Villavicencio, Colombia 🇨🇴 Gringo's Guide

Find out if Villavicencio, or "Villao" as the locals call it, is a good fit for you...

Feb 26, 2023

Villavicencio is a "gateway city" in many respects.

It's located right at the end of the mountains going down south and east from Bogotá and the start of los llanos, a huge plain which crosses over to Venezuela and continues all the way to the ocean.

It's a unique place in many ways, because of its location on the map, but also because it is part of a cross-border culture which in itself is unique in the world. It's also a city which embraces a very rural culture — which is also kind of weird.

Villavicencio is a city of crazy contradictions. Honestly, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the place. You, on the other hand may either absolutely hate it. Or you may find it to be paradise on earth, depending on what you're looking for.

Keep reading to find out if Villavicencio, or "Villao" as the locals call it, is a good fit for you.

Villavicencio, Colombia 🇨🇴

Population:

The urban area of Villavicencio has just over 500,000 people living in it, but in the outlying areas (talked about more below), there are an additional 200,000 people living there.

This makes it a smallish city, but, of course, that doesn't even begin to describe things. Villavicencio in some ways feels like a big city, and in other ways it feels like a real small town in the middle of nowhere. And this can change in a heartbeat!

Climate and Topography:

The climate in Villao is definitely on the hotter side. To get a better idea, it has almost never dropped below 20 °C (68 °F) in this city. Generally it will be from 20-23 °C just before the sun comes up, in fact (68-74 °F).

From there, things can really heat up! A hot afternoon can see highs of around 35 °C (95 °F), easily. If it's really sunny, it can even go up from there. The highest temperature recorded there was almost 40 °C (104 °F).

The humidity is usually between 70-80% — which means it's slightly elevated, but it's not like being in a steam bath all the time, so that's good news for most!

Like everywhere else in Colombia, you're near the equator, so that sun is strong!

Take all the necessary precautions just like you would anywhere else in Colombia. Also typical for Colombia is how much it rains in old Villao.

It rains around 230 days out of the year.

Once again, there is some good news, though. The rain usually doesn't last for very long. But, in this part of the world, the rain can really come down hard — "like nails" — as they say in Colombia.

Villao is surrounded by mountains to the north and west — some of its suburbs are located there. In the other directions starts the great expanse of the plains, prairies, savannah, or whatever you want to call it in the English language.

Overall, if you like hot and humid weather with a ton of rain, you might love this city.

If you prefer a cool climate with less rain, this city sucks.

Getting to Villavicencio 🇨🇴

The city does have an airport, but it's a tiny regional airport. There's not many options to fly here, and they are very expensive, like usually on the order of going all the way to Miami from Colombia.

There are direct flights from Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and Pereira — but mostly the airport serves as a regional hub to get to the remote areas further east.

If you have the money, it works with your schedule, and you're in Medellín, Cali, or Pereira — and not carrying a lot of luggage because these are small milk-run planes — it may be worth flying in.

More flight information here.

Most of the time, though, you'll want to go to Bogotá and then continue on by land. Bus or a rental car work here.

The Vía al Llano is a lot better than it was 30 years ago, or even 10 years ago, but it's still not the easiest road to travel. It's in good condition, and it's under constant improvement, but you have to cross some really difficult terrain.

Parts of it are now a modern divided highway, and there are tons of bridges and tunnels which help these days, but there's a big part starting just after you leave Bogotá and going for a good 25 miles or so, that's still a little two-lane mountain road that gets jammed with traffic at times. The area is also super prone to landslides and other disasters.

If things go well, it will take typically just over 3+ hours each way to make this trip.

Best Barrios in Villavicencio 🇨🇴

It should come as no surprise that you can find all sorts of neighborhoods in this town.

Just like in any other Colombian city, literally from the worst ratholes to super-upscale places that look like they should be in Miami or on some Caribbean island — and literally everything in between.

Let's take a look at the most desirable neighborhoods first:

La Grama / El Caudal

These used to be the first neighborhoods you would come into on the old road from Bogotá, back in the day.

