El Morro offers two very different starting points for planning a trip: the Sendero Ecológico Virgen de la Peña, with its landscape along the Río Cravo Sur, and the Manga de Coleo del Morro, a venue for the Llanos sport of Coleo. The trail is also linked to a religious pilgrimage route to the Santuario de la Virgen de la Peña. If you are looking for a hotel in El Morro, you can first decide whether nature and the pilgrimage connection or the Llanos’ sporting culture should be the focus.

River Landscape and Trail Measurements

The Sendero Ecológico Virgen de la Peña runs along the Río Cravo Sur and passes through gorges with steep walls more than 50 meters high. The 2022 guide gives its length as 5.71 kilometers and the average duration as two hours. Use the duration as a guide for the route described; a change to the route may affect both its length and the time required.

Planning Access to the Trail

One way to access the trail is to travel 7.2 kilometers from the Corregimiento El Morro along an unpaved road toward Labranzagrande to the El Ciego waypoint; from there, continue on foot toward the Santuario de la Virgen de la Peña. The second access option is to travel 1.7 kilometers from the Corregimiento El Morro along the same road to the entrance of the Santuario Virgen de la Peña, where the hiking trail begins.

The two distances refer to different endpoints: El Ciego and the entrance to the Santuario. They are therefore not two measurements of the same total distance. Check current road conditions before setting out.

Pilgrimage Connection and Thermal Springs

The Sendero Ecológico Virgen de la Peña is linked to a religious pilgrimage route that leads to the Santuario de la Virgen de la Peña. This adds a religious dimension to its landscape appeal. Near the Santuario are small thermal springs, which are believed to have healing properties.

Coleo as a Distinct Cultural Focus

The Manga de Coleo del Morro is a venue in El Morro where the Llanos sport of Coleo is practiced. In Coleo, the rider tries to balance on horseback, grab the calf’s tail, and make the animal turn around its own axis; this movement is called a campana. Balance, the grip, and the subsequent turn are central to this sequence. Coleo can therefore be understood as a distinct cultural focus, clearly different from the landscape and pilgrimage aspects of the Sendero.

Choose Your Stay Based on Your Interests

These are different priorities to consider when planning your trip: the Sendero combines river and gorge landscapes with a pilgrimage connection, while Coleo brings the Llanos sport to life through the campana. If you are looking for a hotel, first choose based on the reason for your stay. For the nature trail, the separately described access routes and current road conditions should also be part of your planning.

Discover more destinations: Paz De Ariporo, Orocué, Monterrey, Pore, Maní, San Luis de Palenque, Trinidad, Yopal

See the broader travel overview: Casanare.