Nestled up in the mountains just an hour away from Tunja, the little town of Villa de Leyva is the perfect spot for those looking to spend a relaxed weekend of adventure sports, trekking and beer tasting. At an altitude of 2500m above sea level, this is also the place where to finally enjoy a bit of cold temperatures and take out the sweaters long-forgotten in the depth of your backpack.
Getting to VDL (Villa de Leyva) is pretty straightforward. If you’re coming from the North, you’ll simply have to take a bus to Tunja (or Bogotá) and you’ll be dropped off at a big junction in the center of Tunja, just before the road turn for VDL. If you’re coming from the South, just take any bus going to either Tunja or Bucaramanga and these will surely make a quick (or final) stop at the Terminal De Transportes of Tunja from which you’ll be able to get the “busito” to VDL (7000COP). We started our journey in San Gil and even though we left our AirBnB kind at around 1pm, by 7.30pm we were safe and sound in our hostel in VDL!
The first thing that hit us about VDL is… the temperature! The evenings of San Gil already had some hints of cooler temperatures ranging around the 20°C but here at night it can get to a freezing 5-10°C. Don’t get us wrong, we love this, the feeling of having to sleep with blankets after 9 months of constant sweating its a blessing, just be prepared for this!
Street of Villa de Leyva
In ‘n out of VDL there is a variety of activities to do to keep you busy for at least 2-3 days but remember to take into account the weather; in fact, the downside of those cold temperatures is a constant grey clouded sky with potential rainstorms… ALL THE TIME. During the 4 days we spent in town we were only gifted half-a-day of sun that gave us the possibility to roam around the streets.
Our Half-day of sun
Things to do
Hike the 7 Cascadas La Honda & Laguna Colorada – This hike is the one and only that we wanted to do but didn’t get a chance because of the weather. Getting to the waterfalls is pretty easy (take a bus to Gachantivá) and the price of entrance is cheap as well (3000COP/pp).
Adrenaline Tours – Similarly to San Gil, VDL offers plenty of activities and tours for those adrenaline junkies in love with kayaking, rappelling, paragliding, rock climbing and much more. Just pop by at one of the tour agencies in town and they’ll get you sorted.
Walk Around Town – It might sound very cliché but having a stroll around the alleys of VDL, checking the museums and stop to taste some local delicacies can easily become a full-day activity. To taste some great local food, check those restaurants right in front of the bus terminal: cheap & good.
Main Town’s Plaza
Beer Tasting – Over the years, many microbreweries have started to pop up all around Colombia. Here in VDL most of the bars & pubs (especially those around the plaza) offer a great variety of artisanal beers for a relatively cheap price compared to European standards. For a really interesting tasting experience head to the Casa del Chocolate (on the corner with the main plaza) and taste their newest ale: Chocolate Beer!!!
Casa & Museum of Chocolate
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very helpful