Now, there's a new tunnel that takes you into the west end of town, and only motorcycles and tanker trucks take that road regularly.

The center of La Grama is a big traffic circle just a little bit inside city limits. Fanning out from this traffic circle are a lot of fancy bars, restaurants and boutique shops, along with fancy residences.

As you might already be thinking, La Grama is pretty high-density, and it's a great place for those who want to be in the center of the action, walking distance from everything.

You could also opt to stay just uphill from La Grama in El Caudal, however, and you'll get more living space and much more tranquility, since El Caudal is mostly residential.

Trapiche / Villacodem / El Buque

These neighborhoods are also next to each other, and are almost as high-class as La Grama and El Caudal. El Buque starts on the east side of Carrera 40, just past La Grama. Trapiche and Villacodem are about several minutes drive south of the La Grama traffic circle, and a bit west, along Calle 15.

El Trapiche and Villacodem are newer neighborhoods than El Buque, and consist mainly of closed apartment complexes, which is, once again, something with positives and negatives, depending on personal preferences.

None of these neighborhoods are as commercial as La Grama, but you will find lots of little shops in the neighborhoods, as well as restaurants, bars, spas, etc.

Surrounding areas…

Personally, I'm a big fan of Villavicencio's suburbs and surrounding towns. These are great places for day trips from Villavicencio, but some people may even want to stay in some of these places and go into the city for the nightlife, going back to these areas to chill afterwards. Many of them are very close to Villavicencio, and are within striking distance of Uber etc.

Restrepo and Cumaral

These two boutique towns are both located north of the city, one after the other, and they are on a pretty decent road.

A lot of the monied people in the area live here because it's beautiful and peaceful and has none of the big city problems, but still very close - the end of Cumaral is still less than 10 miles away from the city center.

For those of you who crave the peace and quiet of the US when you go to Colombia, you could find the best of both worlds here.

Vía Puerto López

Here there aren't really any towns of note in the hour and change it will take you to get to the town of Puerto López. However, the landscape is dotted with beautiful fincas and resorts, which are great possibilities for short or extended stays.

Halfway there on the road, which is also in pretty good condition, you will see a park with an obelisk/totem pole thing and a lookout point — mirador. It's only a small hill, but it's the highest point for dozens of miles around, so the view is amazingly spectacular.

The town of Puerto López itself is not much to write home about. It's where the rough-and-ready rural area starts. They are famous for their carne a la llanera, however, which is beef marinated for two days in beer and then cooked on an open flame. This alone can make the trip worth it.

Beyond Puerto López, the road quickly deteriorates to a mud track, and that's how it is for hundreds of miles, to the Venezuelan border and beyond. If you want an adventure like the ones you see in the YouTube videos of people driving on the world's worst roads, then definitely take this road! Otherwise, I would avoid going past Puerto López.

Up the Mountains…

There's another traffic circle in the northern part of time, right where the main city hospital is. There's a road going straight up from this traffic circle. If you take this, you will go through one working-class neighborhood on the hillside, and keep going up. It will quickly become a rural dirt road, and as you go up, there are tons of nice little fincas.

This area is also very nice, as it quickly gets cooler and cooler as you go up this road. This makes staying in this area a great option for those people who like Villavicencio but want to be able to get away from the heat easily.

Acacías

Acacías is another town from which people regularly commute to Villavicencio. It, however, has a middle-class feel and it's a bit sleepy and boring. It's also at least an hour and a half each way to Villavicencio with normal traffic. I personally don't recommend going to Acacías, but it could be OK for a day trip, or if somebody invites you.

I don't recommend going south of Acacías. The next town is San José de Guaviare which is very rough, and past that, it becomes an almost trackless mosquito-infested jungle, and it's also very dangerous. And I'm definitely saying this as someone who has had a "ghetto pass" for decades!

GHETTO parts of Villavicencio

Every city has its ghetto, and Villavicencio has tons of ghetto to go around.

