What to Do in and Around Bogota

Contents

1. Day trips from Bogotá
2. Weekend Trips from Bogotá – Driving
3. Weekend Trips from Bogotá – Flying
4. Things to Do During the Day in Bogotá
5. Favorite Restaurants

Day Trips From Bogota

Do not miss La Laguna de Guatavita

1. Guatavita (*) – 1.5 hours by car to get there. Good round trip is to go via La Calera and return by Sopo and the Autopista. The village was constructed after the lake was dammed and the old village drowned. Has a small tourist market with hotel on the square for lunch. Also English pub – Salisbury Green - en route run by ex-Southampton football player, just before the turn-off for Guasca. The pub has a pitch and putt (a bit rural!) and you can rent horses there. Do not miss La Laguna de Guatavita. Although it’s apparently shut until summer 2002. It’s a bit beyond Guatavita. After a few miles you will see a small signpost for the Laguna to the right. It’s about 15 mins further along this road. The laguna is a small round lake like a volcanic crater (it’s not actually) - see photo. You can walk around it – though the climb up on the right hand side is a bit slippery. If you’ve got small kids plan on climbing and descending the stairs on the left hand side and walk round to a mid point – there’s a natural rock platform with good views about half way around.

Muisca culture standing stones

2. Suesca – c. 1.5 hours drive north of Bogota, via the Autopista. Turn off at a restaurant – El Carajito which has great empanadas. Follow the signs to the village. Before getting into the village itself, stop and look at the cliffs. You’ll need to walk for a little bit. The cliffs are quite spectacular and are used for rock climbing. The river there is the Rio Bogota. It’s a bit cleaner than the version that passes through Bogota itself! Also in the area is Lake Suesca and some Muisca culture standing stones. There are pictures of them in the Colombia panorama book.

Big park with huge lake

3. Parque Neusa. (*) Big park with huge lake about 1 hour drive north of Bogota on the Zipaquira road. Walking trails. Good paramo vegetation. Good for fishing. You can rent boats etc. Also good biking trails allegedly though we never found them! The landscape looks like the Scottish highlands. Trout restaurant.

Some carved stones

4. Facatativa - City about 1.5 hours west of Bogotá. The thing to see is the park – Piedras de Tunja, which though slightly decrepit has some carved stones which are allegedly worth a look. It’s a good place for the kids to tear around.

Attractive little villages very close to Bogotá

5. Tabio / Tenjo Attractive little villages very close to Bogotá. A good thing to do is to drive to Cajica (up the Autopista and take the Chia turning). It has a pleasant square and a good restaurant on it. Have lunch there and then drive to Tabio – the turn off is in Cajica itself. You can park in the square in Tabio and then with the church at your back head off to the right up the hill to a wee church. There’s not a lot to do in Tabio other than look around, but it has a nice atmosphere. Good mountain biking around here too. Tenjo is more of the same and is on the way back so you have to pass through it anyway. It’s a very pleasant drive along the Tabio-Tenjo valley. There are some great road signs warning you of geological faults!!

Spectacular salt cathedral

6. Zipaquira. North of Bogotá. The site of the salt cathedral. Very spectacular. Try and go on a Sunday when there’s a religious service on. I have heard the acoustics are great. You can get there by train! There’s a tourist train that leaves from Bogotá every Sunday and Festivos. It takes c.2-3 hours to get there, but it’s fun. It’s well organized. You can book your tickets at the Office on the roundabout on Calle 100 with Cra 15. There’s a dining car on the train and there’s a band which tours the carriages playing salsas etc.

Spectacular views

7. Parque Chicaque c. 1 hour drive outside Bogotá. Cloud forest park right on the edge of the plateau. It’s a very steep descent down the several trails in the park – there are waterfalls etc. Spectacular views. When you arrive and park your car it’s a bit depressing as you’re in the clouds, but as you descend you escape and see the surrounding cliffs and valley below. There’s a refuge at the bottom where you can get meals. You can organize horses to bring you back up – it’s a pretty steep climb otherwise. To get there head off on the Anapoima road west of Bogotá. You’ll pass the municipal garbage dump for Bogotá – a sight in itself! Also you’ll pass through the desert landscape of Zabriskie, people use it for sand boarding. After the big peaje take the immediate first left. The entrance to the park is on the right after a couple of miles.

