Desierto de la Tatacoa Valle del Cardón | Established Campground

Really chill spot with a wonderfully nice family. The kids were cute and wanted to play games with us, always laughing at our Spanish. Unfortunately, we arrived late and were too tired to play!

There is a nice space for parking that is level. There was a canopy tent next to the ‘overlander’ spot for shade. The gate to enter the property is extremely tight, but Stephanie’s husband is going to expand it. We are 2.2m wide and barely scraped through.

The showers are very warm, which is ironic because usually that’s what people crave. But here in the desert, it is hot! Toilets with TP and running water. Hand soap at the sinks. Wifi didn’t work well for us, so we set up a Starlink.

Stephanie asked us 20,000/pp when we arrived, but we mentioned the last comment from just a few days ago, and she agreed to 15,000/pp. However, she told us she wasn’t sure why that guy wrote 15,000 for motorhomes, so expect the price to potentially change.

Dog friendly. A trail runs right from the property to the red desert hiking area that most people do when visiting here.

Staphanie also made us coffee as a surprise one morning, and we had bought a yummy cactus juice from her the day before that we can recommend. Great spot for a night on the way to San Agustin!

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There are a lot opportunities to spent the night in this beautiful dessert, but this campsite is the most customer service oriented site I have spent the night in during my two year trip in South America. This Eco camping is brand new (2024) and has been constructed using natural products like wood and bamboe. Water from a well and solar powered electricity make this a true new Eco lodge.

The entry sign posted “Valle del Cardón “ is on the righthand side if you come from Villavieja. The road leads you to the camping that is a little of the road. But this adds to the feeling of really staying within the dessert. And it is more quiet. The road is bumpy, true, but the short ride is easily possible for all cars and the worst bit is at the beginning. It gets better after that.

You will be greeted by your host Stephanie with a nice cold glass of fruit juice. The possibilities are to rent a cabana, use your own tent, rent a tent or stay in your car roof tent car or motor home. WiFi can be enjoyed everywhere, but as always best reception is at the sitting / restaurant area. Warm showers, toilets complete your all your needs.

Breakfast, lunch or diner can be enjoyed at the campsite, because as already written in other comments, Stephanie is an excellent cook. I had a breakfasts and a nice diner having goat. A local specialty that requires her to know the day before and is delicious.

Stephanie’s hospitality is fantastic. Each morning around 8 she came by my place with a complementary cup of fresh Colombian coffee. She or her husband brings or gets people to places on her motorcycle, if needed. In the evening she and her kids are at the general reception / restaurant area to talk or, in my case, to play games with her son and daughters.

Her husband is a local dessert guide, who can take you to an hours long hike in Desierto Gris after which he takes you to enjoy the afternoon in a local swimming pool overlooking the rocks in the dessert. Costs 10.000 pesos, excluding parking fee. A nice environment to be at in the dessert afternoon heat.

It goes without saying that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this camping site, that is, if you are looking for a nice new pleasant camping side where everything works and you like to be treated as a guest, or better as a friend of the family, rather than just a number.

Costs per night based on spring 2024 price levels:
- Cabana 35.000
- Tent rental for one 25.000
- Tent rental for two 50.000
- Own tent 15.000
- Motorhome 15.000

Enjoy your stay.

Robert 🇳🇱

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I'm a motorcyclist, brought my own tent and stayed with Stephanie for 5 nights, was able to see everything in this desert I wanted!

15K COP for bringing own tent
I believe 30K for using one of theirs, complete with mattress inside.
15K COP for breakfasts
2 small private cabins are being built and are on the way!

Stephanie: +57-312-274-0212

Stephanie is an amazing cook. She always has something different. I even had an Aguardiente-Cactus drink. She offered coffee every once and a while.

Wood stove can be cooked on, but I had my own gas stove. This is a very new business, only 4 months old, looking to make it in a region with a lot of established businesses, so she is extremely attentive.

Goat farm on property, we were given excellent goat cheese and milk. I even milked a goat myself! Rumor is, a Canadian stayed a few nights before me and had 6 glass-fulls because he loved it so much.

Covered spaces for tents, potable water from the tap. Showers are warm during day because pipes cook in the sun. Walking distance from the nearest Observatory and the Labyrinth red-desert hiking trail.

I was also told about "El Anillo" or "The Ring", a series of dirt roads that circumnavigate the desert which was perfect for my Adventure Bike.

After having a bad cut of goat steak at a local restaurant, Stephanie told me to tell her 1 day ahead of time so she could cook the best goat steak you could ever imagine. She was 100% right.

She also has Vegan and Vegitarian options :)

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Great place with lovely hosts.
We stayed here for one night after we stayed in a different campground in the dessert that felt kind of impersonal.
Here we felt super welcomed, the family really takes care of their guests. We were welcomed with fresh juices and in the morning they brought fresh coffee. They even took care of our friends hurt foot with traditional medicine and it seemed to really have helped.
This is the place to stay to explore the dessert.

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sitio tranquilo y hermoso, si quieres descansar este es el mejor además cuenta con restaurante y tiene desierto en el patio de la casa

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