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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!

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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

What to do in San Andres, Tourism Edition

Posted on August 22, 2018
travel couple, what to do in San Andres, Tourism Edition, Johnny Cay, Baywatch

San Andres is a great vacation spot. You can go for an adventuresome time, for one of those experiences that leave you more tired and fulfilled than ever. Or you can go relax, sunbathe and drink coconut water all day long. And why not both? I think adventurers are the best at relaxing. If you want to read the adventure edition, click here, but this is what to do in San Andres, Tourism Edition.

If you like adventure, you can read what to do in San Andres, Adventure Edition here! There, you will also find out how to get to San Andres and some things to know.

Note: you can see the locations of all these places in the map at the end of this post!

What to do in San Andres, Tourism Edition

  1. Scuba Dive or Snorkel.

This activity is also on the list of adventures because, no matter who you are and what you like, you have to scuba dive or snorkel in San Andres. The best thing about San Andres is its sea – they call it the sea of seven colors for a reason. And what better way to enjoy that sea than getting to know it underwater? Scuba diving changes lives. It opens your mind to a new and different world that, once you experience it, is not that frightening.

For scuba diving, I recommend you do it with Sharky Dive Shop, a scuba shop I know and love. If you have the time, I also recommend taking the full course because it certifies you to scuba dive alone anywhere in the world without paying the course again, only the service. On the other hand, if you take a mini-course, you’ll have to take it again the next time you want to scuba dive.

If scuba diving just doesn’t sound like it’s your thing, you can always go snorkeling. Snorkeling is using a mask, snorkel and fins to float on the water looking down. You breathe through the snorkel, which is a tube that sticks out of the water. That way, especially with San Andres’ crystal-clear water, you’ll experience the underwater world from the surface. For guided snorkeling in San Andres, you can contact our friend and guide specialist, Konan. His telephone number is (317) 518-0579 and his e-mail is konanparadise@gmail.com

Just some of what you’ll do!

  1. A Tour of Johnny Cay and the Aquarium.

A very touristy trip that’s worth going on is the full day at Johnny Cay and the Aquarium. Ask your hotel or someone you know about the tour, and they may be able to get you a better deal than if you book the tour directly at the dock. The tour begins at 9:30 a.m. with a boat-ride to Johnny Cay, which is close to San Andres. It has beautiful beaches, good food, good vibes and lots of iguanas. You’ll want to eat there, since the boat heads out to the Aquarium at 2 p.m. At the Aquarium, which is another Cay that’s known for its crystal-clear water and white sand, you can snorkel or just sunbathe. You’ll have to take your equipment to snorkel; the guides only rent out masks for $10,000 Colombian pesos (about $3.5 USD). There is also an activity in which you can feed Sting Rays! Then, all that’s left is the boat ride back to San Andres.

  1. Go Shopping Downtown.

This is probably the most touristy thing you can do in San Andres. Even I do it, and I don’t like shopping. The thing is, everything is cheaper here because there is no import tax or value-added tax. So it’s worth buying things. The most inexpensive deals you can find in San Andres are on perfume, but it’s also worth it to buy candy, alcohol and clothes.

  1. San Andres’ Big Pond.

San Andres has a hill in the middle of the island, where you can go visit a lagoon called the ‘Big Pond.’ The Pond is not a natural spring, it is naturally collected rain water and is surrounded by coconut trees. When you get there, you’ll be assigned a guide. Each guide offers a slightly different tour experience: with Gustavo, we got to know his spectacular house, drink fresh coconut water and feed the caimans. With Ferdinand, we fed the caimans (and touched them!), saw the hermaphrodite tree, ate mangoes and got lizards to bite our ears and hang like earrings. It’s a beautiful natural area, and worth a trip.