Good place for Sunday lunch

8. El Portico. – Good place for Sunday lunch. Out of town on Septima, just passed the Peaje and El Corral (not bad itself for lunch, particularly if you have young children as there is a good indoor and big outdoor play area). It’s on the left hand side. Sprawling old hacienda. Colombian food. A few animals and horse and cart rides. Has a tiny bullring, chapel, lots of interesting old buildings – good for a stroll around. Top

Weekend Trips from Bogotá – Driving

Heading North takes you to Boyaca which has beautiful mountain landscapes and people in pork-pie hats and llanas (woollen ponchos). Potato center of Colombia and great for pumpkins at Halloween time.

Fabulously preserved colonial town

1. Villa de Leyva. Fabulously preserved colonial town 3 hours drive north of Bogotá, with spectacular scenery on the way. Good route is the Autopista to the Puente de Boyaca (famous independence battle site – worth a stop) then turn off immediately after the monument and follow the road to Sámaca*. You’ll eventually join the Tunja-Villa de Leyva road. Turn left and head for VdL. Places to stay in VdL include The Duruelo (great views across town), Plazuela de San Augustin (just off the square), but can be a bit cold, but is a lovely building with a couple of courtyards (see photo). The square in the center of town is absolutely huge and there is always something happening. Good pizza place top left as you look at the church. Lots to do outside of the village – ancient sites, good fossil collecting country, fabulous monasteries, horseriding. Parque Iguaque* nearby - >4000ft with good paramo. Sat. market day in VdL. If you miss that then Sun. is market day in nearby Raquira. Raquiria is famous for it’s pottery which sells for about a 100x mark up in trendy UK shops. On the way to Raq. from VdL is a wee town Tinacá – good shop here selling colourful Boyaca baskets and other artesania. A pretty return route is via Chiqinquira, religious center of Colombia and big on guitar making.

Lovely village, famous for it’s baskets

2. Tenza (*) Lovely village, famous for it’s baskets. Amazing drive to get there- absolutely stunning views. Go up the Autopista for about an hour – it’s signposted off to the right at a Terpel gas station. It’s another 1.5 hours to Tenza from the autopista. The road is a bit rough for the last few kilometers. Stay in the Tenza Hotel on the square. One night will be enough.

Hot springs and lovely countryside

3. Paipa – 3.5 hours north of Bogotá. Turn right at Tunja! Area of hot springs and lovely countryside. Some nice colonial villages – Paipa is not one of them though! The principal reason to go there (in my view) is to stay in the Casona del Salitre, a colonial hotel. (http://www.paipa.gov.co/casona_del_salitre.htm) (see photo). Símon Bolivar stayed here before the Battle of Boyaca. In fact you can stay in his suite – we did though I made sure they had changed the sheets – Símon was a notorious womanizer! Actually the suite below his may be better – Los Lanceros - it has a personal hot pool in it. The hotel has a good restaurant and has a hot spring pool for lying in on a starry night – great! They can organize horse riding and have some wobbly looking bikes to use. Also in the area is the battle site of the Pantano de Vargas, with a huge metal monument in the middle of nowhere, and some of the villages to visit are: Duitama, Tibasosa, Lots of colonial furniture to be bought at Puntalarga and also the best vineyard in Colombia – run by a very enthusiastic chemical engineer. The whites/rosés are actually quite good. Good restaurant called Boyacá Real on the square in Tibasosa.

South and west off the plateau

The next locations are south and west off the plateau and things warm up pretty quick as you head downhill. It get’s to about 30degs down at the Rio Magdalena! The vegetation change is dramatic.

Cabanas, 9 hole golf course and swimming pool

4. Anapoima. (*) Beautiful drive off the Bogota plateau through changing vegetation. C. 2 hour drive. Head for the club with cabanas, 9 hole golf course and swimming pool etc.

A water park with a couple of flumes, pools and a wave pool

5. Chinauta – Hotel zone. The one to stay at is the Colombian Hotel Resort –. It’s essentially a water park with a couple of flumes, pools and a wave pool. It’s generally pretty warm so a good retreat from Bogotá for a weekend. It’s off the main road on the left. If you reach the peaje after Fusagasuga you’ve passed it!! Good idea to go on a Friday as if you pay for one night you often get the second free!

