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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!

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

No Roads, No Worries: How to Get to Capurganá

Posted on January 22, 2021
how to get to capurgana, what to do

For some reason, spending a vacation at a destination with no road access is utterly exciting. When it comes to Capurganá, you get that feeling of being isolated from the world in an exotic area while having the accomodations you’d expect from an area that receives a good few tourists. Do keep in mind, Capurganá is not a luxurious destination, but will get you the rest you need. This is one of Colombia’s most special destinations, so I’m here to let you know how to get to Capurganá and what to do while you’re there!

If you’re searching for adventure on the coast of Colombia, check out this post about Isla Fuerte, one of our favorite places ever!

How to Get to Capurganá (From Quickest to Most Adventurous)

See a map of the area at the end of this post!

1. Medellín – Capurganá

First, get to Medellín and head to Aeropuerto Olaya Herrera, which is the small airport in the middle of the city, not the international airport up in the mountains. From there, you’ll have to hire a charter service to fly to your destination: Searca or Tac.

2. Medellín – Acandí – Capurganá

From the Olaya Herrera Airport, ride a plane (usually a Grupo San Germán service, and about COP $330,000 or USD $100) to Acandí. From there, you’ll have to ride a boat for half an hour to your destination. The boat leaves at about 1 p.m. and the ride costs COP $20,000.

3. Monteria – Necoclí – Capurganá

Take a flight to Monteria and, from there, take a taxi to Necoclí for COP $30,000 per person (possibly more depending on the amount of people in the taxi).The ride is about 2.5 hours. Afterwards, you’ll have to ride a boat from Necoclí to Capurgana, which leaves every day at 8 a.m., costs $70,000 COP and takes 1.5 hours.

4. Panama City – Puerto Obaldia – Capurganá

Fly from Panama City to Puerto Obaldia via Air Panama. From Puerto Obaldia, take a 30 minute boat ride straight to Capurgana for USD $20.

5. Bogotá – Apartado – Turbo – Capurganá

Fly on Satena to Apartado from Bogotá. In Apartado, take a taxi (1 hour, COP $40,000 one way) to Turbo. From Turbo, take a 2.5 hour boat ride for COP $75,000. The boat leaves in the morning, between 8 and 9 a.m.

6. Medellín – Turbo – Capurganá

Take a bus from the Northern Bus Terminal of Medellin to Turbo (an 8 hour ride for COP $60,000 one way). From Turbo, take a 2.5 hour boat ride for COP $75,000. The boat leaves in the morning, between 8 and 9 a.m.

What to Do in Capurganá:

Get Lost in Nature

Well, don’t actually get lost, but definitely visit the parks and reserves in the area! Right out of Capurganá, you can walk to Reserva Natural El Cielo, which is a Natural Reserve with some majestic hikes to water falls. Heading towards Sapzurro and further towards Panama, you can also hike 45 minutes to “Pool of the Gods” and La Coquerita, two areas with natural pools right by the ocean.

See Baby Sea Turtles

During April and May, sea turtles crawl onto the beaches to lay their eggs, which hatch in September. If you’re lucky, you can witness either of these beautiful events. It’s a privilege to watch!

Scuba Dive

Capurganá’s waters are home to a spectacular, practically untouched coral reef. There are 24 dive sites in the area, which means more than enough for one wee vacation. Give scuba diving a try! The best dive center in Capurganá is Dive and Green.

Sail to the San Blas Islands

These islands are one of Panama’s golden destinations. It’s actually a group of 365 islands, of which only a few are populated. Needless to say, they are absolutely gorgeous. I recommend, if you want to go from Capurgana, hiring a tour so your entry into Panama goes totally smoothly, since they’ll know the ins and outs of getting tourists to San Blas Islands.

Where to Stay:

I’ll let you do most of the research, but I recommend you check out Los Robles Capurganá, Oleajes Capurganá, Bahia Lodge, Hotel Calypso Capurganá and the many options there are on AirBnB.

Some Things to Know:

  • Take cash, because there are no banks or ATMs in Capurganá.
  • The best time of the year to travel here is April to November.

Now that you know how to get to Capurganá, well, enjoy! Read about Tayrona National Park here, a super unique destination on the Colombian coast!

Travel Guide

You Need to Visit Niddo, and This is Why

Posted on January 18, 2020
Niddo glamping review, romantic honeymoon destination

We had our doubts about Niddo, but it exceeded our expectations. Niddo is a glamping destination close to Bogota. It’s high up in the mountains and is a natural reserve. In addition to the glamping, there’s a ton of hiking you can do. We went to Niddo as part of our honeymoon and it was a near-perfect setting for it – I’ll explain everything below, hope it helps!

