Browsing Tag

bus

Travel Guide

The Best No-nonsense Playa del Carmen Travel Guide

Posted on July 25, 2021
best no-nonsense playa del carmen travel guide

If I had to describe our trip to Playa del Carmen in one word it would be ‘water,’ but then I’d have to break the rule and to say ‘food’ too. Playa del Carmen was our first trip together outside of Colombia. As you’ll know by now from reading us, we aren’t into the party scene. We travel to enjoy active, different experiences. In Playa del Carmen, we went scuba diving, climbing and more (much more!), so read on for some ideas on what to do in Playa del Carmen, as well as some extremely useful tips! This is THE BEST no-nonsense Playa del Carmen travel guide!

If you love the ocean, you’ll love this destination!

The Best No-nonsense Playa del Carmen Travel Guide

Transportation in and around Playa del Carmen

How to Get to Playa del Carmen from the Airport

Transportation to and from the airport is going to be expensive, but it doesn’t have to feel like you got robbed.

  • On a bus – Purchase an ADO ticket beforehand. This was our preferred transportation method, especially in terms of price. The price between the airport and Playa del Carmen is 216 Mexican pesos, or about 10 dollars. If you want to save some money, its a little cheaper to take a bus from the airport to Cancun and then from Cancun to Playa del Carmen, but you only save about 60 mxn and it can take a lot longer.
  • Taxi – at the airport, the taxi fare to Playa del Carmen goes between 560-800 mxn, and even more if you pay in dollars ($50 or more).  If you need to go to another terminal, taxis will offer you 15 dollar rides between terminals. This is an absolute scam, but some may need to pay it due to luggage and the heat. But just for you to know, the terminals are walking distance apart.
  • Rental Car – renting a car can definitely be an option, but we thought it would be too much of a hassle. You have to find a company you can trust not to charge additional fees and fine you for false intricacies. Then there’s the possibility of getting randomly stopped by the police, which you never want happening in Mexico. Traveling on a bus or taxi is so much more relaxing.

The Art of Negotiation

NEVER get in a taxi without agreeing upon a price to your destination beforehand. The taxis in Playa del Carmen don’t have meters because they have fixed prices between locations. If you want to simply get on a taxi without too must research, just ask the driver if they’ll take you to your destination for 40-60 mxn. Almost all destinations within Playa del Carmen should cost that much.

If you’re in a touristy area or grab a taxi that’s parked outside a bus station or mall, it’ll cost more because there is a tourist fare that applies (it makes rides cost 100-120 mxn). To keep from having to pay this fee, just grab a taxi a little way from the touristy area. Always pay in Mexican pesos. If you try to pay in dollars, the drivers will charge WAY more.

Is Playa del Carmen Safe?

Yes, Playa del Carmen is safe, especially for tourists. However, like most cities in the world, there are places you simply should not go and people looking to take advantage of anyone who may be an easy target. Here are some tips to stay safe in Playa del Carmen:

  • Don’t get in a taxi that stopped for you, especially if its late at night or you’re drunk. Make sure you signaled them down and then negotiate a proper price before getting in and heading to your destination. Also, don’t get in a taxi late at night alone, and especially not in the front seat.
  • Where there are drugs, there are cartels and trouble. So say no to drugs.
  • Always keep an eye on your drink, because spiking happens all too often.
  • The worst time for hurricanes is October and November, so possibly avoid visiting during those months.

What to Do!

Of course, there’s too much to do in Playa del Carmen for a blog post, but this is our take on it!

Visit One of the Xcaret Parks

We chose to visit Xel Ha (pronounced Chel Ha) because their slogan was “all you can eat, drink, and snorkel.” I’ve hardly ever heard a better phrase. Truth be told, I was a bit disappointed when we read we had to snorkel with life jackets on at all times. We still went, and we had a fantastic time – we even saw some enormous sting rays. We were in the water for hours upon hours, and when we weren’t, we enjoyed way to much food and beverages. This was both of our first ever all-inclusive type of experience, and it was a lot of fun.

