Our 3-week roundtrip in Colombia in September 2019 started in Bogota and ended in Cartagena. We had booked our KLM-flight so that we didn’t have to make a real circle, but another start than finish.
We stayed 2 nights in a Hotel Vilar America (a simple but perfectly located hotel) in Bogota, to spend some time in this city. In this blog I’ll tell you why it’s actually worth to make a short stopover in Bogota:
- Breathtaking views from the top of the Monserrate
- The impressive Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá
- Tejo, the best game for adults (read my blog “Beer and Gunpowder – Let’s play a game” to learn how to play this game)
1. Breathtaking views from the top of the Monserrate
We landed around 2 pm in Bogota. After we checked in at our hotel, we took a taxi to the foot of Monserrate mountain. We jumped into a cable car (teleférico) which took us more than 600 meters up the mountain. The mountain is about 3.152 meters above sea level.
Tip: It can be cold at the mountain top, so don’t forget a sweater, scarf and/or windbreaker.
Despite the cold wind (we weren’t expecting that; Bogota is located quite high in the mountains and it can cool down quickly because of the altitude), we loved the stunning views at the city below. To prevent that the jetlag kicked in too early and to warm up a bit, we ordered a beer at the restaurant at the top. From behind the window we could see the colourful skies while the sun was setting. When the sun was down, millions twinkling lights appeared beneath us. The ride with the cable car and seeing all these lights as far as we could see, was magical!
NB. Bogota is not very safe, so don’t walk unnecessarily through places you don’t know after dark. It’s strongly advised not to walk to the top, because many robberies take place on that path.
2. The impressive Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá
The second day we woke up early to visit the impressive Catedral de Sal de Zipaquirá (de Zout Kathedraal van Zipaquirá). Zipaquirá is located in the north, not far from Bogota and it’s easy to reach it by public transport.
The Salt Cathedral is an underground Roman Catholic church built within the tunnels of an old salt mine, about 200 metres underground. The mine itself is very old, but the church, the way it is now, has been in use since 1954. Before you enter the huge “nave” of the cathedral, you pass 14 chapels representing the Stations of the Cross of Jesus Christ. The phases are carved out of stone and look very modern, but still you can still recognize them. In the “temple” in the big cathedral at the end of the route, deep down in the mine, the 3 naves depict the birth, life and death of Jesus.
Tip: Do take the audio tour to understand what you’re looking at, otherwise you might miss interesting points here.
We had lunch in town at Brasas del Llano. Was it a very touristy restaurant? Yes! Did we like it anyway? Definitely! You can order huge portions of meat, also more uncommon meat like capybara. A very enthusiastic band was playing live music and interacting with the crowd when we were there.
By the way, Egan Bernal, 2019 Tour de France winner, is born in Zipaquirá. A great homage to his victory is painted in a wall between the cathedral and the restaurant.
Locations:
Catedral del Sal
Parque De La Sal, Zipaquirá, Cundinamarca, Colombia
Website: www.catedraldesal.gov.coBrasas del Llano
Cl. 1 #875, Zipaquirá, Cundinamarca, Colombia+57 311 2262921
3. Tejo, the best game ever for grown-ups
We also went to Club de Tejo La 76 in Bogota to get to know Colombian culture more. Here we played the fantastic game “Tejo”, the national game of Colombia. In short it goes like this: you buy a crate of beer, you drink your beer and meanwhile you throw a metal disc to a board filled with clay and envelopes with gunpowder and BOOM!!
Tip: Read my blog “Beer and Gunpowder – Let’s play a game” to learn more about Tejo and how to play this game.
Location:
Club de Tejo La 76
56, Ak. 24 ##76, Bogotá, Colombia
Website: clubdetejola76.negocio.site
Tel: +57 321 4089696
We only had 1,5 day to spend in Bogota and we tried to do as much as possible in that time. Of course, there is a lot more to see and do in Bogota, like a graffiti tour in the city.
After Bogota we jumped into a plane to Pereira for our next stop: Salento. My blog about this great destination in the coffee area of Colombia will follow soon on TeppieTravels.com. You can find all blog posts about Colombia on this page, like my blog about our hike in Tayrona NP in the north of Colombia: “Hike in Tayrona NP – The road less travelled”.
Looking for a roundtrip in another country? Read my blog about my 10-day road trip in Israel, my solo-trip to Bali (multiple posts) or “The highlights of central Chili in 2 weeks”
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