I personally feel Villavicencio is a bit more dangerous than Bogotá or Medellín — but less so than Cali. Some locals feel things have gotten worse in the past few years, others feel that they have gotten a bit better. My opinion is that they have stayed the same.

At any rate, caution is advised in Villavicencio in general, and especially in the neighborhoods I mention here below, even in the daytime.

One of my best friends is a semi-pro MMA fighter, and even he had a run-in with local thugs one day in Santa Helena (mentioned below). There were too many of them for even him to fight, and he barely managed to get away with only minor bruises and scrapes.

El Porvenir

Downtown Villavicencio is generally alright, although there are homeless people all over. The one downtown neighborhood that's the exception is El Porvenir.

Ironically, in the middle of El Porvenir is Teatro La Vorágine, a municipal theater which actually puts on good events and concerts. So, you can see middle and even upper-class people from the city converging on this horrible neighborhood from time to time to go there.

Just a couple blocks from the theater, right on Calle 33, is a few blocks consisting of car and motorcycle mechanics, cheap pawn shops and no-tell motels. This is known as the "Calle de los Negros" because it was originally populated in the 1970s by Afros coming from Cali and surrounding areas. This is a big drug spot as well.

I've been up and down this place alone during the da) and didn't have any problems. I was actually playing as a musician at the Voraigne that day. It's not for the faint of heart, though. And there are other places in Villavicencio and the surrounding area that are that much worse!

Villavicencio's Infamous Drug Neighborhoods

Moving east from Downtown and La Grama, on the other side of the Avenida Al Llano (Villavicencio's main road), you'll find El Jordán, and then east of that, Santa Helena. These neighborhoods have been taken over by gangs, and are dotted with drug production facilities hidden in the neighborhood's houses.

As a visitor, you really have no reason to visit these areas. In fact, these neighborhoods have gotten bad enough that, if you meet a girl that lives in these places, they will advise against you going to pick them up at home!

Ciudad Porfía

Ciudad Porfía is just outside of Villavicencio to the south, on the way to Acacías. It's another hellhole full of gang and drug activity, and most locals will tell you it's not safe at any time of day, and that you should never go there.

I did go to Porfía once, on a date with a girl who lived there. She said that reports of the danger over there were exaggerated, but, looking back, I'm not sure I believe her.

At any rate, there really isn't anything interesting to see or do there, so I would recommend you skip it.

Where to Stay in Villavicencio, Colombia

One point in favor of this town is that it has a super-huge variety of accommodations, and they tend to punch above their weight in terms of what you'd expect for the price.

I think that luxury accommodations in Villavicencio are totally worth it for those who can afford it, and they certainly make the whole Villavicencio experience go up a couple notches!

Let's start with some of the city's hotels:

The GHL Hotel Grand is Villavicencio's iconic place to stay. It's conveniently located next to the city's biggest mall, and a short distance from all the city's best neighborhoods. You may not even leave much, though, because here, the city comes to you! The hotel restaurant is amazing, and many of the city's best events are held here. You can get a room here for as little as $330,000 COP.

The Hacaritama Colonial has rooms for $190,000 COP per night and up. Located in a middle-class neighborhood in the southeast of Villavicencio, this place is a bit out of the way, but it has its own charm.

The Hotel Campanario is probably the most luxurious place to stay in the whole area, with rooms starting at $402,000 COP per night. It's actually located out of town, along Av. Catama to the east. The whole area has an upscale resort vibe, and it's absolutely gorgeous. The breakfast buffet is also one of the best I've ever had.

As far as AirBnB's go, this is where you want to look if you want to do things on a budget.

For example…

On the higher end of AirBnB, things are still very cheap!

If you really want to you could get into this beautiful three-bedroom condo for just $150,000 COP a night.

Costs of Living in Villavicencio 🇨🇴

Sliding right into how much it could cost you to live in Villavicencio long-term, let's build a typical pair of scenarios.

The first one would be for the budget-minded staying in a cheaper AirBnB — but still a nice place in a nice neighborhood — and the second one would be an all-out scenario, where you live high on the hog in every way.