Snorkel with Whale Sharks

This is a typical activity off of Isla Mujeres, and we won’t hide the fact that there were a lot of people. We would recommend choosing a date at either the beginning or end of whale season, when it isn’t vacation season (whale shark season is May to September, but the peak is July and August). We went with Ocean Tours, and they have a great operation. You only jump in the water when the captain spots a whale shark and they position the boat for the shark to be swimming straight towards you. Then, you swim with the shark a few minutes.

Even though your group will be a max of 10 people, there are many boats on site. Each boat is only allowed one couple in the water at a time. Basic snorkeling skills would be recommended to enjoy this fully. If you’re not familiarized with snorkeling, you’ll be worrying more about breathing, floating and swimming rather than gazing at this majestic creature. We also saw some dolphins, and you can sometimes see manta rays, turtles and marlins if you’re extremely lucky. Despite the amount of people with you and having to wear a life jacket at all times, the activity was worth it.

Scuba Dive in the Cenotes

Cenotes, or sinkholes, are one of the things that make Playa del Carmen and the state of Quintana Roo unique. And swimming on their surface or just seeing their beauty from outside is nothing compare to being inside and under them! We have been diving for over 10 years and had never seen anything like this. It’s magical – you can see the different layers of fresh water and salt water, and the illusion it creates is mind blowing. After seeing this, it’s easy to understand how a beach in Bikini Bottom is possible! That’s without mentioning the rays of light that come in from the jungle above (they make the craziest blue and green colors), ‘architecture’ of the caverns, coral fossils and perfectly cool water.

Luis de la Fuente a.k.a. ‘El Nono’ was our Argentinian guide for this trip and he did an amazing job. It was just us two and him, not a big group. He’s fun and, most importantly, made sure we had superbly safe dives. You can see his contact info by clicking here! 

Eat at the Local Taquerías (food tips)

Even though 5ta Avenida (a touristy pedestrian road with restaurants and shops) has amazing restaurants, we really recommend eating at other taquerias around the city. If you see carne al pastor hanging on the outside, you are set for a good meal. I marked a bunch of restaurants, mostly taquerias, on the map below! The small taqueria right on the corner outside of the ADO downtown was amazing!

In terms of food, we’ve hardly ever been happier. One of our motivations to go to Mexico was food! Always looking to stay within our budget, we stayed away from touristy areas, and it actually made the experience better. You can get the same Mexican food only 5 blocks from 5ta Avenida for half or even a third of the price, and it’s much more authentic. Our favorite meals during our trip were tacos (al pastor and chorizo), gringas, queso fundido, mole and mojitos!

What We Missed

  • Visit Chichen Itza. It’s one of the seven wonders of the world. You can go see a very ancient city, which includes a pyramid and the arena where the Maya used to play their ball game. We weren’t able to go, but if you love history and cultural places like this, you won’t want to miss out.
  • We will also be back to discover more climbing at the Cenotes. From some research we did before traveling, we noticed there is some great outdoor bouldering close to Playa del Carmen. Our trip ended up including more diving than climbing, but we will be back (hopefully during the winter) to climb. If you’re interested in this activity, we suggest you reach out and go to the climbing gym in Cancun called Boulder Corp. The only climbing we did was one day at this gym and it was spectacular!

Is this the best no-nonsense Playa del Carmen travel guide or what? But in all seriousness, I hope it was useful, and let us know if you have any other questions. We’d love to help!

Travel Guide

How to Get to Zipaquirá and the Salt Cathedral

Posted on February 9, 2021
how to get to zipaquirá, cómo llegar a zipaquirá

Zipaquirá is a town north of Bogotá known for its Salt Cathedral (more on that below!). We also know it as a great place to climb and bike! If you want to walk around and get to know the place or just do activities nearby, a visit is surely worth your while. This is how to get to Zipaquirá!

