Choachi is a quaint town in the middle of
the mountains that tower over Bogotá. Only an hour and a half away from the
city, it’s a great place to get away and enjoy a whole lot of outdoors. Though
you can finish touring the town in half a day, the amount of activities to do around
here are more than enough. That includes, rock climbing, bungee jumping,
visiting Colombia’s tallest waterfall and more. This is how to get to Choachi
and what to do there!!
*Note:
the map to get to Choachi from Bogotá is at the end of this post!
In Public Transportation:
Go to Calle 6 with Avenida
Caracas (see on map below) in Bogota
and grab a Transoriente or Cootransfómeque bus. The trip costs $10,500
Colombian pesos ($3.5 dollars) and lasts about an hour and a half. Buses head
out from 5:15 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day.
Just stay on the bus all the
way to the Choachi terminal. If you’re getting off before, make sure you tell
your bus driver where you’re getting off.
Enjoy!
In a Car:
With
a GPS: enter “Choachi” into Google Maps or Waze and
follow the directions.
Without
a GPS:
In Bogota, get on Calle 26 going East (towards the mountains) and then Avenida Circunvalar headed south.
As you go south, turn left after an Universidad Distrital campus where there’s a sign pointing to Choachi.
After a bit, you’ll get to a sharp U-turn. Do the U-turn staying on the main paved road.
Follow the main road all the way to Choachi. There are no tolls!
This enormous waterfall is so close to Choachi – read more below!
What
to do in Choachi:
Climb
Some Rocks
The climbing close to Choachi is so great – it has so much potential. All you’ll find is sport climbing and some trad, and the routes are long and beautiful. Everything, from the drive in to looking backwards while climbing, is spectacular. You’re in the middle of a Hidden Valley (literally how the place is called), in a semi-alpine setting in the midst of clouds. Definitely worth a visit. Read how to get there here!
Check
out La Chorrera
The park that holds La Chorrera, Colombia’s tallest waterfall, is only about 25 minutes from Choachi. Getting there on a bus involves even more walking, but the entire trail is pretty easy and very rewarding. Somewhere in the middle, you can walk right behind an enormous waterfall called El Chiflón and the trail ends with the grand prize – La Chorrera, a 2,000 foot waterfall. Read our travel guide to this place here!
Bungee
Jumping
There’s a very well-known place to bungee
jump close to Choachi. They’re professional and it’s safe. I marked the place
on the map below, and the phone number on Google Maps is 3112630110!
Hot
Springs
Along one road heading out from Choachi, there
are a number of hotels with hot springs as the main attraction. It’s actually
very, very close to the bungee jumping spot. You can take your pick, but
Termales Santa Monica seems like the quaintest, nicest of the hotels around
there. I marked everything on the map below!
Some
things to know:
There are NO tolls between
Bogotá and Choachi!
People will always refer to
Choachi very broadly. The climbing area is about 30 minutes from town and is
called Valle Escondido (Hidden Valley), but people still just call it Choachi.
Make sure you take cash, because
few places will take credit or debit.
Now that you know how to get to Choachi,
what are you waiting for!? Go explore some.
We’d love to interact with you on social media! Check us out on Instagram and Facebook!
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!
*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:
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.
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.
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.
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:
Starting in Bogota, get on Calle 26 going East (towards the mountains) and follow it until it becomes Av. Circunvalar South.
Going south, turn left where you see a sign towards Choachi. That left turn comes right after the Universidad Distrital campus.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Have you heard of Monserrate? It’s a church
on top of the mountains that overlook Bogota. EVERYONE goes there. And you
should too! But if you’ve been there, I’m sure you’ve seen the enormous statue
on the mountain peak across from Monserrate. This place is called Cerro de Guadalupe
(Guadalupe Hill) or Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Parish of our
Lady of Guadalupe). It has a road all the way to the top and, in my opinion,
has a better view of the entire city of Bogota! To use a cliché, this place is
the road less traveled. If you want to get to know a place not even very many
Colombians know, this is definitely the spot. This is how to get to Cerro de
Guadalupe!
How to get to Cerro de Guadalupe
*The
map to get to Cerro de Guadalupe from Bogota is at the end of this post!
In Public Transportation:
In Bogota, take a Transoriente
or Cootransfómeque bus on Calle 6 with Avenida Caracas (see on the map below). The trip should cost less than $10,000
Colombian pesos ($3.5 dollars) and last about 45 minutes. Buses leave between 5:15
a.m. and 8:00 p.m. every day.