How to Get There

Getting to Niddo is actually really easy. Just head north from Bogota following signs to Tunja. You aren’t going all the way to Tunja, though – Suesca is your destination. Click here for detailed directions to Suesca!

Once in Suesca, head into town until you cross a bridge and go right the first chance you get after the bridge. When you get to a fork in the road, head left. From there on out, just stay on the unpaved road that seems best-kept and you’ll get to Niddo.

I recommend you use a GPS in case you lose your bearings on the dirt road. Just download the map beforehand and you’ll be good to go!

Prices

Niddo is quite expensive per night, especially during the high season, which is weekends and holidays. There are three kinds of Niddos: Standard, Superior and De las Rocas (“Of the Rocks”) – the Niddo de las Rocas is right under the cliff and it’s where we stayed. The Standard Niddo is the smallest, and costs less, while the other two are larger and cost a little more. They both cost the same per night.

That being said, the Standard Niddo costs $233,000 (about $72 USD) a night for two people at the cheapest (weekdays), and the other two Niddos cost $490,000 (about $150 USD) a night for two people at the most (weekends, holidays).

We stayed at the Niddo de las Rocas because they are more spread out, so we weren’t very close to other people. Since Niddo Superior and Niddo de las Rocas cost the same, we figured the Niddo de las Rocas was more worth the price.

Real quick: click here to read about the best glamping spots close to Bogota!

Was it worth the price?

Absolutely.

We expected a cool hostel, a special idea, and that it would be nice being in nature. But the experience went beyond that. The truth is, Niddo is an established hostel with stellar accommodations, food and customer service. It exceeded our expectations. It is worth the money.

That being said, we wouldn’t stay more than two nights, but that may be because we aren’t “stay-at-hotel-people.” Also, all their cool services start adding up.

Concepts we Loved

  1. The food was spectacular, although at first we thought it was a little pricey. It costs $35,000 pesos per meal (about $11 USD) or $90,000 pesos for three meals (about $30 USD). Writing this now, it’s not pricey at ALL if you make money in dollars! Anyway, the food is very gourmet, delicious and it comes in large quantities. Worth every peso!
  2. We had freedom. Something I dislike about the outdoors in Colombia is that you aren’t given the freedom to go experience it on your own, or the infrastructure isn’t there to do so. Niddo is on a natural reserve owned by the same people who own Niddo, and they encourage you to hike on your own throughout their 29 acres full of trails. I love that.
  3. It’s very romantic. Niddo is THE place to go on a romantic getaway outdoors. You don’t have the hardships of camping – at all – but you do get the peace of the outdoors.

Some things to Improve

  1. Since the Niddo de las Rocas is by the cliff, sound gets amplified a lot. The restaurant is down the hill from the cabins, so we had some bass bumpin’ in our ears one full day. Once we got the guts to ask them to turn it down, they were extremely nice and not only did they turn it down, they changed the music to birds chirping. That was awesome!
  2. We didn’t have water, although that’s not always the case. I just wanted to write it down because it’s a thing that can happen.

In conclusion, I’d say Niddo is great for a 1 or 2-night romantic getaway. It is a high-quality destination that is worth the money because you really do get what you pay for.

Hope this Niddo glamping review was useful to you!

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Travel Guide

How to Get to Choachi

Posted on September 5, 2019
how to get to Choachi, what to do

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!!

If you’re looking for more outdoorsy things to do close to Bogota, read here!

How to get to Choachi

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

In Public Transportation:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Enjoy!

In a Car:

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

Without a GPS:

  1. In Bogota, get on Calle 26 going East (towards the mountains) and then Avenida Circunvalar headed south.
  2. As you go south, turn left after an Universidad Distrital campus where there’s a sign pointing to Choachi.
  3. After a bit, you’ll get to a sharp U-turn. Do the U-turn staying on the main paved road.
  4. 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.

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Travel Guide

How to get to Puente Reyes

Posted on March 6, 2019
how to get to puente reyes, rock climbing in colombia, close to bogota, sandstone

Puente Reyes is in our favorite part of the department (or State) of Boyacá. It’s a place with an assortment of small to medium-sized towns, all with quaint plazas, in the midst of some towering mountains with lakes, lagoons and lots of frailejones. What most people don’t know is that in the midst of that natural beauty is a wonderful climbing area. It’s been well-developed, with more than 40 trad and sport climbing routes, and even has a guidebook! This is how to get to Puente Reyes.

If you’re looking for places to climb in Colombia, check out our list of the best areas here!

