Miraviva

Boyaca and Santander

  • Barichara

    Barichara

  • Sochagota Lake, Boyaca

    Sochagota Lake, Boyaca

  • Barichara

    Barichara

  • Mountain Scenery, Santander

    Mountain Scenery, Santander

  • Barichara, Santander

    Barichara, Santander

  • Barichara

    Barichara

  • Chicamocha, Boyaca

    Chicamocha, Boyaca

  • Villa de Leyva

    Villa de Leyva

  • Villa de Leyva

    Villa de Leyva

  • Chicamocha Canyon in the Chicamocha-Santander National Park (Courtesy of Vice Ministry of Tourism, Colombia)

    Chicamocha Canyon in the Chicamocha-Santander National Park (Courtesy of Vice Ministry of Tourism, Colombia)

Located to the north-east of Bogota, the departments of Boyaca and Santander are rich in both pre-Columbian and Spanish colonial history, and are, in many ways, the heartland of Colombia’s soul

The region is home to numerous quaint colonial towns and rolling agricultural countryside, while magnificent lakes and rivers, snow-capped mountains and gorges offer dramatic landscapes and a range of adventure sport activities.

Villa De LeyvaVilla De Leyva Villa de Leyva, founded in 1572, is a gorgeous colonial town frozen in time – and was declared a National Monument in 1954. Its enormous cobbled ‘Plaza Mayor’ (the largest in Colombia) is dramatically overlooked by brooding, barren hills which lend a special atmosphere and unique character to this white-walled historic gem.

The town is an ideal base from which to explore the neighbouring region – either by car, on horseback or by bike. The area is renowned for the abundance of fossils including an impressive (almost) complete Kronosaurus fossil, and is also home to vineyards and two fascinating working monasteries and villages that excel in specific arts and crafts.

For the more adventurous, the Sierra Nevada de Cucuy mountain range beckons with peaks well over 5,000m, while San Gil is well known as the ‘adventure capital’ of Colombia offering fantastic white-water river rafting, paragliding and other more-or-less extreme sports. Mountain Scenery, SantanderMountain Scenery, Santander

Santander’s answer to Villa de Leyva is the perfectly preserved sleepy colonial town of Barichara – a cinematic, cobblestone village undulating on the hills with an over-sized main church and an air of calm and tranquillity. And don’t forget to try the local delicacy here: ‘hormigas culonas’ or toasted queen ants…

To discover more about the Boyacá and Santander region give us a call or send us a message.

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