Click here to read our latest blog post!

How to Get to Zipaquirá

(See a map to get to Zipaquirá from Bogotá at the end of this post!)

In Public Transportation:

  1. First off, you need to get to Portal del Norte, where a lot of buses exit the city towards smaller towns to the north. It’s right on the Autopista (main highway), so you can get there on a taxi or on a Transmilenio (take pretty much any ‘B’ route, but especially B74, B75 and B13).
  2. Take a bus straight to Zipaquirá at Platform 2, South zone. Look for buses that say “Zipa.” The ride takes about 1 hour.

In a Car:

With a GPS: look for “Zipaquira” on Google Maps or Waze and follow the instructions.

Without a GPS:

  1. Exit Bogota headed north. Keep going, passing a toll, until you get to a bridge.
  2. Once at the bridge, do not cross the bridge. Keep right to go under it towards Chia.
  3. Right before Chia, you’ll get to another bridge. Go up the bridge, staying on the right to begin heading to Zipaquirá, and keep going that way.
  4. When you see a Homecenter, you’ll soon see a sign saying Zipaquirá is to the right. Go right shortly afterwards.
  5. When you get to yet another bridge, stay right following the signs to Zipaquirá and you’ll be there within a few minutes.

What to Do at Zipaquirá

Visit the Salt Cathedral

You may be asking yourself, “Is this a Cathedral made of salt?” Well, no. The Salt Cathedral is a Cathedral deep inside a salt mine right outside of Zipaquirá. Actually, it’s a very touristy attraction, but it is absolutely worth it. You get started walking into the dark salt mine, and it’s a treat from the start. My favorite part of walking inside is looking down into enormous black pits where you can spot workers continuing to mine salt in the most magnificent caverns I’ve ever seen. Of course, there’s also the Cathedral, which is pretty cool, but the real attraction is simply being inside such a huge, ancient mine. You can book tours here. There’s also a climbing wall right outside the mine! That takes us to the next point.

Climb

There’s a cliffside close to Zipaquirá that’s perfect for climbers of all levels! Access to Rocas del Abra is extremely easy and it has enough routes for a whole lot of sport climbing. I marked the spot on the map below. Make sure you pay before you enter and take care of the place. Access here has been blocked before by locals, so please make sure you don’t ruin everyone’s fun.

Bike

Zipaquirá is very hilly, one might even say mountainous, so it has cycling routes in every direction. Our favorite goes up to Páramo de Guerrero, and it’s a gorgeous ride the whole way. You can read about that ride here. Otherwise, we encourage you to explore Zipaquirá and its surrounding towns on a bike!

Walk around Town

If you’ve been to cities and towns in Colombia, you’ve probably realized every one of them has one, if not multiple plazas. Zipaquirá is one of those with multiple plazas. Walking through Zipaquirá is a lot of fun. You can see all the plazas, eat a whole bunch of typical food and visit museums (or so we’ve heard – we don’t love museums).

Some Things to Know

  • There is one toll from Bogota to Zipaquirá and none on the way back.

Now that you know how to get to Zipaquirá, definitely do so! There’s lots to do in the town and close by!

If you’d like to read about an amazing camping spot close to Zipaquirá, click here!

Travel Guide

THIS is Where to Climb in Choachi

Posted on August 29, 2019
where to climb in Choachi, how to get to Valle Escondido, climbing in Colombia, rock climbing close to Bogota, high altitude, hiking, hidden valley

It’s amazing how many epic places there are close to Bogota. I guess that’s what you get when you put a city in the middle of the mountains. When you drive through Bogota’s eastern mountain range, the landscape is absolutely striking! The area is home to one of the tallest waterfalls in the world and, much less known, some of Colombia’s most beautiful climbing areas with the most potential. Something cool about it is that they’re at a really high altitude – about 3,100 meters or 10,000 feet. This is where to climb in Choachi and how to get there!

If you’re looking to climb a lot in Colombia, we have a list of areas here!