How to get to Puente Reyes

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

In Public Transportation:
  1. Go to the Bogota’s Bus Terminal (called Terminal de Transporte) and take a bus to Sogamoso. This bus ticket will cost about $25,000 Colombian pesos.
  2. In the Sogamoso Bus Terminal, take a bus to Gámeza on a “Cootracero” bus. This ticket will cost about $2,500 pesos.
  3. Tell the bus driver you’ll be getting off at the first right turn after the bridge called Puente Reyes. Be looking for it yourself too in case the bus driver forgets. It’s a bridge with thick yellow rods.
  4. Take that first right turn after the bridge and walk until you see a sign welcoming climbers. Take that right turn and walk until you get to a wooden bridge. In front of the bridge is zone A, “Los Arenales,” which you can see on the guidebook. Enjoy the climbing!
In a Car:

With a GPS: enter “Gameza, Boyaca” into Google Maps or Waze and follow the directions. One you pass the “Puente Reyes” bridge, which is very close to Gameza, turn right until you see a sign welcoming climbers to the area.

Without a GPS:

  1. Exit Bogota heading North. Follow the signs towards Tunja, not the signs towards Chia or Zipaquira.
  2. Once you’re close to Tunja, stay on the main road that goes around the city, following signs to Sogamoso and Duitama.
  3. Go through the cities of Paipa and Duitama, always staying on the main road and following signs to Sogamoso.
  4. Shortly after you pass Duitama, take the second exit at the roundabout, headed towards Nobsa.
  5. Drive along the main road until you see a big sign that says Gameza. Right after the sign is a bridge with thick yellow steel rods. This bridge is the Puente Reyes. Immediately after the bridge, turn right.
  6. Drive along this new road until you see a sign welcoming climbers to the “Parque de Escalada Puente Reyes.” Take that right turn.
  7. Marvel at the imposing cliff-line and climbing potential as you drive all the way to the end, where you’ll find a wooden bridge to the right. Cross the bridge, and you’ve arrived at the climbing.

If you’re looking for other outdoor activities close to Bogota, check out this comprehensive list of places to visit and things to do!

What to do at Puente Reyes:

Climb

Climbing is pretty much all you can do at Puente Reyes. Of course, there’s stuff close by, but this cliff line is pretty much on its own, which is one of the reasons it’s so great. The cliff line extends for about 1.5 km (1 mile) and can reach heights of up to 150 meters (450 feet), all sandstone. As of the last time the guide was updated, there were over 40 sport, trad and mixed routes. Click here to see the PDF guidebook! There are great camping spots along the river.

Visit These Towns

If you’re looking for a rest day activity or want to get to know some more of Colombia, you’re in for a treat. The towns in this area are absolutely gorgeous. #1 on the list is Monguí, known as the most beautiful town in the State of Boyaca, especially at Christmas. Some other towns that are worth visiting are Gámeza, Sogamoso and Nobsa.

Go to the Laguna Negra (Black Lagoon)

On the other side of the mountains from Monguí is the Black Lagoon, a place that we dearly love. Camping at the lagoon itself is magical, and above it on both sides looms what is known as the world’s most beautiful páramo, the Oceta páramo. You can get there walking from Monguí or drive straight to the lagoon. If you decided to hike, you’ll need guides. Read about how to get to the Black Lagoon here!

Visit Lake Tota

Only about 45 minutes from Puente Reyes is Colombia’s largest lake, Lake Tota. It’s a great place for fishing, but the camping is what really takes first place because of the view you get of the cosmos at night. The word “Tota” means “Astronomic Observatory” in the native Chibcha language.

Some things to know:

  • This climbing area is in a gorgeous location valued for how pristine it is. Be conscious of your impact and clean up after yourself to keep this place open to climbers!
  • All the climbing is sport and trad.
  • Make sure you have cash, because most places around this area won’t accept debit/credit cards.
  • Be careful hiking around here because locals don’t like tourists walking on their land. Hiking rocks, though, so one way to deal with locals is to give them money or food if they confront you. Another is to hike with a local guide.
  • This area of Colombia produces 90% of Colombia’s onions.

Now that you learned how to get to Puente Reyes, go enjoy the place! This great climbing area is so worth it!

So you like the mountains, but how about a desert… in the mountains? Read about this desert close to Bogota that inspired Just North to begin!

Travel Guide

Where to Climb in Colombia

Posted on January 25, 2019
where to climb in Colombia, la mojarra, rock climbing

For us, one of the best reasons to travel is to go climb. Getting to know a new place with friends and climbing on new rock is wonderful. Now, if you’re wondering if there’s climbing in Colombia because you’re coming or might come, let me tell you: there sure is! Colombia has some ridiculously amazing climbing, from an enormous cave in the middle of nowhere with a waterfall spraying from its mouth to small and famous crags an hour from the city. This is where to climb in Colombia.