In both cases, all prices are in USD for a full month of living expenses:

Budget Scenario:

Accommodations: $250
Groceries: $150
Eating Out: $150
Gym: $12
Cell Data: $15
Social: $180

Budget Scenario Total: $758-ish

Ballin’ Scenario:

Accommodations: $1200
Groceries: $300
Eating Out: $400
Gym: $12
Cell Data: $15
Social: $400

Ballin’ Scenario Total: $2,328

Villavicencio's Vibrant Bars, Clubs and Restaurants

While you won't find the vibrant restaurant scene of Bogotá or Cali here, there are lots of good dining options in Villavicencio.

But where this city really shines is in its nightlife. This place parties hard 365 days a year, and places are open as late as the biggest night-owl would want!

The city's most historically famous spot, Los Capachos, is actually located a few miles out of town, on the road to Acacías.

Depending on who you talk to, it's either a must-go or its best days are way behind it. I think it's worth going at least once to check out; it's the quintessential Villao party experience.

Naturally, there are tons of other options in this place. There are three neighborhoods where you can go to get your nightlife in Villavicencio, all of them viable for your typical adventurous expat.

Let’s take a look at them…

7 de Agosto

This is the first "Zona Rosa" in Villavicencio, and has been around for decades. It's about four blocks long, and has several dozen places.

7 de Agosto has gone decidedly downmarket since then. Having said that, it's still relatively nice and safe, and it's a great option for people who want to save money, or just check out how the town parties from the middle class down.

La Grama

La Grama has been mentioned before as a great place to stay and play. You will also find a few dozen hot spots here, but the atmosphere is quite different from the other nightlife areas in town.

It's much calmer here, things tend to close earlier, and the volume is a little lower and the music a bit less pumping.

Especially recommended in La Grama is Mateo Pub, a nice gastro pub place that splits the difference between a party joint in an upscale restaurant, in true La Grama style. The food isn't fancy; it's basic pub grub, but done in style, and the place typically packs with cuties at night.

Vía El Galán

This strip in the southern end of the city is the newest place to go and howl at the moon. It's a good middle path between the fancier atmosphere of La Grama and that of 7 de Agosto area.

If you go here and like rock music, be sure to check out Die Jagger, a rock bar which features live music concerts fairly regularly.

Dating in Villavicencio 🇨🇴

In a word, the dating environment, along with the nightlife in Villavicencio is:

Spectacular!

The local culture among the llaneros that inhabit this city is super open and friendly, which makes it extremely easy to meet people.

The beauty of the local girls is almost off the charts, while, since this is Colombia, there is lots of competition. But Villavicencio has to be near the top cities for attractive females, all things considered.

Since it's off the beaten track, the amount of expats in Villavicencio is probably still in the single digits, so you will be a novelty, in the best sense of the word!

The only caveats are:

You absolutely need good Spanish here, because English is super rare in Villavicencio.

Women in this part of Colombia are famous for being jealous or possessive, so if a local hottie zeros in on you, you could possibly have a bunny-boiler on your hands — at least, according to the locals!

To be honest, in my own experience, I have not had any problems of that nature at all in Villavicencio.

Villavicencio, Colombia 🇨🇴 Overall

As I mentioned in the introduction, Villavicencio is a very strange place, and you may love it, hate it, or love/hate it at the same time!

The pros of staying in Villavicencio are:

Lots of great places to stay
Some of the surrounding area is truly awesome
It's fairly cheap, even by Colombian standards
The nightlife and dating scene are very good
There will be almost no other foreigners

The cons are:

Crime can be a problem, even during the day
Much of the city is run-down and the urban roads are not well-maintained
It's very provincial, which makes it less than ideal for longer stays
It's quite a bit out of the way - even getting back and forth from Bogotá can be a pain.

The climate is something you either love or hate — it's on the hot side for many people, including me.

But it may be exactly what some expats are looking for.

All in all, I recommend starting out in Villavicencio by booking a week, and seeing how things go for you personally, since it's such a mixed bag over there. If you decide you like it, extending the stay is always easy.

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