Where to Climb in Choachi

*Note: the map to get to these areas from Bogotá is at the end of this post!

I recommend visiting these areas with a local on your first time because, I’ll be honest, getting to the climbing can be hard – the paths aren’t obvious at all. There also aren’t any great guide books.

Valle Escondido

The climbing at Valle Escondido (Hidden Valley) is amazing – long routes with overhangs, cracks and a gorgeous backdrop to boot. You can do sport or trad climbing, and a lot of routes are mixed. Since it’s a relatively new area, most climbs are pretty difficult, starting at 5.11 and going up to project-level difficulty. There are a few 5.10s, though. The potential here is outstanding, and there are climbs going up all the time! Please don’t leave trash, be a good citizen and pay your fee so the place doesn’t get closed off to us!

Agua Dulce

This is a newer, smaller area that’s really close to the road. All the climbing is sport, and there aren’t many routes. However, the climbs are absolutely gorgeous and the area isn’t as cold as Valle Escondido. It’s known for long, crimpy vertical routes with cruxes at the top. It’s honestly become one of our favorite climbing areas!

El Rinconcito

This is the newest, smallest climbing areas. If you’re wondering where to climb in Choachi, I’d recommend this one, especially from December to March, which are the dry seasons. The climbs are astounding, with a great variety of types of sport routes – and a ton of HARD climbing (13+). That I know, of there’s only one 5.10. Plus, the hike to get here and the scenery all day is gorgeous.

How to Get There

In Public Transportation:

  1. Take a Transoriente or Cootransfómeque bus from Bogota. You can grab them on Calle 6 with Avenida Caracas (see on map below). The trip costs about $10,000 Colombian pesos ($3.5 dollars) and lasts about an hour. You can grab the buses between 5:15 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. every day.
  2. For Valle Escondido, tell the driver you’ll be getting off at Valle Escondido or Cafe de los Gatos. After a while on the winding road, you’ll get to a spot where there are cliffs around you. About 30 seconds after you pass a bridge with road bumps before and after it, the entrance will be to your right with a small house and a trail leading up into the mountain. Take the trail up and down to the owner’s house to pay the entrance fee.
  3. For Agua Dulce, tell the driver you’ll be getting off at Cabaña Cuatro Elementos. You pay the entrance fee right in front at a small house, and then take a short hike up to the rocks.
  4. For El Rinconcito, tell the driver you’ll be getting of at Kilometer 11, where you’ll see a U-turn to the right. Walk on the dirt road until you see an obvious hiking path towards the right. Get on it and after that, I hope you’re with a local climber because the path is hard to describe in a blog post!

In a Car:

With a GPS: you can enter “Choachi, Valle Escondido” or “Agua Dulce Climb Zone” into Google Maps or Waze and follow the directions. For El Rinconcito, check out my map below or go with a local climber!

Without a GPS:

  1. Starting in Bogota, get on Calle 26 going East (towards the mountains) and follow it until it becomes Av. Circunvalar South.
  2. Going south, turn left where you see a sign towards Choachi. That left turn comes right after the Universidad Distrital campus.
  3. Not long afterwards, you’ll get to a sharp U-turn. Do the U-turn to stay on the main paved road instead of going straight into some bad neighborhoods.
  4. For Valle Escondido, you’ll eventually pass a bridge with road bumps before and after it. The entrance will be to your right with a small house and a trail leading up into the mountain. Park on either side of the road and take the trail up and down to the owner’s house to pay the entrance fee.
  5. For Agua Dulce, drive a little further down from Valle Escondido to Cabaña Cuatro Elementos. You pay the entrance fee at a small house, where you can also park (its on the map). Then take a short hike up to the rocks.
  6. For El Rinconcito, drive to Kilometer 11, where you’ll see a U-turn to the right. Take the dirt road until you see an obvious hiking path towards the right. You can park a little further on at a woman’s house, for about $6,000 pesos. Walk back to the path and after that, I hope you’re with a local climber because the path is hard to describe in a blog post!