Since I talked about the cave, I guess we’ll start there!

Where to Climb in Colombia

Florian

There are 4 climbing areas at Florian, one of which is this cave. Obviously, it’s the main attraction. As you gain height on the limestone tufas, all you can hear is the raging waterfall below you and your own yells as you crush your project (the waterfall only rushes during the rainy season). The other areas are cool too, though! This climbing area has everything from 5.10 to 5.14. Getting here is quite the journey because, like I said, Florian is in the middle of nowhere. Part of the drive is 48 km (30 miles) of unpaved roads, putting Florian at about 5 hours from Bogota! There is a new guide for Florian. For info on the guide, how to get there and more, read this blog post!

Suesca

If you’ve been researching where to climb in Colombia, I’m sure this place has come up. Suesca is Colombia’s oldest and most well-known climbing area. The rock is sandstonemnand you can find everything from 5.6 to 5.14 sport climbing and trad. Since this place is so popular, the rock is really slick, and almost everything is vertical. You’ll have a hard time finding something really overhung. Guidebooks are available at any Monodedo store in Bogota or in Suesca. This place is also just 1 hour from Bogota, Colombia’s capital city. Click here to read a full guide on Suesca!

Sutatausa

Sutatausa is also known as Sutanblue because of its similarities to the climbing in Fontainebleau, in France (so, sandstone). I’m not so sure about that, but it is Colombia’s best bouldering area. And though it’s known for its boulders, it also has sport climbing on the imposing cliff-line above. I love this place because it’s extremely beautiful… and it’s only about 2 hours north of Bogota! There is no official guidebook, but you can get a “guide drawing” at the nearby hostel. To read about that and other details regarding Sutatausa, click here!

Macheta

Now, if you read “vertical” for Suesca and didn’t like the sound of it, Macheta is the place for you. Everything is overhung and almost everything is above 5.12. But that’s old Macheta. New Macheta is VERY vertical, and has some gorgeous, extremely long routes that follow splitter cracks in the rock. The place is called the Hall of Justice. A 5-star name for a 5-star climbing area. About 2.5 hours north of Bogota, this spot is a must-visit! You can get a guidebook to Old Macheta at any Monodedo store in Bogota or in Suesca, but there is no guide for New Macheta. To read more about both areas of Macheta, click here!

La Mojarra

The Mecca of Colombian sport climbing. Orange, South American sandstone, amazing routes and a mountainous landscape make La Mojarra something out of a dream. When people ask me where to climb in Colombia, I always recommend this place. It has easy climbs and hard climbs, and they’re all beautiful. It’s 8 hours from Bogota and about 2 from the city of Bucaramanga. The weather is warm and the sun hits the cliff-line in the morning, giving climbers the excuse to sleep in to climb in the afternoon’s sweet temps. You can get a guidebook at Refugio la Roca, a hostel right above the cliff, or on their website. Read more about this climbing area in La Mesa de los Santos here!

Puente Reyes

This place, also known as La Peña de las Aguilas (The Eagles’ Crag, with no eagles though) is a beautiful climbing area in Boyacá. It’s right next to a river in an area of the country where the weather is constantly changing. It has over 40 routes, all on sandstone, with way more to be developed. It’s an almost perfect place for some sport climbing. There’s also a lot to do nearby! There’s quaint towns, like Mongui, hikes, and paradisical natural scenes, like the Laguna Negra. Puente Reyes has a guidebook (more like guide-PDF) which you can access here!

El Peñol

If you’re visiting Medellin, Colombia’s 2nd-largest and best city, you’re probably going to want to visit El Peñol. El Peñol is a gigantic granite monolith that rises from the ground beside a beautiful dam. As touristy as this place is, something VERY few people do is rock climb to the top. Just imagine people’s faces (because normal people can climb up an infinite staircase to the top) as you mantle onto the lookout and belay your partner up. El Peñol has sport climbing and trad from 5.8 to 5.12 and is one enourmous slabby slab.

La Peña

This place, close to Medellin, is said to be the climbing area with the most potential in Antioquia. It’s a young area, less developed than others, but already has over 40 routes from 5.8 to 5.13c and a hostal that’s also in its beginning stages, but is beautiful (another lodging option is the crazy “Aero Hostal”). From what I’ve seen in pictures and photos, the place is gorgeous and in the middle of nowhere. The development it has had is high-quality – they even have a guide already! La Peña is about 3 hours from Medellin. Click here for how to get there.

