With its cobbled historic downtown, fascinating museums and vigorous eating and bar scene, Bogotá can maintain you busy for days. After you’ve made the a lot of the metropolis’s cultural and historic experiences, think about a day journey to Bogotá’s lush and evergreen hinterland, the place you’ll discover misty cloud forests, quaint towns, hanging mountains and many out of doors actions. Most of those locations might be reached on a bus, however for those who hire a automotive, you would possibly give you the option to mix just a few of them right into a one – or two – day journey. 

Listed below are the perfect quick escapes from Bogotá.

1. Go to Zipaquira and discover a salt mine that’s so massive it has its personal cathedral

Journey time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Zipaquira is house to one in all Colombia’s architectural wonders: a cathedral in-built one of many chambers of its large salt mine, 90m (295 ft) underground. 

It’s an imposing web site, which can even provide you with an opportunity to study in regards to the historical past of salt mining – and why a church was constructed right here within the first place – as you comply with a guided tour that snakes down the mine’s corridors. On the backside, there are espresso outlets, a spa and extra actions, resembling a tour the place you may swing a pickaxe on the partitions to “mine” your individual salt.

Additionally, make certain not to miss Zipaquira’s picturesque historic middle, which is full of eating places and low outlets in its colonial-era streets. Attempt native craft beers on the Pie de Cumbre Pub, or cease by Labriego for a contemporary tackle Colombian meals.

How to get to Zipaquira from Bogotá: Hop on town’s fast bus system, the Transmilenio, and get off on the Portal del Norte Station. From there, you may take an intermunicipal bus to Zipaquira after which a taxi to the salt mine, which is on a hill above the city. On weekends, a vacationer prepare can be out there, leaving from the Usaquen station on Avenida 9 with Calle 110. Take a look at the turistren web site for schedules and ticket costs. 

2. Get sprayed by Colombia’s tallest waterfall at Parque La Chorrera

Journey time: 1 hour 30 minutes

One in every of Colombia’s finest hikes is in La Chorrera Park, a community-run nature reserve that homes a spectacular waterfall with a 590m (1900 ft) drop. Getting to the bottom of the waterfall is half of the enjoyable and includes trekking by way of vibrant inexperienced farmland and a misty cloud forest with a detour that can take you previous a smaller waterfall.

The complete circuit takes about three hours to full and is finest executed on weekdays when there are fewer guests from Bogotá. It’s also possible to mix the La Chorrera trek with a go to to close by Choachi, which has two sizzling springs and a 50-year-old Swiss restaurant that serves hearty fare. For additional leisure, spend the night time at one of many glamping websites within the mountains round Choachi.

How to get to La Chorrera from Bogotá: Take a bus to Choachi from Transoriente, positioned con Calle 6 with Carrera 15, or from Transfomeque, which is on the identical block. Inform the bus driver to drop you off on the entrance to La Chorrera, which is on Km 27. From there, it is 4km (2.5 miles) alongside an unpaved highway to the park entrance. You’ll be able to take a mototaxi – or stroll.

3. Ponder a sacred Muisca web site at Laguna de Guatavita 

Journey time: 2 hours

Situated at 3100m (10,170 ft) above sea stage and surrounded by steep cliffs, Guatavita Lake is sort of a mesmerizing sight to behold. The darkish inexperienced lake was sacred to the Muisca folks, who would maintain a particular ceremony there when a brand new chieftain, or cacique, was inaugurated.

In accordance to 16th-century chronicles, the brand new cacique would get on a raft along with his clergymen, his physique lined in gold mud. When the raft approached the middle of the lake, he would bounce into the chilly water whereas his topics watched from the shore and in addition dumped choices of gold statuettes into the lake. 

Now you can climb to the cliffs above the lake and stroll alongside a path with panoramic views, whereas a park information fills you in on the historic particulars. In your manner again to Bogotá, cease on the picturesque city of Guatavita or go to “La Casa Loca,” an upside-down home lately constructed by an Austrian expat, the place you may take mind-bending photographs contained in the colourful rooms.

How to get to Guatavita Lake from Bogotá: From the Terminal del Norte bus station, take a bus in the direction of Guatavita city, which is 12km (7.5 miles) away from the lake’s entrance. Ask the bus driver to drop you off on the turnoff to the lake, and from right here, it’s a 7km (4.Three mile) stroll to the doorway. There are vans that go to the lake at 11am and 1pm on weekdays and extra ceaselessly on weekends. Alternatively, you may get a taxi. To take advantage of your day and go to surrounding websites, it might be value renting a automotive. 

4. Stroll up to the chilling fringe of a cliff at Piedra Colgada and take a photograph you’ll always remember

Journey time: 2 hours

Piedra Colgada, or “the hanging rock,” is a rock formed like a turtle’s head that stands out from an enormous cliff close to the city of Susa. 

Utilizing a security harness, you may stroll up to the rock’s edge and look down on the chilling 600m (1968 ft) drop, or gaze on the fields that carpet the valley under, taking within the a number of shades of inexperienced. The rock is positioned inside a small nature reserve close to the city of Susa that gives a number of beautiful viewpoints. On the way in which again to Bogotá, you can too go to the small city, which has a church with stone bricks and small streets lined with one-story houses.

How to get to Piedra Colgada from Bogotá: Take a bus heading to Chiquinquira on the Terminal del Norte bus station and ask the motive force to drop you off at Susa. Alternatively, take an inter-municipal bus to Ubate, the place you may change to one other bus headed for Susa.