More things to do around Choachi:

Go to La Chorrera

You can see Colombia’s tallest waterfall only about 10 minutes down the road going towards Choachi. It’s also the 6th tallest in South America and the 60th tallest in the WORLD! Ok, enough bragging about my country. If you want to check it out, read this blog post about the place, it’s totally worth a visit!

Hike

There are tons of trails here, but, as most in Colombia, they aren’t official at all! They have no signage, and I have no idea where they may lead, but they’re there! If you’re looking for a great place to hike, this is definitely it. You can ask Don Sinai for tips or just go and start walking. The area is beautiful!

Take Photos

Like I’ve said already, Valle Escondido is striking. To change it up, I’d describe it as eye-catching, impressive, memorable and stunning. So yea, definitely take a camera.

Some things to know:

  • Choachi is a town that’s very close to the climbing areas. People (and I) will very often refer to the climbing areas as Choachi, but the places actually have their own names.
  • Pack your trash out… take it back to Bogota! This way we make sure access doesn’t get denied to us!
  • The fee for Valle Escondido is $7,000 pesos per person, and I think this applies even if you’re only going to hike around. Parking costs about $5,000 per car down at Lucas’ house.
  • The fee for Agua Dulce is $6,000 pesos per person and 10,000 for parking.
  • The parking fee for El Rinconcito is $6,000 pesos and entering the climbing area is free, for now.
  • The best climbing guide is pictures local climbers have taken, so network a little and find yourself some obscure guides.
  • You’d do well to have a 70 meter rope and about 22 draws to climb without worries.
  • There are NO tolls between Bogota and any of the climbing!

Well, hopefully this shed some light as to where to climb in Choachi and how to get to Valle Escondido, Agua Dulce and El Rinconcito! Enjoy!

If you’re looking for places to hike, camp and enjoy the outdoors close to Bogota, read this blog post here!

Travel Guide

How to Get to Florian

Posted on June 7, 2019
how to get to florian, ventanas de tisquizoque, what to do, climbing in colombia, jungle

Kalymnos in Colombia. It has a nice ring to it. Florian is a small town in Santander, Colombia. 3 kilometers into the jungle is an enormous cave with a river flowing through it (it really rushes during the rainy season) and some stellar climbing inside of it. Though there’s only 1 cave with rock climbing, this place is known for its many caves carved into the side of the mountain. That’s why it’s called the Ventanas de Tisquizoque (Tisquizoque Windows). People come here just to camp, hike and climb. There’s also a number of other climbing areas further down the mountain, but of course the cave is the main attraction. You climb on some great limestone, stalactites and the weirdest-shaped holds. The place is worth a visit, it’s kind of mind blowing! This is how to get to Florian and the Tisquizoque Windows.

If you’re researching climbing areas in Colombia, we have the perfect list for you here!

How to get to Florian

*Note: the map to get to Florian from Bogotá is at the end of this post!

In Public Transportation:

  1. Go to Bogota’s main Bus Terminal or Northern Terminal and take a bus to Puente Nacional. One of the companies that offers the trip is “Reina.” If you’re not in Bogota, any main city will offer bus rides here or close to it.
  2. Once you’re in Puente Nacional, you’ll take a bus or car that will drop you off in Florian. They leave Puente Nacional from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. every 2 hours (but don’t count on them being punctual). They can drop you off at Florian or at the hostel on the way, which I’ll talk more about later.

In a Car:

With a GPS: enter “Florian, Santander” into Google Maps or Waze and follow the directions. Make sure your map sends you through Puente Nacional (as in the map below). There’s a shorter way, but it’s a terrible road.