Choachí – Valle Escondido

This cloudy place right behind the mountains of Bogota houses some great climbing and the 6th tallest waterfall in South America. It’s called Valle Escondido, or Hidden Valley. Also, some (I) would say it’s magical. The climbing area is pretty undeveloped, but has the potential to be as amazing as La Mojarra. The rock, (surprise!) is sandstone. This climbing area is only an hour and a half from Bogota going east and definitely worth a visit! Another cool thing about this place is that its 3,100 meters (10,170 feet) above sea level. So you’ll get some high-altitude climbing! There’s a guide for this place, and you can get it there or at Zona de Bloque. Read a full guide on how to get there here!

Tona

Imagine a cliff-side with two levels. Each level has tons of different climbing – from vertical climbing much like La Mojarra’s to overhangs like Macheta’s. The potential is crazy! And I say potential because this place is just now being developed, and getting here is quite a journey. That’s what makes it so worth it. A friend of our bought some land to start a hostel and develop the climbing, and it feels in the middle of nowhere, although it’s 3 hours from Bucaramanga. Click here to read all about this place’s awesome story!

Well, I hope knowing where to climb in Colombia has motivated you to come visit this country, meet new people, and climb on new rock. If you are, maybe send us a message and we’ll see if we can go climb with you!

Finally, if you like hiking at high altitudes, you might also enjoy reading about Colombia’s paramos!

Travel Guide

Where to Climb Outdoors Close to Nashville

Posted on January 18, 2019
where to climb outdoors close to nashville, adventure, stone fort, rocktown, little rock city, lrc, foster falls, the obed, king's bluff, boulder, rock climb

I lived in Nashville for 3.5 years, and a centerpiece of my time in Nashville was climbing. I got to know a good few climbing areas close to Nashville. At some point we would travel somewhere every weekend to go climb! Now, three years after graduating from Belmont University in Nashville, I finally went back for a vacation. I wondered to myself why I had never written about my experience there in the blog! That’s why I’m finally creating this blog post: where to climb outdoors close to Nashville!

Now, I must say, Tennessee has more places to climb than I could know, but this post will focus on the ones I know well.

*This blog is based out of Colombia, South America. You might enjoy checking out some of its climbing spots. Who knows, you may end up coming!

Where to Climb Outdoors Close to Nashville

Stone Fort (Little Rock City)

This was the first place I climbed outdoors in Tennessee, and is my favorite to this day. I’m not sure if it’s my favorite because of the memories and sends I made there or because of the place itself, but both are stellar. From shearing crimps to beautiful slopers and from V0 to V12, this bouldering area has it all. The Triple Crown Bouldering Series has a stop here too!

Some boulders I recommend are: Super Mario and it’s extension, The Wave, Sternum, Toothfairy and, of course, Grimace. The first time I saw Grimace I swore I would climb it, every time I went to LRC I’d go look at it, and I eventually did send. It’s the best boulder I’ve ever seen, but I love slopers, so take that into account.

LRC has a great guidebook, which you can get here. To get to LRC, type in “Stone Fort Little Rock City” in your GPS and go enjoy!

Rocktown

Rocktown is a bouldering area with amazing boulders and is a relatively new area, so new stuff is being developed all the time. Technically, this place is in Georgia, but it’s on the border of Tennessee. It’s 3 hours from Nashville, which makes it a good place for a two-day trip, although it’s so good that it’s even worth a day trip too.

Two climbs I definitely recommend are Nose Candy and Inspired by an Idiot, two really fun V6’s. For more information on this area, like the dates the park is closed and the license you need to buy to enter, check out the Southeastern Climbers Coalition website! To get to Rocktown, type in “Rocktown Rock Climbing” in your GPS and get after it!

Foster Falls

Foster Falls has everything you need when it comes to sport climbing: from easy, vertical 5.8’s to crazy-looking, overhung 5.13’s. This area is highly developed because of climbers, hikers and runners, so it has amenities like camping (which you have to pay for), picnic tables and bathrooms at the parking lot. The waterfall, of course, is a huge attraction for climbers and non-climbers alike. Make sure you also check out the Left and Right Bunkers, two amazing cave-like formations that house some of the coolest climbers there are!

Definitely get on Bear Mountain Picnic, a beautiful 5.8, or Ethnic Cleansing, an overhung 5.12 climb with a dyno to finish it off. This spot is 1 hour and 45 minutes from Nashville. To get to Foster Falls, well, look up “Foster Falls” in your GPS! Once there, take the Foster Falls overlook trail, which will lead you to all the climbing.

