Two days in Bogota can offer more than you might imagine.
[bctt tweet=»a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step»]
Well, yes, my 25,000-mile journey begins in Bogota...it's not one of my favorite destinations in South America, but it's worth spending 2-3 days here.
ARRIVING AT BOGOTA
From the airport to Plaza Bolivar, it costs around COP$20,000 and takes about 25 minutes to get there. As you leave the airport, an official will bring you an official taxi. Don't listen to the siren songs of the “private” taxi drivers who approach you, or you may end up with a nasty surprise in the form of a more expensive fare or... something worse 🙁
As I have been told repeatedly, people here only take official taxis and, if possible, don't hail them from the street but ask the hotel or restaurant where you are to call one for you... The nephew of one of my friends here was taken to a vacant lot and literally had everything stolen from him, even his shoes!
THE VISIT
The heart of the city is the neighborhood of La Candelaria with a bohemian atmosphere during the day—lots of hostels and restaurants—and at night—with some fantastic bars
Going out partying around here is quite an experience: you suffer relentless harassment from the city's homeless people—in about two hours, we were approached by about 10 of them, and I'm not exaggerating—and a guy from the hostel had his wallet stolen, but we still go back because the truth is that the area has a special charm and there is private security, so nothing really bad is going to happen to you....
The heart of the neighborhood is the square called Chorro de Quevedo, with lots of bars, a small church dedicated to San Miguel, and what is believed to be the house of the city's founder, Jimenez de Quesada, now slightly modified...
In the neighborhood, the residents also agreed to place a bunch of figures like this one to liven things up...
The modern part of the city has little charm.
Carrera 7 between streets 8-19 is pedestrianized and has ATMs, shops, bike rental stands, and craft stalls.
It's crowded until around 8:00 p.m. when everything closes.
From here on, anyone who wants a bit of adventure should go out onto the street. Nothing will happen to you, but the empty streets and the unsavory characters who swarm around at this time of night make going out for dinner more exciting than usual...
Another activity to do in Bogota is to visit its museums : The Gold Museum (3,000 COP) is highly recommended; if you want a little more information:
https://www.banrepcultural.org/bogota/museo-del-oro
Just like the Botero Museum
The official website of the Botero Museum: https://www.banrepcultural.org/bogota/museo-botero
And you can also do things for free in Bogota: the free walking tour by Beyond Colombia: https://beyondcolombia.wordpress.com/tours/ It lasts two and a half hours and takes you on a nice walk through La Candelaria, including a tasting of chicha—a delicious alcoholic beverage made from fermented corn.
And finally, you have the climb up Monserrate Hill At an altitude of 3,100 meters and with a breathtaking view of all of Bogotá.
The cable car costs $18,000, and don't bother going up if it's cloudy because the view is ruined... The church at the top is nothing special, although there is a Way of the Cross with some very beautiful statues on the way up.
ONE-DAY EXCURSION: ZIPAQUIRÁ
An hour's drive away and for 25,000 COP$, you can visit what has been voted Colombia's greatest wonder: the salt mine and cathedral of Zipaquirá. If your guide happens to be a guy sentenced to seven years for drug trafficking, the visit becomes much more interesting...
In ancient times, this area in northern Colombia was covered by the sea; when the sea receded, it left behind tons of salt, which first the ancient natives and then the emerald hunters worked hard to excavate.
The result is the construction of an underground cathedral with three gigantic naves that can hold more than 8,000 people. The tour is complemented by a very boring Way of the Cross to the cathedral and an interesting explanation about the extraction and trade of emeralds in Colombia.
It's also a good idea to go down to the village, which is very well preserved and has some excellent restaurants specializing in meat.
Well, that's all I got out of my two days in Bogotá!
If you found this post useful (or think it's useless), let me know in the comments!
And if you want to know more about Colombia: https://999millas.net/category/paises/colombia/
Foto y texto : Mike !
EN 
ES