Hot country!

6. Melgar / Giradot. Carrying on to the hot country! About 2-3 hours drive from Bogotá – all downhill. It’s a great drive especially after about 1-1.5 hours when you drive off the Fusagasuga plateau. Lots of places to rent – fincas. Go to Hostales de Colombia in Bogotá for details. One place they have is a finca in a conjunto in a village between the Melgar and Giradot - Carmen Apicala (pool,horses, tennis) takes 3+ families. Also hotels – we’ve never stayed in a hotel. Apparently there are some good ones – Cafam is one, a resort hotel with plenty of accommodation and big pool complex, also very reasonable. Not a whole lot to do in the area other than cool off in the pool. There’s a reptile farm near Melgar though we gave up trying to find it on a wet afternoon when the road terrifyingly turned to mud. The Rio Magdalena is worth a look at Giradot – check out the old railway bridge. I like the atmosphere more in Melgar and it’s slightly cooler than Giradot. The area is a world center for inflatable pool toys and biting insects – take lots of repellent. Top

Weekend Trips from Bogotá – Flying

Coffee Country

1. Armenia – 40 minute flight with Aces – best airline in Colombia. This is the coffee country. Places to visit are: Parque del Café. Easily spend a whole day here. Lots of info on coffee growing / processing etc. Mock –up of old Armenia (pre-earthquake). Park is on a steep slope with trails through the coffee plants and bamboo trees. There is a cable car, also a fun-fair, discreetly hidden from the coffee-bit. Panaca park is also a good visit – agricultural park. The idea is that you follow a trail around the park, stopping at stations with different animals. The kids can feed them etc. Good climate. Also in the area is the village of Salento(*) and the Valle de Cocora - this is a truly stunning valley filled with wax palm trees Colombia’s national tree. Accommodation options include staying at the Country Club at Armenia – golf, tennis, pool. It’s close to the airport. We also stayed in a fabulous hacienda on a working coffee farm called Nora’s Finca. It’s near the parks and is absolutely beautiful.

Nevada del Ruiz, an active volcano smoking away

2. Manizales. c.30 minute flight from Bogotá. Great views especially from the left hand side of the plane – you can see the Nevada del Ruiz, an active volcano smoking away. Manizales itself is not particularly attractive but the countryside is lovely. Hotel Canay c.40 mins outside Manizales has a pool, horse riding and has good walks. The hotel will pick you up from the airport. The best thing is a fabulous balcony with great views (see photo). There’s nothing like sitting there, quaffing a few beers, reading a book or swinging on the hammock etc. The other attraction in the area is the Nevada del Ruiz (*) itself although at 5000+m it’s going to be a tough climb. There’s a hotel inappropriately named Hotel Los Termales as it’s apparently very, very cold. Stay there for the mountain.

Cartagena is not to be missed

3. Cartagena. Cartagena is not to be missed. The old part of Cartagena is a magnificently preserved colonial town – this was the heart of the ‘Spanish main’ and it has a fascinating history – sacked by Drake, besieged by Vernon etc. The fortifications are all around and spectacular. The Santa Clara Hotel is a converted convent with a brilliant swimming pool and good restaurants. (see photo). If the Hotel is booked up an alternative is the Santa Teresa, another converted convent with a rooftop swimming pool. It’s actually better situated in terms of bars, restaurants and other things to see, but the old town is fairly small and there are horse and carts to carry you around as well as plenty taxis. Must-dos in Cartagena are: Fort San Felipe – amazing construction with great tunnels to explore, Day visit or weekend in the Islas Rosarios – great beaches, good snorkeling/diving, natural aquarium, c.1 hour by boat from Cartagena. Spend an afternoon drinking chilled white wine and eating seafood at the Club de Pesca – a seafood restaurant. It’s located on the waterside and built into the fortified walls. Another excellent, not-to-be-missed restaurant is La Vitrolla. Another must in Cartagena are the evening chiva tours. A two or three-hour tour that involves lots of music, drinking rum and cokes, dancing on the old city walls … dreadful!