The Obed

I can’t speak well enough about this climbing area. It literally has it all: trad, sport and bouldering, and everything from easy to very hard. You can go to different areas within the Obed where you park and walk a few feet to the climbing (Lilly Boulders) or places you have to hike 45 minutes to get to (Y-12). My favorite spots are the Lilly Boulders and South Clear. I enjoy Lilly Boulders because you’re in the woods getting on some beautiful climbs, and it is just as peaceful as it gets. South Clear is great because it has some insane roof climbs (and I’m emotionally attached to the place, I guess).

I definitely recommend getting on Solstice in South Clear, Barbwire and Lingerie in Y-12, and Saddam Hussein in North Clear. To get to the heart of the Obed, type in “South Clear Creek Climbing Parking” and go explore! This place has so many climbing areas, that you’ll definitely want a guidebook!

King’s Bluff

Though King’s Bluff doesn’t have the best climbing, it is extremely close to Nashville (although I’d rather put in the 1 hour and 45 minute drive to Foster Falls). Only an hour from Nashville, right in Clarksville, lies a beautiful cliff-line by the Cumberland River. It definitely is a beautiful, peaceful place. It’s perfect if you want to get outdoors but can’t take the whole day off and is a great place to start learning to climb outdoors.

To get there, put “King’s Bluff, Clarksville” into your GPS and go get it. There’s a gate by the parking lot that’s usually open, but if it’s closed, you can always get the code to open it at the Southeastern Climbers Coalition’s website.

Well, this tiny list by no means encompasses all of what Tennessee has to offer! It’s a very biased list too, because I love these places (ok, King’s Bluff not so much).

For a complete list of places to climb in Tennessee and close to Nashville, visit Mountain Project and get lost researching climbing areas. Also, Mountain Project has detailed directions on how to get to each place if you’re interested.

And of course, I can’t end this blog post without mentioning the Red River Gorge! It’s only 4.5 hours from Nashville and is one of the best places to climb in the world. Taking that into account, I’d say it’s close enough.  A great place to go enjoy for a long weekend!

I hope this blog post got you psyched to climb now that you know where to climb outdoors close to Nashville. Until next time!

Make sure you check out some of our Colombia blogs!!

Travel Guide

The Best Páramos for Hiking in Colombia

Posted on October 31, 2018
best páramos for hiking in colombia, frailejon, alpine landscape, photography

If you’re not from Colombia, you might not know what a páramo is. This blog post is to explain what it is, since I use the term SO much throughout the blog, and to let you know the best páramos for hiking in Colombia. Let’s get through the information real quick before the travel tips:

A páramo is the ecosystem between the tree line and glaciers. Yes, it’s an alpine ecosystem, but it’s one that only exists in some countries along the equator, where the snow line is super high. Páramo can be translated into moorland, heath and wasteland, but no one of those words live up to what it really is. You really have to go to a páramo and attach an image to the word yourself.

Colombia happens to have most of the world’s páramos, since it’s an extremely mountainous country just north of the equator. They’re full of frailejones, which is the plant you can see in the picture above. Frailejones have furry leaves, grow mere centimeters every year, hold bunches of water and are great for wiping your butt in case of a bathroom emergency in the wilderness. All páramos also have glacial lakes spread throughout them, reason why they are known as water factories. Most hikes have a lake as their final destination, páramos are the main source of water in most Colombian cities.

Don’t expect to see very many glaciers, though! Colombia currently only has 6 snow-peaked mountains (or glaciers) and they are receding every day. To put it in perspective, there are only 36 km2 (22 miles2) of snow left in Colombia.

On a less somber note, páramos are gorgeous, and they’ll be staying with us MUCH longer. And there’s so many to explore! 2% of Colombia is páramo, and very few of them have trails or any development at all. To narrow down your research, I’ve made a list of the best páramos for hiking in Colombia. These are developed and ready for you to hike them!

The Best Páramos for Hiking in Colombia

  1. Chingaza.

Chingaza National Park is right next to Bogotá to the east and has 40 different glacial lakes. The biggest of them is Lake Chingaza, but the most beautiful are the Siecha Lakes. Though you can access Chingaza National Park from a bunch of locations, the entrance closest to Bogotá is the Piedras Gordas Administrative Center. It has a number of trails through a wonderfully mountainous páramo  that end at the Buitrago and Siecha Lakes. If you’re in Bogota, these hikes are worth your time! Click here to read a full blog post on how to get to these trails in Chingaza National Park.

