions for the presence of many species of flora and fauna.
The scientists assume that the site has gradually dried up, when the eastern cordillera has risen, altering stream beds and depriving the area of its water supply.
In the end, Tatacoa became the second driest zone in Colombia after the Guajira desert.
But contrary to what its common name might indicate, the Tatacoa ecosystem is not a desert, it is a dry rainforest!!
It is a small Colorado of 330 km2.
We are staying in a camping hotel on the edge of the "Laberinto de Cusco"... The view from the camper is breathtaking.
The site is divided into two parts: the red desert and the grey desert.
The next day, at dawn, we begin the visit with the red part. We walk in the middle of a labyrinth of ochre earth ravished by rain.
It is composed of cactus, thorny and mounds of earth that can rise very high like "Las Torres", a geological formation of 11m ... A wonder of nature.
We devote part of the morning to it ... We follow a path normally marked which in fact is no longer indicated ... In the end we got a little lost!!!
In the afternoon, to visit the grey part, we take a tuk-tuk and join the second major site of the tatacoa desert: the Hoyos.
It is a grey desert with formations of sand and gray earth. The place is really amazing, a real science fiction setting ... We’re on another planet.
We finish the hike again and lose ourselves!!!
On the way to the Desierto de la Tatacoa
It rains all night, making the hiking trails very muddy, but we still leave to discover the three waterfalls of the Rio Medina ... nothing extraordinary and impossible to access the 2nd one ... Another idea from Diego!!
We leave the cataracts, stopping at a specialist in exhaust.
It does not have the rubber fasteners. One has to buy them elsewhere in a store close by ... this one does not have the right size so it manufactures them immediately on site!!!
Once the repair is done, we go back on the road for a few meters ... The clutch isn’t working anymore.
We line up on the side and look for a garage specialized in clutch... Christophe asks but we have to bring the camper to the garage ... After several unsuccessful tests the 4th speed passes ... The garage is 1 minute away but this is enough to heat the clutch.
We explain our problem to the mechanic and put him in touch with the repairman in Medellin.
We are not reassured and are seriously beginning to worry about the future.
You have to let the engine cool down before you see the failure ... The mechanic has his idea ... It is simply the clutch pedal that is out of order ... After a few minutes we can start again!!!
We are surprised and remain concerned ... It seems too simple ... wait and see.
We resume our trip by wanting to visit on the road the "Waterfalls of Chicala" ... the access is undrivable!!
This is not a good day for us!!!
We spend the night in a guarded parking lot on the highway
Mariquita
On the advice of Diego, the Colombian guide we met in Jardin, we headed for the "Volcano del Ruiz".
We are warned that the access road is not good, but sleeping at 4,000 m and waking up with the view, weather permitting, on the snowy volcano that rises to 5,321 tempts us well.
We look at our favorite site and the comments are not bad, even encouraging
The climb turns out to be hell ... The unpaved road through this natural park is under construction and invaded only by construction equipment and trucks.
We drive only 9 km in 2 h 30!!! The road is so narrow that it is difficult to cross vehicles in the opposite direction ... We spend our time waiting for our turn in alternating traffic and maneuvering to pass ... More than once we pass by other vehicles.
The rain is appearing as well as layers of fog ... We calculate the kilometers that remain to be covered, or about 70 km ... We decide to turn back.
The way back is easier ... It’s lunch time and all the workers are having their break .
Too bad ... The landscapes we crossed before the bad weather were sumptuous.
We resume our route for "Mariquita" and more particularly the "Cataratas Del Rio Medina" where we rest for the night.
On the way we stop to take pictures of the landscapes and we notice that the exhaust is detached on a part ... Small makeshift repair up to the mechanic.
ROAD BOOK 124
MAVROS ODYSSEE