  1. Beaches

If you’re wondering what the best beaches in San Andres are, I can help! I recommend you visit Rocky Cay and the San Luis beaches, which are all on the east side of the island. Another popular and beautiful beach is the Spratt Bight beach, which you’ll run into as you enter downtown from the east. There’s a Juan Valdez and el Corral, two classic Colombian restaurants, right by the beach for you to try them out. It’s a great spot!

Finally, I have the best contact for you: a driver who has a big car to transport lots of bags, lots of people or both! His name is Julio Machado and he’s an awesome guy. His contact: (316) 622 8720 or (311) 874 6749.

I hope this blog post helped you learn what to do in San Andres, tourism edition!

If you’re interested in getting to know another amazing spot on the Colombian coast, you can read about Taganga!

Travel Guide

What to do in Medellin, Tourist Edition

Posted on August 21, 2018
what to do in medellin, tourist edition, travel guide, cerro nutibara, pueblito paisa

There’s no city like Medellin in Colombia. The sheer amount of buildings and its impressive infrastructure make Medellin and its metropolitan area unique and friendly. There’s so much to get to know. The tourism in Medellin is awesome. Some people prefer to do less well-known, local activities, but there are so many tourist activities that are worth it. This is a list of the activities I believe are worth it: what to do in Medellin, Tourist Edition!

Note: you can see the locations of all these places in the map at the end of this blog post!

Click here to see the map of Medellin’s metro system.

What to do in Medellin, Tourist Edition

Go to the Casa de la Memoria (Memory House)

This museum is impacting. It’s a house to remember Colombia’s violent history, with an emphasis on the violence that Medellin and the department of Antioquia experienced. The creativity with which the museum shows its content, along with the truth of the stories they tell makes you feel like you’re in the shoes of the people about which you’re learning. This museum is worth visiting because of how much you learn and how you leave the place with new eyes. That’s why it’s first on “what to do in Medellin, tourist edition”.

The Memory House Museum is on Calle 51 #36-66 Parque Bicentenario. To get there, take the metro to the San Antonio station. Once you get there, go down to street level and enter the tramway on the side. Get off at the Bicentenario station and walk 2 blocks north towards downtown (or ask around and people will point you in the right direction).

There’s an app for a museum audio-guide. I recommend you download because it has a guide in English. Entry to the museum is free. The schedule is Tuesday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Weekends and Holidays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s closed on Mondays, but if Monday is a holiday, it will be closed that Tuesday.

Have a Blast at the Botanical Garden and at Parque Explora

Medellin’s Botanical Garden (Jardín Botánico in Spanish) and Parque Explora are both right outside the Universidad metro station. The Botanical Garden is beautiful. It’s a great place to walk or jog and feel like you’re in the wild, when you’re truly in the middle of the city. What I liked most were the close encounters with iguanas, who are really friendly because they’re used to being fed. The Botanical Garden’s schedule is from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day, and entry is free.

The Parque Explora (Explore Park) is a science and technology park, an aquarium and a planetarium all in one! It’s a place to have fun and learn with super interactive activities at one of Latin America’s best science museums. It’s very much worth going, especially with kids… although, I’m not a kid and I would go alone.

Journey the Downtown Route

One way to get to know a bunch of tourist destinations in one morning or afternoon is to walk along what I call the Downtown Route. You can see the entire Route in the map below – I’ll just explain the spots here! Begin the journey by getting to the Alpujarra Metro Station and walking to the Barefoot Park (or Parque de los Pies Descalzos). It has water spouts and sand, and is great to visit as a family. From there, walk to a Monument to all the Races (Monumento a la Raza), which is a gigantic, beautiful, elaborate, and actually a little bizarre sculpture. You have to go see it! Across the street you’ll find the Parque de las Luces (Park of Lights), which is also the Plaza Cisneros. Try going there at night, since the forest of light posts turns on beautifully then.