In Susa’s principal sq., you may rent a tuk-tuk to take you to the Piedra Colgada park, which is about 10km (6 miles) away on an unpaved highway. It’s also possible to hike to the park entrance alongside a path that crosses cloud forests and potato farms, however it’s best to go along with a neighborhood information. Companies in Bogotá additionally arrange trips to the park.

5. Hike by way of the distinctive vegetation of the paramos and take a look at to spot spectacled bears

Journey time: 2 hours

The Paramos are chilly, high-altitude grasslands positioned above the cloud forest that retailer water that gathers on the top of the Andes mountains. They’re inhabited by small birds, deer and spectacled bears, and are dotted with a whole bunch of surreal-looking vegetation often called frailejones, which have broad, thick leaves which are lined by gentle white “hairs.”

Take a stroll by way of one of many paramos that encompass Bogotá and get to see this distinctive ecosystem for your self. Some good locations to go to the paramo embody the Sumapaz district to the south of Bogotá or the Chingaza Nationwide Park to the east of town. Though bears are onerous to spot, they’re most ceaselessly sighted on the Chingaza Park, the place a path additionally takes guests previous a few scenic lakes.

Tour companies in Bogotá arrange day treks to the paramos that embody transportation and guides, however you’ll usually have to take your individual lunch. Companies organizing hikes by way of the Paramos embody Street Journey Journey, Andes Ecotours and Ecoglobal Expeditions.

How to get to the Paramos: You’ll be able to hire a automotive in Bogotá and drive to the primary entrance of Chingaza Park at Piedras Gordas, the place info on trails and roads by way of the park is obtainable. It’s a difficult drive because the highway is slim and curvy, and components of it are unpaved. You have to to guide forward on the park’s web site or by calling its workplaces.

6. Check your climbing abilities and take within the sweeping views at Suesca

Journey time: 1 hour 30 minutes

The quaint city of Suesca is positioned subsequent to a 2km (1.25 mile) lengthy cliff that reaches altitudes of up to 130m (426 ft) and has been a favourite spot for rock climbers in Colombia for many years.

You’ll be able to rent a information and hire gear at one of many native companies, then sort out one in all dozens of routes with various levels of issue. If mountain climbing is just not your factor, you may attain the top of the cliff anyhow by strolling alongside a enjoyable and straightforward 12km (7.5 mile) lengthy path, having fun with splendid views of the inexperienced savannah under. 

Companies on the town additionally hire horses and mountain bikes to do the journey. There’s additionally a campsite close to the well-known rocks, in addition to a number of glamping choices. 

How to get to Suesca from Bogotá: Take a bus from the Terminal del Norte bus station. The mountain climbing space is a 15-minute stroll from the middle of city. 

7. Get pleasure from a Colombian theme park expertise at Parque Jaime Duque 

Journey time: 1 hour 30 minutes

This huge theme park close to the city of Cajica was constructed within the early 1980s by an airline pilot who needed to deliver “a world of experiences” to comparatively remoted Colombia. The result’s a curious mixture of sights that embody a life-size reproduction of the Taj Majal, a “medieval fort” and a ship utilized by the US Navy in WWII, and later offered to Colombia. 

There are additionally slides, bumper vehicles and trampolines for teenagers, and a zoo with dozens of species, together with flamingoes, spectacled bears and a tapir from the Amazon. The park’s hippo is a descendant of three hippos introduced to the nation within the 1980s by Pablo Escobar for his ranch, which had a non-public zoo that was ultimately confiscated by the federal government, together with the remainder of the drug supplier’s properties.

How to get to Parque Jaime Duque from Bogotá: Take a bus on the Terminal del Norte bus station to Tocancipa and get off at a roundabout in entrance of the park’s entrance. 

8. Pamper your self and luxuriate in hotter climate at one in all San Francisco’s glamping spots

With temperatures ranging from 16℃ to 24℃ (60℉ to 75℉), San Francisco is changing into an more and more well-liked getaway for Bogotános in search of a laid-back weekend with hotter temperatures. The lush valley surrounding the city is now dotted with properties which have been was glamping websites, the place you may loosen up in wooden cabins, tree homes or glass domes that allow you to view the celebrities at night time.

Some spots to think about embody Yuva Glamping, Luna Glamping and Terra Maga, which is constructed subsequent to a soothing river and has its personal spa and trails that lead into the rainforest. In San Francisco city, try the hummingbird sanctuary – El Jardin Encantado – the place you may stand up shut to a shocking number of these birds.

How to get to San Francisco from Bogotá: Take a bus from the Terminal Salitre station, the place Flota Santa Fe runs common departures. Glamping websites within the space may organize transport from the city’s principal sq.. 

9. Discover the cloud forest and go ziplining at Chicaque Park 

Journey time: 1 hour 30 minutes

This privately owned nature reserve, protecting 300 hectares of pristine cloud forest, has actions to maintain you busy for a few days. You’ll be able to go ziplining alongside the forest cover, or climb a 32m (104 ft) tall tree utilizing a ladder and a rope. Should you want to keep on the bottom, you may guide a bird-watching tour or hike alongside one of many park’s seven trails, together with a path that passes by way of an oak forest. It’s simple to keep for an evening or two. The park has its personal lodging, which embody a hostel, wooden cabins, a campsite and tree homes often called “nests.” 

How to get to Chicaque Park from Bogotá: The park runs a shuttle on the weekends that leaves each hour within the mornings from the Terreros Transmilenio station within the south of Bogotá. On weekdays, it is best to rent a driver or take a taxi. The park is 15km (9.Three miles) from the Terreros station.