Visiting a Rejuvenated Bogota

When looking at a terrain map of South America, anyone can see that the Andes Mountain Range is the most prominent feature on the western side of the continent.  But if you zoom in to the northern section of the Andes, you’ll see that it splits into 3 sections near the Colombia-Ecuador border.  The first section runs fairly close to the coast, passing through Cali.  The middle section passes through Ibague and is surrounded by valleys on either side.  And the third section, the easternmost section, runs to the northeast and into Venezuela.

This third finger of the Andes is where you’ll find the Colombian capital of Bogota.

For years, Bogota was associated with drugs and considered a dangerous place to travel.  While some of those problems remain, the city of Bogota – and Colombia as a whole – has done a remarkable job of cleaning up areas previously overrun by the drug trade.  But for many people that negative connotation remains.  A continued police/military presence in Bogota coupled with a lingering US State Department Travel Warning has done little to alleviate concern.

Well I’m here to tell you that Bogota is a beautiful destination, full of life, scenery, and history.  Here is the Bogota that I got to know.

Why Bogota?

I visited Bogota in February 2014.  The whole reason I chose Bogota in the first place is because American Airlines had just established a new route from Dallas-Bogota and they were offering double miles in both directions when registering for that promo.  I coupled that with a deal I found on The Flight Deal for about $240 round trip from DC-Bogota, and my weekend trip to Colombia was booked!

Itinerary

By now, you must now that I love using Viator for personalized tours when I don’t have much time in a particular destination.  After looking through Viator’s Bogota selection, I chose this tour.  The itinerary included:

• Walking through the cobblestoned La Candelaria neighborhood
• Plaza del Bolivar
• Museo del Oro (Museum of Gold)
• Museo de Botero (artwork by Fernando Botero)
• Cable Car ride up Mount Monserrate
• Optional: lunch.

Mount Monserrate

For anyone traveling to Bogota, Mount Monserrate is an absolute must.  If you do only one thing here, do this.

My guide picked me up at my hotel where I joined a couple from Costa Rica.  The tour was in English, but the couple from Costa Rica spoke broken English, so our guide spoke Spanish as well.  I occasionally joined in with my broken high school Spanish to prove that pasty white kids with Boston accents can (attempt) to speak another language.  Mission accomplished.

Back to the tour…

Mount Monserrate was supposed to be our last stop, but with the possibility of rain in the afternoon, our guide decided to move this to the front.  Excellent decision.

We parked, got our tickets for the cable car, and got in line.  I should note that you also have the option to walk up to Mount Monserrate using a dedicated trail system, and if I had more time I would’ve definitely chosen that option.

We began our ascent and the views were phenomenal.

Once you get off the cable car you are free to walk around.  There are vendors, a small market, a pretty fancy restaurant, and a beautiful church.  But the real stunner up here is the view.  From up here you can see how huge Bogota is in land mass, and in all other directions are incredible views of the Andes.

I can see why Mount Monserrate is normally saved for last.  It is the crown jewel of Bogota and anything you see after that probably won’t stack up.

Having said that, we still had several more stops along the way, and while you can’t compare the remaining places, each of the following places on the itinerary were pretty spectacular in their own way.

La Candelaria Neighborhood

La Candelaria is basically Bogota’s Old Town.  Here you’ll find cobblestone streets, historic buildings, museums, restaurants, and a direct connection to Plaza de Bolivar, the main city square.

I’m a sucker for Old Towns.  I love seeing historic buildings and areas preserved.  Bogota’s old town did not disappoint.

Every street in La Candelaria will give you a great view down towards the main plaza or back towards the Andes.  Either way, this area should not be missed.

Plaza de Bolivar

Walking down the streets of La Candelaria will eventually bring you to Plaza de Bolivar, the main plaza in Bogota. The plaza is named after Simon Bolivar, a Venezuelan who fought for the independence of several South American countries (including Colombia) from Spain.

Here you’ll find major political buildings such as the Palace of Justice, the National Capitol, and the head office of Bogota’s mayor.  Additionally, you can’t miss the main cathedral of Bogota, The Archbishopric Cathedral of Bogota.

Together, these buildings form an impressive square.

There is much to see in Plaza de Bolivar, but good luck avoiding the pigeons.

Side note, there are many food vendors all around the plaza.  Most of them sell fresh fruit, but if you come across a vendor selling obleas, you must try one.  Obleas are basically large flat circular vanilla wafers, but the real magic comes when you spread arequipe (caramel) between two of them to make a heavenly dessert sandwich.  Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on this Colombian nectar.

Museo del Oro and Museo Botero

Both of these museums are located near the main plaza and I believe both are considered to still be inside La Candelaria.

Museo del Oro, or the Gold Museum, was made much better with a guide because the guide was able to provide some context to the pieces we were seeing.  Audio guides are also an option.

With over 34,000 pieces of pre-Hispanic gold, it is the largest such collection in the world.  The museum is free on Sundays and is closed on Mondays.  Otherwise it costs $3.000 Colombian Pesos, or less than $1, to enter.

Not far away from the Gold Museum is the Botero Museum.  It is said to house some of the most important artwork in Colombia’s history.

Fernando Botero depicted most of his subjects in an absurdly exaggerated way, much like you’d see in some of today’s political cartoons.  In addition to his 123 works on display, there are other artworks from famous artists such as Dali, Matisse, and Monet.

I don’t pretend to know the first thing about art, but the museum itself is beautiful and the best part is it’s free and open every day.  If you get a chance, just go to see the enclosed garden and patio.

Conclusion

After spending a weekend in Bogota, all my preconceptions about the city and the country went out the window.  I wouldn’t hesitate to go back.  In fact, spending the weekend here made me want to explore the rest of Colombia, so there will be future trips planned here.

You don’t need a visa to visit Colombia.  It has mountains, beaches, jungles, and everything in between.

One place I didn’t get to see, but came highly recommended by my guide was La Zona Rosa (the Pink Zone).  Zona Rosa is considered to be a higher end neighborhood of Bogota and has many pubs, restaurants, stores, and a great night life.  I plan to explore this area on a future trip.

Colombia has come a long way since the days of Pablo Escobar.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out Narcos on Netflix…phenomenal series that combines Hollywood with real life events of the cocaine world in Colombia.

If you’re thinking about visiting Colombia, hopefully this article has alleviated some of your concerns and has shown a rejuvenated city and country full of wonderful things to see and do.  Brush up on that Spanish, though, because English isn’t widely spoken here.