From the Parque de las Luces, I really enjoyed walking down Avenida Carabobo, or Carrera 52, where you can eat grilled corn and some succulent chicken kebabs. The most important thing you have to try is Guarapo. In Medellin, Guarapo is literally squeezed sugar cane juice with lime. It’s even better if you can see it being made. When we bought guarapo, we asked the guy for some and he made it right then and there, squeezing the sugar cane and limes all together in a special machine. Look for a stand in the street – it’s so worth it!

Walking down this road, Carrera 52, you’ll get straight to Plaza Botero, the last stop on our Downtown Route. Botero is a famous Colombian artist who is known for painting and sculpting large, exaggerated (fat) things. Really, he can make a fork look fat! You can take some pictures with Botero’s fat sculptures at the Plaza. Then, walk under the metro, which runs alongside Plaza Botero, to either side towards the San Antonio or Prado station and head home, to your hotel or to your next destination.

Visit Pueblito Paisa

Pueblito Paisa (or Paisa Town – a Paisa is a person from northwest Colombia) is a very popular tourist attraction. It is a town built on Nutibara Hill, which sprouts right out of the ground in the middle of Medellin. Now, Pueblito Paisa is not that amazing, but there are some great things about it! First, if you go up the stairs from Pueblito Paisa, you’ll get to a lookout point from where you get a beautiful panoramic view of the city. Second, and this is my favorite, is that Pueblito Paisa is built on the very top of the Nutibara Hill. The rest of the hill is green nature, and it has walkways and bike paths for mountain-biking. You can also go on an Art trail that goes around the hill. In my opinion, Pueblito Paisa is worth visiting because of the Nutibara Hill’s natural beauty, not Pueblito Paisa itself.

To get to Pueblito Paisa, head over to the Industriales metro station and exit to the left, or towards Nutibara Hill, which you’ll see without a problem. Cross the long bridge, staying on it where it turns right over a second main road. Once you get off the bridge, walk to the right and take the first right turn on Carrera 53. Then, take a left and walk until you see a street that goes up the hill with a big sign that says “Cerro Nutibara.”

Get Awed at Guatapé

Well, of course Guatape has to be on this list! You may have head of the place. It’s an area in Antioquia, only 2 hours from Medellin, that’s known for its beautiful, quaint town, and its photogenic dam. But most of all, it’s know for the Peñol Rock, which is a 220 meter (720 feet) granite monolith. After going up a seemingly eternal staircase, there is a lookout point on top of the rock for viewing the gorgeous landscape. Another option is to rock climb up el Peñol!

Honestly, climbing it might be a good idea, because this place can get really full of people, which make sense… it’s a gigantic rock with a lookout point at its summit, in the middle of a spectacular landscape! But this is my warning: it’s a VERY touristy place. So much so that going up the stairs can take a long while because people get very tired.

Get to Know the Santo Domingo Metro Cable and Arvi Park

Getting to know the Metro and Metrocable in Medellin, especially for us Colombians who aren’t used to infrastructures like Medellin’s, is a must. To do so, I recommend killing three bird with one stone. Ride the metrocable, get to know the Santo Domingo neighborhood, and hike around Arvi Park (Parque Arví). Medellin’s metrocable is complementary to the Metro and provides transportation to the informal neighborhoods on Medellin’s steep valley slopes. To get there, get on the Metro and head to the Acevedo Station. From there, get on line K of the metrocable towards the Santo Domingo station.

In Santo Domingo, you can get to know the neighborhood and it’s street art, eat local food and visit the Parque Biblioteca España (Spain Library Park). This neighborhood, which was once known as Medellin’s most dangerous area is now known as a tourist destination. Even so, don’t take any risks!

From that same metrocable station, you can travel to Arvi Park on the Cable Arvi. Where the line ends, there are buses that will take you to the park. This cable operates 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Sundays and Holidays, but does not open on the first business day of the month. This park is a great place to get out in nature while you’re close to Medellin.

 

I hope this helped you know what to do as a tourist in Medellin! I wrote it from my own experiences.

For some local tips on what to do in Bogota, click here!

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