Travel Ideas Near Bogotá, Colombia
Most visitors to Colombia will tell you without shame that you can skip Bogotá. As a frequent visitor and husband to a Bogotá native, I would agree that you needn’t linger. But I would also emphasize: you don’t need to stray far from Colombia’s capital city to reach some wonderful destinations. These include gems like Villa de Leyva, one of our favorite places, quite close to Bogotá. Here are a few travel ideas near Bogotá that are well worth considering.
Suesca
Just an hour to the north of Bogotá, the town of Suesca is a draw for climbers in particular. You don’t have to be interested in climbing, though, to appreciate the Rocas de Suesca. It consists of about 2km of dramatic rock walk with a flat trail along an old railroad track at its base. We brought our toddler there and she walked a lot of the way. We had her in the carrier backpack for the rest. It’s an easy trail and worth stopping in the area for a night to check it out.
The town of Suesca itself is not known for its charm or beauty. In fact many visitors prefer to stay outside of the town. But we like random towns and stayed right in the middle at the Hotel Casona Quesada. The staff were great and there’s a cozy little bar with a fireplace downstairs. If you’re in the area check out Belgrano 712 in town or Nixcal near the rocks. Look for Climbeer.
Guatavita
Not far to the south of Suesca (and not much more than an hour’s drive from the capital) is the town of Guatavita. Guatavita was rebuilt in the 1960s when the original town was flooded, intentionally, to make way for a reservoir. The town is quite nice and worth at least a lunch stop, but it gets packed on weekends as we discovered during a recent visit.
Lake Guatavita was sacred in pre-Columbian Muisca culture and is the most famous attraction in the area. If the activities on Lake Guatavita weren’t the basis of the legend of El Dorado, they at least fueled it. The local ruler (“zipa”), as part of a ritual, covered himself in gold dust and dove from a raft into the lake, washing off the gold. Gold objects were also thrown into the lake as part of the ceremony. (It’s worth visiting the Museo de Oro in Bogotá to see the gold raft sculpture created by the Muiscas.) The conquistadors, as usual, attempted to exploit this for their own purposes, along with centuries of subsequent failed venturers, often resulting in the deaths of Muisca inhabitants.
Since I cannot do justice to this history in a short article, here is an excellent one with much greater depth as well as practical tips for modern visitors. On a positive note, the lake and surrounds now form a park managed by Muisca descendents who still live nearby. It’s well worth hiking up to the lake with a guide!
Villa de Leyva
Now on to one of my favorite towns in Colombia, Villa de Leyva. It’s about three and a half hours driving to the north of Bogotá in the Boyacá Department. (A good lunch spot on the way up is “El Refugio del Sisga.”)
Whitewashed buildings, cobblestone streets, and a massive main plaza (a National Monument) make Villa de Leyva one of the most beautiful towns in Colombia. I enjoy the drier climate, which makes simply strolling the town even nicer. There are plenty of restaurants and shops like Alma Bazar with its adjacent cafe, and several museums surrounding the plaza. I particularly like the small Museo Luis Alberto Acuña where you can appreciate some of his artworks as well as a number of interesting archeological objects. The building itself is nice to see as well.
The area surrounding Villa de Leyva is of great archeological importance. It was a lake in the Cretacic period and an abundance of fossils have been found. In fact, it’s not uncommon to find the floor of an entire patio paved with fossils. There is also a pre-Columbian site (“El Infiernito”), which is over 2,000 years old and was used for cults and fertility rituals.
The area also hosts beautiful waterfalls and an arid climate not common in Colombia. Due to its conditions it is ideal for star gazing, making it an suitable host for an annual Festival de Astronomia. Other activities are abundant: a great ostrich farm that our daughter loved, horse rides, ATV rides, ziplining, hiking… you name it. Some shorter visits in the same region include Casa Terracota and El Fossil, both great for kids!
Villa de Leyva is great any time of year. We’ve been a few times and one of them happened to be just before Christmas. The lights are very well done and give the town an extra layer of magic.
Ráquira
Ráquira is worth checking out if you’re staying in Villa de Leya. It’s just half an hour away by car so you can easily do a day trip. Ráquira is a center for earthen goods production. A short stroll down Ráquira’s principal street will demonstrate this as you’ll pass by dozens of shops and warehouses. In each you can purchase clay products of all shapes and sizes at inexpensive prices. The sheer concentration of clay items hanging throughout the town is a sight worth seeing. But I also like to imagine the town without its hanging clay adornments as the buildings themselves are quite striking.
Firavitoba and Iza
East of Villa de Leyva and Raquira there are some small towns from which you can enjoy natural beauty and a slower pace of local life. We spent a couple of nights in a rural part of Firavitoba. It was great to wake up in the morning to the sights of sheep and to talk to locals who grow potatoes, onions, beans, and other crops. There are other quaint towns like Iza and Cuitiva not far to the south, which are worth a visit if you have the time.
On the way to the region from Bogota you may pass the larger town of Paipa, famous for their hot springs. If you’re in the area, try some almojabanas, a delicious cheese bread.
There’s a whole lot more to do in the region. If you’d like one more travel idea near Bogotá, just an hour west is one of my favorite places in the world!
