Browsing Tag

map

Travel Guide

The Most Enjoyable Cycling Climbs Close to Bogotá

Posted on November 13, 2020
most enjoyable cycling climbs close to Bogotá

If you follow cycling at all, you’ll know Colombians are famous for being the best climbers. If you didn’t, now you know! It’s honestly no surprise with the amount of mountains we have here. It’s hard to go out for a ride and keep away from steep hills. Now, we’re no pros, but we’ve been on our fair share of extremely fun rides with really enjoyable climbs. These are our favorite and the most enjoyable cycling climbs close to Bogotá! Read to the end for our favorite! I marked all their starting points on the map below.

If you’d like to read about outdoor adventures close to Bogota, click here!

The Most Enjoyable Cycling Climbs Close to Bogotá

Club de la Montaña

If you really don’t want to leave the city, this is the climb for you! It is pretty far north (Calle 183), but it’s truly ideal. After entering a pretty nice neighborhood, you get to an unpaved road. The first two curves are the hardest, and then it’s up and up. The climb is a total of 1.1 kilometers at an 8% gradient. It’s not long, so it’s a good way to start biking or start acclimatizing to Bogota’s altitude. We enjoy going when there isn’t much time and do the climb 3 or 4 times.

Alto el Vino

As you head west from Bogotá on Calle 80, it’s mostly flat… for a little while. If you can withstand the traffic getting out of the city, a beautiful climb awaits you about an hour and a half out. The uphill section is 3.9 kilometers at an average 5.5% gradient. Not super tough, but a nice way to cap off the ride! BONUS: now, from the top of Alto del Vino, you can ride down the windy road to La Vega. Quite good cyclists do this, because the climb up back from there is 29 kilometers at a 5.7% average gradient.

Patios

This is probably the best-known cycling climb close to Bogota because it is literally in Bogota. You start right in the middle of the city, on the intersection between Calle 85 and Carrera 7 (I marked it on the map below). The climb is 6.5 kilometers at an average 7% gradient. This road gets really crowded, and it’s shared with cars, so I suggest getting up very early for it (starting the climb at 6 a.m.).

La Valvanera

This climb is in Chia, a town right outside of Bogota headed north. It’s absolutely beautiful, and makes for great exercise. It’s a 3.6 kilometer slope at a 5.4% gradient. What’s great about riding here is the amount of gorgeous routes that connect to each other, like La Valvanera does. If you’re going to do this climb, I suggest you get on Strava or a similar app and make up a route. Do note there are indigenous communities who sometimes block the roads around Chia. If this is the case, simply turn around!

Pionono

Let it be known, this is by far the hardest climb we’ve done yet. At one point, it has a 32% gradient!! It’s incredible though! You have to get to Sopó, a town known for Alpina and being a weekend getaway. Then, you get an insane hill right off the start, and it doesn’t ease up all that much until you get to the Pionono Ecological Park. All in all, it’s about 4 kilometers at an average 14.7% gradient. Not for the faint of heart, but SO worth it!

El Verjón

This is one of the most enjoyable cycling climbs close to Bogota! Actually, it’s Lala’s favorite. It starts off in downtown Bogota, right next to the ticket office to go up to Monserrate. What’s great about this ride is you immediately feel like you’re in nature because, well, you really are. This cycling climb is longer, but not quite as tough: 16 kilometers at a 4% gradient. You can choose to ride another 4 kilometers to Col 86, with some ups and downs, which is where the road down to Choachí begins. BONUS: if you ride all the way down to Choachí to ride back up, you’re in for a treat. That climb is very difficult, at 22.5 kilometers and a 6% gradient, but is truly breathtaking!

Yerbabuena

Now this is my favorite place to ride uphill on a bike close to Bogota! It’s just barely outside of the city headed north, and we enjoy it so much because it’s never as crowded as other popular spots and is simply very green. At just 3.5 kilometers and a 9% gradient, it’s just perfect for a quick ride, or you can pair it with a bunch of other routes north of the city!

Don’t hesitate to do these enjoyable cycling climbs close to Bogota! They’re tough, but with a little bit of grit, anyone can do them. Biking is an incredible way to burn a bunch of calories and get to know new places while you’re at it.

If you liked this blog post, you can support us by following us on YouTube!

Travel Guide

The Best Way to Get to Páramo de Santurbán

Posted on October 29, 2020
best way to get to páramo de santurbán

The Páramo de Santurbán is a massif. I love that word because it makes me think of massive, and that is exactly what this páramo is. (What is a páramo?) Its rocky formations are astounding. Off the start, I’ll encourage you to visit Páramo de Santurbán without a guide or with a local guide. I think that’s the best way to get to Páramo de Santurbán and truly enjoy your time. More on that below!

Click here to read about a new climbing area close by!

How to Get to Páramo de Santurbán

(See a map to get to Páramo de Santurbán from Bucaramanga at the end of this post!)

In Public Transportation:

  1. Take a Flota Cáchira bus at carrera 16 #24-50 in Bucaramanga. It costs $22,000 pesos and takes you straight to Vetas, a town in the middle of the páramo.
  2. This place is so large that you’ll find entrances to lots of paths to the páramo and its lagoons before and after Vetas.

In a Car:

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

Without a GPS:

  1. Beginning at Megamall, exit Bucaramanga headed towards Cúcuta. When you reach the roundabout, take the first exit towards Berlin.
  2. Once you get to Berlin, take a left when you see the Berlin Police Station. This road will take you straight to Vetas, which happens to be right next to California! Go figure… Berlin and California. The road is unpaved.