Tell the bus driver you’re
going to the entrance to Cerro de Guadalupe (“la entrada al Cerro de Guadalupe,”
in Spanish). Be looking for signs on the road anyway because the driver may
forget.
When you get off, a long, steep
walk up to the mountain peak and statue awaits you.
If you’re going on a Sunday,
which is when the place gets really crowded for catholic mass, you can take a
bus all the way up for $2,000 pesos. Grab the bus at Carrera 10 with Calle 6 (I
marked it on the map below).
In a Car:
With
a GPS: enter “Cerro de Guadalupe” in Google Maps or
Waze and follow the instructions. I recommend using a map because getting out
of downtown Bogota can be confusing!
Without
a GPS:
In Bogota, get on Calle 26 East (towards the mountains) and follow it until it becomes the Av. Circunvalar. The Circunvalar is a road that snakes along the outer edge of Bogota by the mountains.
Headed south, turn left where you see a sign towards Choachi. That left turn comes right after the Universidad Distrital campus.
After a few minutes, there will be a sharp U-turn. Do the U-turn to stay on the main paved road instead of continuing straight.
Follow this main road towards Choachi until you see a sign pointing to the right towards Cerro de Guadalupe.
Drive up the very steep road all the way to an informal parking lot, and then walk the remainder of the way through some restaurants and up to the statue and parish.
Don’t expect an all-out restaurant up here.
What you can expect is a bunch of different stands that sell a huge variety of
typical Colombian food. I’ll give you a list of things you can ask for: arepa,
almojabana, hen (I know, that’s a little weird), agua de panela, pony malta and
tomato chips. The list could go on, but with this, you’ll at least get a good
taste of all my favorite typical treats (except hen – I included it because
it’s different and worth trying).
Bike:
Yes, I did say the road up to the Statue is
extremely steep. I also did just say you should bike up here. So many
Colombians are so good at biking, that hundreds of people bike up to Cerro de
Guadalupe every weekend to do some exercise, get a good view and, if they’re
about it, go to church. If you’re a really good cyclist, I encourage you to try
it out and understand why Colombians do so well in mountain stages in cycling
races like the Tour de France.
Take
pictures:
Like I said, I think Cerro de Guadalupe has
a better view of the entire city of Bogota than Monserrate. That being said,
it’s hard not to take out a camera and start snapping shots. Panoramic shots
are amazing, as you can capture entire cumulus cloud filtering rays of light
onto the city. A portrait shoot up here would be great too, actually!
Some
things to know:
Security at Cerro de Guadalupe
used to be a concern, but not so much anymore. Still, the place can be lonely,
so be wise, don’t show off expensive things and be wary of suspicious people.
Make sure you take cash,
especially small bills to pay buses and shops/services that can’t take your
card (most places).
The bus ride from Calle 6 with
Avenida Caracas will cost less than $10,000 pesos or $3.5 dollars per person.
On Sundays, the ride from Carrera 10 with Calle 6 costs $2,000 pesos, or 65
cents.
The road up to the Statue and
parish is VERY steep.
Sundays are very crowded for
mass at 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon. On the first Sunday of each
month, mass is at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon.
Number of tolls between Bogota
and Cerro de Guadalupe: none!
I hope this blog post helped you learn how
to get to Cerro Guadalupe, or Guadalupe Hill!
Colombia’s tallest waterfall is further down the road, passing Cerro de Guadalupe towards Choachi. Read about La Chorrera here!
As it turns out, “the world’s most beautiful paramo” (an alpine ecosystem in the Andes) is right next to “Boyaca’s most beautiful town!” Really, the Oceta Paramo and Mongui are known for that, respectively. Just knowing that makes Mongui a place to go, especially in December when the streets light up with millions of Christmas lights. A random fact: 25% of Colombia’s supply of balls comes from Mongui. So if you need a ball and want to travel, Mongui is the perfect place. This is how to get to Mongui.
*The map to get to Mongui from Bogota is at the end of this post!
In a car
With a GPS (highly recommended): type in “Mongui, Boyaca” in Waze or Google Maps and follow the directions.
Without a GPS:
Exit Bogota heading north. Stay on the main road, following the signs to Tunja or Sogamoso when the road may split.