  1. Ocetá.

The Ocetá Páramo is known as the world’s most beautiful páramo. Though I think there are some that rival it, I can agree. Enormous formation rise up out of the ground throughout the landscape, peppered with thousands, probably millions, of frailejones. It’s a great place to walk, camp and explore. This páramo is about 3.5 hours from Bogotá, right next to the town of Mongui and is home to lots of lakes, the most well-known of which is Laguna Negra. Click here to read the full blog post on how to get to the Laguna Negra and the Páramo de Oceta.

  1. Iguaque.

The Iguaque Páramo may not be the most well-known, but it’s my favorite, so of course I had to include it on this list. You start on a winding path through dense forest and suddenly take a step and there’s no more trees! From then on the trail is steep and straight up until you can see Iguaque Lake off in the distance. I love this place because I’ve had great times here with friends and family, as well as in the beautiful tourist town right next to it, Villa de Leyva. Click here for the full blog post on how to get to Iguaque and here for what to do in Villa de Leyva!

  1. Puracé.

Puracé National Park is an almost magical place where you feel like you’re where the world started. Three of Colombia’s biggest, most important rivers are born there: the Magdalena, Cauca and Caquetá rivers. The area also has 11 volcanoes, although only one is active. You can visit all these places, as well as the hot springs created by the volcano, entire valleys of frailejones, waterfalls and lakes. This high-altitude national park is not so well known, which is always great, and requires guides for hiking. It’s 2 hours from Popayán, 5 hours from Cali and 11 hours from Bogotá.

  1. Santurbán.

The Santurbán Páramo is the páramo that provides water for a lot of the Departments of Santander and Norte de Santander. It is huge, has some amazing formations and over 40 lakes. Best of all, the park has a lot of trails. For some perspective, this páramo is so big that it has 7 parks inside of it. It’s a great place to go camp, see the stars and hang out with friends. It’s also threatened to some degree due to large-scale mining. The best thing you can do is visit the park so that the government realizes this place’s natural beauty is important to society.

  1. Los Nevados.

Los Nevados National Park translates to “The Snowy Peaks National Park.” That’s right: snowy peaks, plural! This park holds three of Colombia’s too few snowy peaks, which of course means there’s a lot of páramo to be had below the snow line. Only one of those peaks, the Nevado del Tolima can be summited, and you need a guide and equipment to make the journey. That’s for another blog post. This post is focused on the best páramos for hiking in Colombia, and this place is great. You need no guide for hiking below and up to the snow line. The most well-known hike reaches the snow line at Lake Otún. Even if you can’t reach the summit or aren’t interested in such a daring adventure, you need to go explore this park. Fun fact: it has snowed on Nevado del Tolima twice in the past couple of years after not having snowed for over 10 years!

  1. Sumapaz.

The Sumapaz Páramo is Colombia and the world’s largest páramo and is right next to Bogotá on the south side of the city. (I know, Bogotá is close to so many páramos. Thats what happens when you build a city at 2,600 meters or 8,500 feet above sea level). This park is so enormous that you can access it right from Bogotá or from another city, Villavicencio, which is 3 hours from Bogotá. It even extends up to 5 hours from the big city where the Sumapaz Páramo ends and the Caño Canoas National Park begins. The park has a number of hikes, but the most well-known is the hike to Cuchillas de Bocagrande, a set of razor-like mountains that rise above a group of lakes. You can also drive up to the summit of the Nevado de Sumapaz, which used to have a snowy peak 100 years ago.

To conclude this blog post, páramos are unique ecosystems found in very few places in the world. Thankfully, Colombia has most of the world’s páramos and a lot of them, like the ones I described above, are accessible. That’s saying a lot for a country where access is usually difficult because there is little infrastructure for hiking and for outdoor adventures.

Go explore these wonderful places responsibly and enjoy them to the maximum!

For a list of outdoor activities close to Bogotá, read this blog post!

Travel Guide

What to do in Villa de Leyva

Posted on October 27, 2018
what to do in Villa de Leyva, how to get to Villa de Leyva, hiking, adventure, food tips, where to eat, vacation

Villa de Leyva is a dreamy place. The Spanish tiles, cobbled roads, every restaurant’s vibe and the combination of dessert and forest make it one of Colombia’s most beautiful towns. Only 3 hours and 4 tolls away from Bogota, it’s a great place to rest, go on some adventures and enjoy its unique culture. In this blog post, you’ll get tips on where to go on adventures and where to eat, two of Lala and my favorite things to do. This is what to do in Villa de Leyva (and how to get there too, below!).

You may also be interested in reading: how to get to Mongui, a town that competes with Villa de Leyva for Boyacá’s most beautiful town.

What to do in Villa de Leyva

*Note: the map with all the following places and how to get from Bogota to Villa de Leyva is at the end of this travel guide!