What to Do at Páramo de Santurbán

Visit its Lagoons

What the Páramo de Santurbán has is lagoons! You can see lagoons everywhere just looking at the area on Google Maps, and a lot of them are quite close to the road. The easiest ones to get to are Laguna Pajarito and Laguna Las Calles, only 3 kilometers from Vetas, and Laguna Negra, which I marked on the map below. No guide is necessary for the hike to Laguna Negra, since there are red rocks marking the path to the lagoon. And that’s just 3 of 57 lagoons you can visit!

¿Access with or without a Guide?

There are some long hikes unknown to tourists, as well as short, easily hikable trails, like the hike to Laguna Negra. For this reason, I would say definitely try to visit without a guide if you’re there for a day trip, or at least hire completely local guides. If you do need a guide or simply need information, you can contact the following agencies from the region:

Some Things to Know

  • There are a lot of access points to different hikes within the Páramo de Santurban. Each one may have different owners, so be aware you may have to pay various entry fees depending on where you go (usually about $3 USD).
  • The road to Vetas may be difficult for low or old cars.
  • Vetas is the highest municipality above sea level in Colombia!
  • Some areas, such as the Laguna Negra, have a limit of people allowed inside in a day.
  • Carry cash, since few places will accept card payments and getting cash is extremely complicated in the area.
  • The cell service that connects best is Claro.

This is the best way to get to Páramo de Santurbán: with local guides or alone, ready to hike a lot and get to know new places! It’s definitely an amazing ecosystem!

If you want to read about what there is to do close to Tona and Vetas, click here!

Travel Guide

What to Do in Tona, Santander

Posted on October 24, 2020
what to do in Tona, Santander

Just 2 hours from Bucaramanga is a tiny town in the middle of the mountains called Tona. “Middle of the mountains” could not be a fairer description. People in the area are mainly farmers, and the town is not that well known, but tourism has recently been on the rise. For example, there are a ton of quaint hostels you can visit, hikes you can go on and, most importantly for us, a climbing area with crazy potential! Learn more and get motivated to visit below… this is what to do in Tona, Santander.

Read about the climbing and adventures close to Tona here!

How to get to Tona, Santander

*Note: the map to get to Tona from Bucaramanga is at the end of this post!

In Public Transportation:

  1. Take a bus straight to Tona from Plaza Guarin in Bucaramanga (I marked it on the map). Buses leave at 6, 7, and 11 a.m. and 1, 3 and 5 p.m.

In a Car:

With a GPS: enter “Tona, Santander” into Google Maps or Waze and follow the directions.

Without a GPS:

  1. In Bucaramanga, start your trip at Megamall taking the road to Cúcuta.
  2. At kilometer 18, you’ll run into a roundabout. Take the second exit towards Tona.
  3. Follow this road, which is pretty beat up, all the way straight to Tona. There are no tolls.
A little video of our time in Tona!

What to do in Tona, Santander:

Rock Climb!

This is why we traveled to Tona in the first place. Our friend, Silvio, found a crag with incredible climbing potential, so he bought some land and moved there to start his project of building a hostel and developing the climbing, all while contributing to the local economy. Why he moved is understandable – he lives in the midst of gorgeous valleys and rivers just below the paramo, and every sunset is spectacular. Clouds are constantly rolling in, giving the landscape and ever-changing personality. There are already a good few routes and probably hundreds waiting to be bolted. Definitely get to know this place! Silvio’s hostel is called La Antigua Floresta and you can read all about it by clicking here!

what to do in Tona, Santander, how to get

Enjoy all the Hostels

Though tourism is still developing in the area, you’d be surprised at the amount of hostels there are around here! They’re perfect for a weekend getaway. I’ll just name them and you can take care of the rest: La Antigua Floresta, Casa Tona, Cabaña de Lobos, Hostal la Montaña, Refugio Piedra Parada and Guatoque, just to name a few!

Páramo de Santurbán

First, what is a páramo? It’s an alpine ecosystem that you can only find on mountains close to the equator. The Páramo de Santurbán is very well known because it has some absolutely gorgeous rocky formations and beautiful lagoons. Plus, it’s quite close to Bucaramanga. If you’re staying close to Tona or even Bucaramanga, the trip to hike here is absolutely worth it.

Valle de Totona

This valley close to La Antigua Floresta and Tona is said to be similar to the famous Cocora Valley, also in Colombia. It has tall palm trees, and, of course, includes the beautiful hike to get there. Definitely do not miss out!

Mountain Biking

Being in the mountains, of course there are going to be a lot of paths for mountain biking. You can even ride along the royal road, which is a very old road that indigenous communities made from sections of an ancient riverbed. The ride from Bucaramanga to the roundabout and then Tona is very popular among cyclists, but it is very hard. The amount of kilometers isn’t anything otherworldly, but almost all of them are an uphill climb.

Some things to know:

  • You can contact Silvio, our friend and local guide, for more information about Tona and his hostel, La Antigua Floresta. Call or WhatsApp him at (321) 389-9107. Or you can message his Instagram pages, which are La Antigua Floresta and Escalada Tona. Might as well drop him a follow while you’re at it!
  • The roads close to Tona, Santander are not all paved, but unless you have an old, low car, you should be fine almost everywhere.
  • There are no tolls between Bucaramanga and Tona.
  • Make sure you take cash, because few places will take credit or debit.

Tona may not be very well known, and that’s exactly why you should visit. Now that you know what to do in Tona, go get to know some very special, personal experiences and contribute to the area’s micro-tourism!

Read about another beauty of the region, La Mojarra, 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