Right before Tunja, stay on your left. The road will split in two and the left-side road will take you to Sogamoso instead of straight into the heart of Tunja. There are signs, so be watching for them!
Stay on this road, following signs to Sogamoso. You’ll go straight through Paipa. Stay on the main road.
You will soon get to a round-about where a sign will indicate that you can go towards Tibabosa or Nobsa. Take the second exit, towards Nobsa, and stay on the main road.
The exit to go up the mountain to Mongui will be on your right. The sign is right between the fork in the road, so be watching. It is right after a restaurant with blue windows.
Drive up the windy road. From here on out I suggest you use the map below, because this could get confusing. When you get to the fork in the road with a virgin’s statue in the middle, go right and drive all the way to the Mongui’s main plaza.
On Public Transportation
Go to Bogota’s Bus Terminal (search Terminal de Transporte on Google Maps or Waze) and take a bus from there to Sogamoso. It will cost about $25,000 Colombian pesos or $8.50 USD.
Once you get to Sogamoso’s bus terminal, take a bus from there to Mongui.
The bus drops you off at the main plaza.
What to do in Mongui:
Hike to the Laguna Negra (Black Lagoon) and the Ocetá Paramo:
As I said before, the Oceta Paramo is known as the world’s most beautiful paramo. Now, I haven’t been to all of the world’s paramos, but this one is the most beautiful I’ve seen. You can get there and to the Laguna Negra walking from Mongui or in a car, going around the mountain. We’ve camped 3 nights there and they have been some of the best camping nights in my life. You have to see this place, even if it’s on a day trip. We actually have an entire blog post dedicated to the lagoon. Click here to read how to get to the Laguna Negra!
Buy some balls:
Mongui makes 25% of Colombia’s balls and exports even more. At the main plaza, at least one in every four shops has balls hanging inside and outside the buildings. They’re really good, handmade, and the perfect souvenir with which to remember the town.
Go to Lake Tota:
Lake Tota is Colombia’s biggest lake, so it’s worth giving it a visit on your trip to or from Mongui. My recommendation is you go on the way to or back because it’s a good 50 km (30 miles) from Mongui and it can be a full-day activity. You can have a picnic, eat at a restaurant, walk around, fish, etc. You can also camp there, and let me tell you – the sunsets and sunrises at Lake Tota are dreamy! You have to take your camera.
Relax, walk around, be a tourist:
Other blogs will recommend you just sit back and relax in Mongui. And I would have to agree because it is so calm and quaint. What I disagree with is that there isn’t anything to do. Please, if there are mountains around you there’s lots to do! And relaxing and resting is so much more gratifying after an adventure.
Some things to know:
– The drive to Mongui takes about 3.5 hours.
– If you’re going to walk from Mongui to the Laguna Negra, I recommend you hire a guide because they know how to deal with locals who don’t like tourists.
– Make sure you take cash to pay for the products and services you can’t pay with your card (most things).
– Mongui’s famous balls are handmade.
– Lake Tota is about 50 km, or 30 miles, from Mongui.
– There are 3 tolls from Bogota to Mongui.
I hope this has helped you learn how to get to Mongui and that it motivates you to visit this lovely town!
If you’re interested in visiting a fun town close to Bogota, read this blog post on how to get to Suesca.
One of the most popular dams close to Bogota is the Neusa dam. Only an hour and a half away from Bogota, this dam makes for a great spot for outdoor activities and is especially well-known for its camping. What’s best about this place is that it’s so dam big that even though it’s a popular spot, it doesn’t feel saturated with people. Here’s how to get to the Neusa Dam and some things you should know about it!
You can find the map to get to the Neusa Dam at the bottom of this post!
In Public Transportation:
In Bogota, make your way to the Portal del Norte, which is a bus station in the north of the city (you can plan your route there from your location on Google Maps).
Take a bus to Zipaquira, which will cost about $5,000 COP ($1.70 USD). Once you’re there, ask for a bus that will take you straight to the Neusa Dam. This one costs about $4,000 COP ($1 USD). Both buses, and actually all buses, will have signs attached to their windshields saying where they are headed.
