4 Best Sights in Southwest Colombia, Colombia

One of Colombia's truly enjoyable nature outings is the Jardín Botánico del Quindío, an enormous complex of botanical gardens outside Armenia. The highlight here is the mariposario, a butterfly-shaped butterfly house. It's home to about 1,500 butterflies, representing 50 different species. Roam the expansive botanical gardens and pay attention to the diverse species of orchid that grow in Colombia. Don't miss the seven-story lookout point, a great place to spot many of the 120 species of birds that call this region home. A cafeteria and souvenir shop round out the offerings here. Most of the exhibits here are labeled in English as well as Spanish, and bilingual tour guides are happy to show you around.

The Alto de los Idolos park, a few miles southwest of the town of Isnos, could be viewed as an extension of the San Agustín park, with a single ticket valid for both sites. The tombs and sculptures here—they're also courtesy of the unknown people the Spaniards called "the San Agustín culture"—are fewer in number but better preserved than in the larger park. The 23 anthropomorphic and zoomorphic monoliths are carved from volcanic stones set in a U-shaped grassy expanse, the largest standing nearly 15 feet tall. There are also a number of raised tombs and sarcophagi to examine. Although there is information in English as well as Spanish, the experience is infinitely richer with a guide. Make the outing a day trip to allow time to soak up the atmosphere and the stunning views from the park, and allow time to head to the smaller Alto de las Piedras park, north of Isnos. Here there are a few burial sites and statues, some preserving traces of the original coloring work.

The parks surrounding San Agustín make up the largest pre-Columbian site outside Central America and Peru and are part of a vast complex of tombs left by little-known cultures whose actual names are lost to history. One of these thrived in this region from AD 300–800 and was given the name "the San Agustín culture" by the Spanish settlers who stumbled upon their relics. (Carbon-14 dating places some of the works here as early as 3300 BC.) Altars and idols carved from volcanic rock make up the structures scattered throughout this ancient funerary complex. Some of the pieces have been donated from private collections. As with all the parks in the region, a guide is necessary to get a full understanding of what you're seeing. The folks at the Secretaria de Turismo or the Hacienda Anacaona can hook you up with one.