Following Cali, Mark and I headed up to explore the Colombian capital city of Bogota. We stayed in La Candelaria, the historic colonial neighborhood of Bogota. It’s a great location and easy to walk to some of the more noteworthy attractions including: Plaza de Bolivia, La Catedral Primada, the Museo del Oro, Monserrate and Museo Botero. Be sure to take a few hours just to stroll around this unique neighborhood.
(La Candelaria neighborhood graffiti)
(Plaza Boliviar; La Catedral Primada & La Casa de Narino)
Another attraction to check out while visiting Bogota is the Museo del Oro, which is part of the Cultural Division of the Banco de la República. The goal of the Gold Museum is to preserve and exhibit archaeological collections of gold, ceramics and other materials of Colombian heritage and history. I accidentally missed the main attraction I was looking forward to seeing, so perhaps I’ll return on my way out of town. It was interesting to see these fabulous pieces that are so unique to the Colombian culture. Admission is 3,000CP ($1.60) Monday-Saturday and free on Sundays.
(Museo del Oro; gold pieces; statue representing a shaman; jaguar-associated with regenerating powers of gold & the sun)
At the top of the city sits the Monserrate with stellar views of the city. There are three ways to reach the top: a 45-minute hike, the cable car or the funicular. It’s best if visited earlier in the morning, incase there are afternoon showers. You can also stroll around the local markets at the top and indulge in some handicrafts and homemade snacks!
Finally, plan a visit to the Museo Botero. The admission is free and it’s located two blocks from Plaza Boliviar, so there’s no excuse not to check out some of the works by famed Colombian artist, Fernando Botero (despite the fact that some of his more popular works are located in Medellin, where he was born).
