Villa de Leyva the Colonial City

Villa de Leyva is three hours away from Bogota. It's a small town with stone roads and colonial style houses. The weather is a little warmer than Bogota but still a bit cold.

There are several hostels that are perfect like "Los Olivos" or you can also camp. There is a fossil dessert, so I recommend going horseback ridding, specially during the night. If you do it during the day, look out for the sea fossils it's really cool. Tell the guides to take you to the blue water reserves, it's a part of the dessert with holes that have bright blue and green water in them.

There is a french guy that arrived in Villa de Leyva 15 years ago and loved it so much he decided to stay. He opened a french bakery in the center of the town and it's delicious. Try the chocolate croissants and the cinnamon bread.

Last time I went, I visited the Ostrich Farm. This is going to sound a bit weird but you should go. They have baby Ostriches and you can also see the older ones. A tour guide will show you the healthy characteristics of this type of red meat, it's the healthiest red meat you can have. You'll see their growing process and if you want, you can take pictures with them but at the end of the tour there's a small restaurant where you'll eat their meat. It sounds worse than it really is and I thought it was actually really fun and the meat is great.



In the center court, beside the main church, there are lots of shops and little restaurants that are worth going to, specially "La Plateria" a silver jewelry store with great designs. Also, during the night, there are several small bars and you should try the "Lider Aguardiente" this is like the colombian "Tequila Shots".



I hope you have enjoyed my posts and if you go to Colombia some day remember my tips. If you ever think about visiting South America have Colombia in your list because it's a country worth going to, you will not regret it.

If you're into extreme sports and impressive landscapes San Gil is the place to go

San Gil is located in the Department of Santander, which is the north east of Colombia. This town is known for its outdoor activities. If your in Bogota, take a quick plane ride to Bucaramanga and then take a tour to San Gil or take the tour from Bogota and go by bus. It would be a six hour journey but I recommend it.

San Gil is more of a nature and outdoor experience, different to Cartagena or Bogota. On the way you'll see the Chicamocha Canyon Park. The Canyon was nominated las year as one of the new wonders of the world and it's impacting to see. In the park you can also go on several rides. I recommend you wait to San Gill to experience the real outdoor activities.

CHICAMOCHA PARK


So, I admit I'm not the extreme type... but I still wanted to experience going to San Gil, so even though I cried pretty much before every activity it was fun. The first thing we did was paragliding. It was actually not as freaky as I expected and you go with an instructor, so that makes you feel secure. The view is spectacular and it's a great way to start your journey through San Gil.





The scariest but most exiting activity I did was rappel on a waterfall. It's a two hour walk up the mountain and the view when you get to the top is breathtaking. The instructor will put all the security harnesses and then you have to go back 90 degrees to start going down. To me that was the scariest part, I was freaking out. You don't want to look down, just concentrate and go slow. Also, don't look up because the water will go directly to your face.

I couldn't take my camera because of the water but I did when we went to regular rappel.


If you want to go even more extreme, I recommend rafting. Depending on how much adrenaline you want, choose between 5 levels. Also, don't miss the Indian Cave. It is a gigantic bat cave that is connected to the river internally. You will enter into complete darkness, if you turn a lantern on and flash it upwards, you'll see hundreds of bats sleeping, don't turn it on for too long... you don't want to wake them up. You'll have to go through tiny passages, so if your claustrophobic... don't go. The only way to get out of the cave is by jumping a 5 meter wall into the river in complete darkness. It's good to know that in advance because there is no other way out.

After you've done all of these intense activities, go to the park in the middle of San Gil and relax, it has really weird gigantic trees that are thousands years old. Look for a famous tree called "The Marrige" it's two huge trees bonded together as one.

You can't leave San Gil without eating it's famous "Hormigas Culonas", which translates into "Big Ass Ants" They are literally ants that have huge butts, fried and actually taste good.

Muy favorite part of San Gil is its landscapes. You will see waterfalls, canyons, mountains, rivers, exotic animals and plants. Fun is guaranteed.