After climbing up the road to the Neusa Dam, the bus will drop you off at the entrance, where there’s a fork in the road to go left or right. To the left about 1 kilometer, you’ll find the Dam’s administration, where you pay, and then one of the camping areas, called “Chapinero,” with 5 camping spots if you keep going. To the right, you’ll find the other camping area, called “Laureles,” with 7 camping spots. The camping to the right is more popular because of the pine forests. We recommend zone 4 of Laureles.
In a Car:
With a GPS: type in “Embalse Neusa Park” on Waze or Google Maps and follow the directions.
Without a GPS:
In Bogota, drive north on the Autopista and leave the city. Keep heading north until you reach the first bridge. Don’t go over it. Follow directions to Chia, taking a road to the right, which will then curve to the left, under the bridge.
Stay on this road until the next bridge. Go over this bridge, staying on the right. Continue on this road until you see a Homecenter on your right. Shortly after, you’ll take a right where there’s a sign for Zipaquira and Ubate.
Stay on this road until you get to a bridge. Stay on your left to go over the bridge, which will take you to the right, following the sign to Ubate.
Shortly afterwards, you’ll run into a round-about. Take the second exit. This road is adjacent to the main road, but much quicker. When it runs back into the main road, get on it to the right.
Soon, you’ll see a sign that says “Embalse del Neusa 14km.” There, get on the left and do a U-turn where the road allows it (in Spanish it’s a retorno). The entrance to go up to the Neusa Dam is the first entrance to the right after the U-turn.
From there, just follow the main road and you’ll reach the main entrance of the Neusa Dam!
At the entrance, there’s a fork in the road to go left or right. To the left about 1 kilometer, you’ll find the Dam’s administration, where you pay, and then one of the camping areas, called “Chapinero,” with 5 camping spots if you keep going. To the right, you’ll find the other camping area, called “Laureles,” with 7 camping spots. The camping to the right is more popular because of the pine forests.
Find a picnic, or camping spot and park right next to it!
Camping at the Neusa Dam costs $60,000 pesos (15 USD) per person, and you can stay up to 3 nights with this. If you’re camping, you don’t have to pay an additional entrance fee. Don’t throw away your receipt, since park authorities will ask for it every night.
The entrance fee to the park for day-trips costs $6,000 pesos ($1.5 USD) for Colombians and $13,500 pesos ($4 USD) for foreigners.
To see all the prices for everything (cabins, fishing, grill, etc.), go to this link.
Some things to know:
Make sure you have cash, especially small bills for buses.
The Neusa Dam is open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm for people going just for the day. Service hours for camping are from 8:30 am to 10:00 pm. The dam is open every day except Monday, or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday, to allow the environment a day to recover from the crowds.
This park is pet friendly.
If you have a boat or kayak, and a license to use it at the Neusa Dam, which you can get for free at the Ministry of Transport in Bogota, you can use it and go fishing in the dam. Each day of boat-use costs $26,500 COP ($9 USD).
The rainiest seasons are April to June and October to November.
What to do at the Neusa Dam:
The challenge: take a bike with you and bike around the dam! There’s a road that goes the whole way around the dam. Whichever way you go (left or right when you get to the dam), you’ll bike along an unpaved road until you enter Tausa, a nearby town, and then make your way to the unpaved road on the other side of the dam to continue your trek and make it back. If you’re up for the challenge of challenges, ride your bike from Bogota, ride around the dam, and then ride back!
Camp: the Neusa Dam is most well-known for its camping. That’s because in a country where there is a tiny amount of infrastructure for outdoor activities, this place is a breath of fresh air. The roads, though unpaved, are easy to drive along, and you don’t have to hike to your camping spot – you can park your car right next to your tent, only 15 meters from the water’s edge. It’s comfortable but still adventuresome, which means it draws crowds.
Pack for comfort: I say this because my brother and I didn’t do it right. We had little food, no fire, no warm place to sit while still outside of the tent, BUT we did have a thermos full of hot coffee. We’re used to camping simply, hours from the car. But we realized you can take a lot of things with you when you’re right next to your car. Take anything you need, such as to make a big fire, two foldable chairs, a guitar, a harmonica, TWO thermoses of hot coffee and lots of food.
Take pictures: especially at dawn. The place is beautiful, but at dawn there’s fog over the water, birds flying around, and the water is so still that everything is almost perfectly reflected.
Another ridiculously beautiful place, where you can also camp, is La Chorrera. This place is a must, since it houses Colombia’s tallest waterfall. It’s also only an hour and a half from Bogota!
