Very close to the Neusa Dam is another smaller dam that is also great for camping, walking, fishing and simply enjoying nature. It’s called the Parque Embalse el Hato, or Hato Dam Park. This place is a little further from Bogota (about 2 hours). However, since it’s small, it can feel more crowded even though there aren’t that many people. It also seems to attract a different crowd than the Neusa Dam. During our experience, there was loud music until 1 am and drunken singing until 3 am. This is based on one visit, and I try not to judge, but I would still recommend the Neusa Dam over this place. Despite that, we’ll always remember the Hato Dam dearly because Lala and I GOT ENGAGED HERE!! There’s also lots to do around Ubate, the closest town. This is how to get to Parque Embalse el Hato.
Find out how to get to the Neusa Dam here!
How to get to Parque Embalse el Hato
*Note: the map to get to Embalse el Hato from Bogota is at the end of this post!
In Public Transportation:
- Go to Bogota’s Terminal de Transporte (Main Bus Terminal) and take a bus to Ubate. The bus companies that have a route there are Expreso Gaviota, Flota San Vicente and Rápido El Carmen.
- Once you get to Ubate, ask around at the bus terminal for transportation to Parque Embalse el Hato. If that doesn’t work, go to Ubate’s main plaza, find the government building or a tourism company and get them to help you out. You could also walk to the dam, but it would take 1 to 1.5 hours.
In a Car:
With a GPS: enter “Parque Embalse el Hato” into Google Maps or Waze and follow the directions.
Without a GPS:
- In Bogota, exit the city headed north.
- Stay on the highway following the signs to Chia. Shortly after a toll, you’ll head right to go under a bridge.
- At the next bridge, stay right on the bridge and follow this road until you see a Homecenter on the right. Then, turn right where you see a sign to Zipaquira and Ubate.
- Stay left to cross the next bridge, following signs to Ubate.
- Not long afterwards, you’ll get to a round-about. Take the second exit and stay on this road, which will take you through Sutatausa, all the way to Ubate.
- When you’re right outside of Ubate, you’ll get to a round-about. Take the second exit towards downtown Ubate.
- When you get to a fork in the road, go left on the road that doesn’t have a stoplight. Stay on that road until Calle 5 and turn left onto it, where there’s a red store called Almacen Montevideo.
- Go until you cross a bridge, where the road ends, and turn left again.
- From here, stay on the main road until you see a white sign that points to Embalse el Hato to the left. Head left and you’ll arrive in a few minutes!
If you’re bored of the city, here’s a list of outdoor activities to do close to Bogota!
What to do at Embalse el Hato:
Camp
Just like the Neusa Dam, most people come here to camp with friends and family. Camping costs $21,500 Colombian pesos or about $7 dollars. This fee covers up to 3 consecutive nights of camping! The area is pretty new, but has a good bit of amenities. There’s actually a bathroom with toilet paper! Also, starting random campfires is prohibited. If you want fire and warmth, you have to use a kind of grill structure they rent out to people. I listed the prices of everything below, but you can also find prices at this link (which is in Spanish, though), where you can also rent a cabin room if you’d rather not camp.
Colfrance
My family has a tradition while we’re traveling back from Villa de Leyva of stopping at Colfrance. Ubate is known for its milk, and Colfrance is known for everything that has to do with dairy. And it’s French. We always get a glass of milk and a pandeyuca, and people look at us funny. You can also get sausages, coffee, cheese, desserts and lots of typical Colombian foods. It’s right outside of Ubate and worth a visit! I marked it on the map below.
Cerro de Chegua
A whole lot of hikes in Colombia and around the world end with a cross at the summit. One summit close to Embalse el Hato has an actual church, or sanctuary, on top of it, and it’s a very significant landmark of Ubate. You can get pretty close to it in a car and then you have to hike about half a kilometer. The sanctuary is nice, but the view is what’s truly beautiful.
Some Things to Know:
- Towards the end of the trip, the road towards Embalse el Hato becomes unpaved, but is in good enough conditions for any car.
- Take cash, because very few restaurants, stores, etc. will take your credit or debit card!
- You’ll pay 3 tolls on your trip: two on the way there and one on the way back to Bogota.
- The park is closed on the first business day of every week.
- Schedule: Tuesday to Sunday 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. You can arrive to camp until 6:00 PM Tuesday to Thursday and until 9:00 PM Friday to Sunday and Holidays.
- It costs $5,500 pesos ($2 dollars) for citizens to enter the park and $10,500 pesos ($4 dollars) for foreigners.
- Camping costs $21,500 Colombian pesos ($7 dollars) and pays for 3 successive nights of camping. If you pay for camping, you don’t have to pay the entrance fee.
- Parking costs $3,000 pesos for cars and $2,000 pesos for motorcycles (about $1 and $0.75) , only if you’re there for the day. If you’re camping, there is no parking fee.
- Renting a grill structure costs $5,000 pesos ($1.5 dollars).
We hope this helps you find out how to get to Parque Embalse el Hato, and that it motivates you to go!
Another place that’s pretty close to Ubate, and is actually closer to Bogota, is Sutatausa. There, you can rock climb, hike and camp. Read about how to get to Sutatausa here!
