Which one to choose in Colombia
Two ancient sites in Colombia. Tierradentro has 5 tickets and tours to book; San Agustin Archaeological Park has 4 tickets and tours to book. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
Inza, Colombia
Tierradentro is a national archaeological park in the mountains of Cauca, south-west Colombia, where more than 160 underground tombs were cut into volcanic hillsides between the 6th and 9th centuries AD. Spiral stairs lead down five to eight metres into chambers painted in red, black and white. It is one of the most remarkable funerary sites in the Americas and a UNESCO site since 1995.
San Agustín, Colombia
San Agustin Archaeological Park, in the green hills of Huila in southern Colombia, holds the largest group of pre-Hispanic stone sculptures in South America. Hundreds of carved guardians, gods and animals stand over tombs and burial mounds made by a culture that left no writing. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995.
| Tierradentro | San Agustin Archaeological Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Ancient City | Ancient City |
| Civilisation | Andean | Andean |
| Founded | AD 550 | — |
| Entry | Modest fee in COP, paid at the museum ticket office | One ticket in pesos covers three parks over two days |
| Hours | Roughly 8 am to 4 pm; museums keep similar daytime hours | About 8 am to 4 pm daily; check ICANH notices for maintenance closures |
| Time needed | A full day; two days for all tomb groups | a full day, two with the Isnos parks |
| Booking | Pay at the museum; book transport and guides from Popayan ahead | Pay at the gate; book horse or jeep outings in town a day ahead |
| UNESCO | yes | yes |
| Tickets and tours on GetYourGuide | 5 | 4 |
| Official website | — | yes |