A somewhat different archaeological site awaits us in San Agustín. The region around San Agustín is full of stone figures. Some of the figures carved out of stone are taller than us humans, making them real works of art from a bygone era. In return, we accept the arduous journey for our campervan Ben through the Puracé National Park. 30 km of gravel road in very poor condition. It takes us no less than 2.5 hours to cover the 30 km with almost continuous potholes. But with that we have plenty of time to take in the surrounding cloud forest.

San Agustín excavation site

According to archaeological classifications, the various stone sculptures were made by a separate culture in this region between 100 and 1200 AD. The stone figures have their own character and show few parallels to other prehistoric and ancient cultures of Central and South America. Many of the figures are on display in the San Agustín archaeological park and some have been left where they were found for explanation. In many cases, these figures were probably used to decorate graves in order to guard the burial sites and to guide the deceased to the afterlife. The precise meaning of the respective figures is still the subject of speculation today, as the explanation texts often include several explanations of the figure and its symbolism.

Trampolín de la muerte

We decide to take a different route back to the Panamericana Highway so that we can leave the 30 km of potholes behind us. The name is already promising: Trampolín de la muerte – literally translated trampoline of death. Naturally, we are unsettled by the name of this dirt road, which is just over 70 km long. We ask trustworthy people several times and also hear from other travelers who have already driven the route whether it is feasible for us with our campervan Ben. The conclusion is: yes, it is doable. In Colombian: any vehicle can drive over the trampolín de la muerte. It is also helpful that we are traveling with another Swiss couple for this stretch, so we can at least tackle the start of the route together. Right at the beginning, we make a small river crossing and then the route climbs steeply and windingly up the Andes mountain range on a road that is sometimes single-lane. Of course, some sections are built very close to the precipice and the edges of the road are probably not condensed enough, especially for heavy trucks. This means that there is a latent risk of falling for larger vehicles close to the exposed edge of the road. Otherwise, everyone drives with great foresight and lets each other pass. This makes the trampolín de la muerte route a pleasure for us. The landscape and the view – all uniquely beautiful. Luckily, we drove the route with the off-putting name!

And with that our stay in Colombia slowly comes to an end. We still have a few days left to fill up our gas tank and wait for a parcel from a mail order company. A kind of administrative task – otherwise we will soon be ready for the southern border from Colombia to Ecuador. We’ll be back soon with reports and photos from the next country on our journey!