Hiking at the Iguaque Fauna and Flora Sanctuary

We do this hike up to Iguaque Lake (Laguna de Iguaque) every time we go to Villa de Leyva. We’ve done it 7 or 8 times and have enjoyed it every time. After a 30 minute drive on an unpaved road you get to a center where to pay to enter. Then you walk a little to a hostel and restaurant they have, and there you begin the steep hike up to the lake through forests and paramos. For more information about this park, read this blog post with everything you need to know!

Eat at Antique

One of many traditions we have as a family is eating at Antique after hiking. That is, of course, after sleeping a couple of hours. Antique is one of those beautiful restaurants you can find in Villa de Leyva for a special occasion. It can be pricey, but after a tough hike and on vacation you just have to treat yourself. If you earn in dollars, or another well-off currency, though, this will be an amazing meal at a good price.

Eat Dessert at La Galleta or at Pastelería Francesa

Villa de Leyva is diverse when it comes to cultures. Two places I love to taste two different cultures and at La Galleta and at Pastelería Francesa. At La Galleta, you can find desserts from Colombia and the world, but my recommendation is you eat the miloja, which has bunches of layers with cream in between and Arequipe on top. It’s the best dessert I’ve ever had. At Pasteleria Francesa, you can experience French pastries. I have three words to describe the place: chocolate, chocolate and chocolate. Eat anything and everything that has chocolate! Both these places are marked on the map below.

Hike up to el Santo (the Saint)

If you still have energy after hiking up to Iguaque Lake or if you prefer a shorter, easier but equally beautiful hike, you can walk up to the statue of the Saint that towers over Villa de Leyva. You can see it in the distance from town. To get to the trail, go to Calle 12 and walk towards the mountains. In other words, if you’re in the main plaza facing the church, take the road to the right towards the mountain. That road, Calle 12, will take you directly to the start of the trail.

Eat at Sutamarchan

Sutamarchan is a town about 20 minutes from Villa de Leyva. It is so tied to my family’s experiences in Villa de Leyva that I had to include it in this list. We always eat there on our way back to Bogota – it’s known for its Fritanga. Fritanga is unhealthy, but delicious—all friend meat products. It is an extremely traditional Colombian meal and Sutamarchan is one of the best places for it. How to get to Sutamarchan: exit Villa de Leyva on Carrera 12, which you can take one block down from the plaza which the mountains on your left. Follow the signs towards Sutamarchan and Chiquinquira. When you get to Sutamarchan, take a left on the corner with the restaurant Fabrica de Longaniza and eat there… it’s our favorite place.

Ride a Bike in the Desert

One of the best things you can do in Villa de Leyva is ride your bike. Here are some routes you can take, but the funnest way is to go where you want. I recommend you get lost in the small desert, where there’re some awesome hills. It’s almost like BMX! I marked the dessert on the map below. You can find companies that rent bikes and can guide you in Villa de Leyva.

How to get to Villa de Leyva

On Public Transportation:

  1. Go to Terminal Salitre or Terminal del Norte in Bogota, two different bus terminals.
  2. Take a bus straight to Villa de Leyva for $23.000 Colombian pesos ($8 USD).

In a Car:

With a GPS: enter “Villa de Leyva” into Google Maps or Waze and follow the directions.

Without a GPS:

  1. Exit Bogotá going North, following signs to Tunja. You’ll go by Tocancipá, Suesca, the Sisga Dam, Chocontá and Puente de Boyacá (the Boyacá bridge, where Bolivar fought the battle that won Colombia its independence from Spain).
  2. After Puente de Boyacá, take the next U-turn and then turn right where there’s a sign pointing towards Samacá.
  3. Follow this road all the way to Samacá. When you get to the town, get to Calle 4 following the main road, where you’ll turn left and then to the plaza, where you’ll turn right. On this road you’ll be on route to Villa de Leyva.
  4. Not much later, the road will end. Turn left.
  5. Right after the next toll (called peaje Sachica) turn right where a sign points to Villa de Leyva. That road will take you straight to town.

Some things to know:

–          I recommend you go to Villa de Leyva on a weekend that isn’t a holiday or vacation because this town is very touristy and can get really full.

–          However, if you don’t mind crowds, Villa de Leyva has amazing events like the Kite Festival in August.

–          All of Villa de Leyva’s streets are cobbled and all its structures are similar: white walls and Spanish tiles. It’s so nice.

–          Take cash to pay for services you can’t pay with a card.

–          The rainy season is between April and May, and October and November.

I hope this helped you get to know what to do in Villa de Leyva. Enjoy your trip!

If you like adventures, read this blog post about outdoor adventures close to Bogota!

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.

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