Without a GPS (I really recommend having a GPS or a map to look at):

  1. In Bogota, drive north out of the city. Follow directions to Chia.
  2. After passing a big university on your left, stay right on the bridge right before entering Chia. After to see a Homecenter on your right, go right where there’s a sign towards Zipaquira and Ubate.
  3. Keep driving until you get to yet another bridge. Stay left and get on the bridge, which will take you to the right, following the sign to Ubate.
  4. Soon, you’ll get to a round-about. Take the second exit. It will end eventually, connecting to another road. Stay on this road, following signs towards Chiquinquira and Puente Nacional.
  5. Next, you have to go through Puente Nacional’s main plaza and head to the tiny town of Jesus Maria. From there, you turn at a really random left turn (marked on the map below) and it’s a straight shot to Florian on a mostly unpaved road.
  6. Again, I really recommend having a GPS because after Puente Nacional because there are barely any signs to help you get to your destination. What’s amazing is that Google has street view all the way to Florian!
  7. If you’re headed to the climber hostel, its 4 km before Florian when you see a red house on your right and a white one on your left.

If you’re looking places to hike, camp and enjoy the outdoors close to Bogota, read this blog post here!

Where to Stay

The best place to stay while you’re here is Refugio Munay, although there are some hostels in Florian. Refugio Munay was built very recently by climbers we know, for all kinds of travelers. There are some rooms with beds, but most people will be camping. The camping facilities have community bathrooms and a kitchen. Most importantly, the place is gorgeous. You camp in the middle of the mountains. This place is only 4 kilometers from Florian as you follow the instructions above!

What to do at Florian:

Climb

Obviously! The only reason you’re reading this is probably because you’re a climber! Anyway, the climbing here is all limestone, and everything used to be quite hard. Now that there’s been more development, there are more easy climbs, ranging from 5.9 to 5.14a. The climbing style here tends to be very overhung, pumpy and physical, especially in the cave. The newer zones are outside, on the side of the mountain, and are more vertical. There are a number of different areas, but the most popular is the large cave. Here’s a list of the zones:

  • El portón : 14 climbs from 5.10a – 5.13a
  • La guaca: 13 climbs from 5.11c -5.13b
  • La cueva del indio: 7 climbs from 5.11b – to projects.

Bike

Mountain biking around here, whether on the unpaved roads between tiny towns or on mountain trails, is spectacular. The views are gorgeous and the air is fresh and alpine-ish (Florian is 1800 meters, or 5,900 feet above sea level).

Waterfall Hopping

If you’re only here for the climbing, you’ll still get to see enough waterfalls. But if you’re into hiking and visiting beautiful spots, there are definitely enough waterfalls to visit. Get some exercise, have a picnic, and enjoy. Ask around at your hostels or around town for trails and waterfalls worth visiting!

Take Photos

Florian and its surroundings are extremely photogenic. It doesn’t take much to get some great shots!

Go Pond Hopping

Where there are waterfalls, there are ponds. Two great ponds for a nice swim are Charco Paila and Charco Azul. Even better, getting to them involves some pretty nice hikes. Ask around at the links I included right below to find out how to get there! Or you can just get the info or a guide while you’re there.

Some things to know:

  • One of Florian’s main men is named Miguel Angel Garcia, and this place is his baby. You can contact him if you’re thinking of heading to climb or do some tourism. His phone number is 3118709992.
  • You can also get more information about Florian and the climbing, by messaging this Facebook page or contact Refugio Munay here!
  • There are various climbing areas in Florian that are owned by individuals. Because of that, there are rules in some places, such as leaving before 6 pm, etc. Before you head over, talk to someone who knows the place to get your do’s and don’ts.
  • The road to Florian is mostly unpaved, but pretty much any car can make it when it’s dry. It’ll just be very bumpy. You can call Miguel Angel or Refugio Munay to ask about the road conditions.

So why go to Kalymnos now that you know how to get to Florian?! Ok, don’t answer that.

BUT, if you liked reading about this place, or went and loved it, you might like to know about our favorite climbing area in Colombia: La Mojarra!