Another Caribbean beach

4. Santa Marta. Another Caribbean beach sort of place. Santa Marta itself has nothing to see / offer other than Bolivar’s death bed. The strip to head for is called Rodadero. Hotels are the Irotama or the Zooana. You can rent cabañas on the beach at the Irotama. The Parque Tayrona(*) is near with jungle and beaches. Have lunch in Taganga small fishing village on the front.

An unspoilt Caribbean island

5. San Andres / Providencia. We only went to Providencia, not really San Andres, although you have to spend a night in SA because of flight connections. Providencia is very lovely. It is an unspoilt Caribbean island - totally undeveloped. English, or a weird version of it is spoken. It has some beautiful, quiet beaches. Things to do are hang out on the beaches, hire mopeds / bikes to drive round the island, take a boat trip. It’s supposed to have great diving – we went snorkeling, which was brilliant. Also horse riding is possible – you can climb the hill in the middle of the island as well - I imagine that would be a bit exhausting given the climate! We stayed in the Sol Caribe hotel – it’s pretty basic, but clean and the staff were great. The island has the third largest barrier reef in the world after Oz and Belize. San Andres has more swanky hotels and has better beaches, but more people. Top

Things to Do During the Day in Bogotá

1. Drink coffee / juice in Parque 93 and people watch. Small play park for kids.
2. Parque Chico – just off Septima. Play park, small restaurant. Musuem. Has a Christmas fayre – usually advertised in ABCC Newsletter.
3. Parque Simon Bolivar – huge park just off Avenida 68. Good for kids with bikes. Great time to go is in August - the kite month. There’s a kite festival held in the park which has parachutists as well as loads of kite displays etc. Good views of hills of Bogotá.
4. Botanical Gardens. Cra 66A, 53. Nr Parque Simon Bolivar. Hot houses, desert landscapes, herb gardens, small restaurant. Trips round the Candelaria. Don’t miss the Casa de Moneda (Botero exhibit here).
5. Monserate via funicular / cable car.
6. Quinta de Bolivar – Bolivar’s house in Bogotá. Been restored recently has nice gardens. Just off Avenida Jimenez, below Monserate.
7. Go to a football match – the best atmosphere is the local derby: Santa Fé versus Millonarios.
8. Kids museum
9. Maloka - interactive science museum - great shop for different children's toys and gifts. Has IMAX cinema with 3 diff movies.
10. National museum on the Septima with 28 or so. Good café.
11. Ice skating beside Unicentro and in Hacienda Santa Barbara
12. Camelot at Bima - S. on Autopista Norte
13. Old Bima Playpark and go-cart track – go North on Autopista Norte. It’s before the Peaje. Go-carting is brilliant.
14. Gold museum – excellent place. Do not miss the last room
15. Flea Markets - Opposite Radisson Hotel on Septima with c.111 – open Sundays. Also one on Top road (with murals) thro' Usaquen – again on Sunday
16. Hacienda Margarita - S on Autopista Norte - high-stepping Spanish horse show, salivating into your parrilla!

Top

Favorite Restaurants

Usaquen

1. Amartis – Italian on the square
2. Tienda del Café. Typical Colombian food. Has a roof terrace.
3. Quinta de Usaquen. Choice of formal dining room or eating in the bar.
4. Arcanos Mayores. Slightly whacky restaurant on the back road in Usaquen. Great food. Vicious margaritas

Zona Rosa

1. Nicos – international food.
2. Watakushi – oriental, excellent sushi. V. Hot Green Curry is great.
3. Balzac – French.
4. China Starr – Chinese.
5. Harry Sassoon – International. Good atmosphere in the covered terrace at the back
6. Di Luccas –Italian

Other Locations

1. Intermezzo - Germanic food.
2. Carpacchios – Italian
3. Calcutta – Indian
4. San Isidro – up Monserate
5. Cuatro Estaciones –. French. Was a bit quiet the last time we were in.
6. La Fragata – rooftop revolving restaurant in the world trade center. Seafood.
7. Linas sandwich bar in the Andino Centre. Great soups and sandwiches.
8. El Patio - Italian at the back of the bullring.
9. Andres Carnes de Res – Chia. Great, great dancing! Only open Friday, Sat, Sunday.

Top