Travel Guide

How to get to Matarredonda Ecological Park

Posted on October 10, 2018
outdoor adventures close to bogota, how to get to matarredonda ecological park, hiking, paramo, frailejon

Matarredonda Ecological Park (Parque Ecológico Matarredonda in Spanish) is a perfect place to rest from the city. It’s a beautiful, small and not very well-known park. It’s only 1 hour from Bogota (depending on where you are and the traffic) and is a gorgeous paramo with water everywhere and an easy hike. A paramo is an alpine ecosystem that only occurs close to the equator. One hike ends at a lake and another one goes to a lake and a waterfall. They’re both about an hour a half trek and are not very steep. This is how to get to Matarredonda Ecological Park.

La Chorrera, Latin America’s sixth tallest waterfall, is only 30 minutes from there! Click here to read how to get there!

How to get to Matarredonda Ecological Park

*The map to get to Matarredonda Ecological Park from Bogota is at the end of this travel guide.

On Public Transportation:

  1. Starting in Bogota, take a bus with the companies Transoriente or Cootransfómeque on Calle 6 with Av. Caracas (its on the map below). The bus costs $10,000 Colombian pesos ($3.5 USD), although it may be less because you aren’t going all the way to Choachi, and the trip lasts about an hour. Buses leave between 5:15 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. every day.
  2. Tell the bus driver you’re going to Parque Ecológico Matarredonda, which will be on your right (be watching for it in case the driver forgets).

In a Car:

With a GPS: enter “Matarredonda Ecological Park” into Google Maps or Waze and follow the directions.

Without a GPS:

  1. In Bogotá, look for Calle 26 going east (or towards the mountains) and stay on it following the signs to the Circunvalar.
  2. Then, follow the signs that indicate that Choachi is to the left. The road upwards begins right after an Universidad Distrital campus.
  3. A few minutes from there, the road makes a confusing U-turn. Be watching for it and stay on the main road.
  4. Stay on this road for about 30 minutes until you see the entrance to Matarredonda Ecological Park on your right.

What to do at Matarredonda Ecological Park

El Marquez del Once: this famous lookout point over Bogota is best known by the cyclists that climb up Bogota’s Eastern mountains every day. It is a great place to have breakfast before hiking or a late lunch after hiking a few hours. Make sure you get the classic Colombian agua-panela, cheese and arepa. See where it is on the map below.

Eat at the Entrance: just like at el Marquez del Once, you can eat at the park entrance, where theres a nice restaurant with traditional food. You might have to eat at one place on the way there and at the other on the way back!

Cerro Guadalupe: even closer to Bogota is Cerro Guadalupe, the mountain with the statue of the Guadalupe Virgin that’s across from Monserrate. Its a great place to visit after hiking the Matarredonda paramo. From Bogota, it’ll be on you right. From Matarredonda, it’ll be on your left. It’s marked on the map below for your convenience!

Stay all day: my recommendation for Matarredonda Ecological Park is to get there early (9 or 10 in the morning) to be able to do both hikes. At a slow pace, both hikes will take a maximum of 5 hours and they’re easy, so it’s worth getting to know them all. That way, you get some exercise, breathe a LOT of fresh air and can be back home by 4 or 5 to take it easy the rest of the day.

Some Things to Know:

–          Make sure you take cash to pay the bus and whatever you buy in places that don’t take your card.

–          There are no tolls on the way to Matarredonda Ecological Park.

–          Entering the park costs $8,000 pesos ($3 USD).

–          The park’s schedule is from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.

–          Camping costs 12,000 pesos ($4 USD) per person.

–          You don’t need a guide because the trails are very well developed.

–          Click here for a link to a map of the full two hikes.

–          For more information, call this number: 3178657320 or email vjmatarredonda@gmail.com.

I hope this helped you learn how to get to Matarredonda Ecological Park and that you go enjoy the place!

If you like hikes, I suggest you read this blog post on Chingaza National Park, one of Colombia’s most amazing national parks.

728*90