Zipaquira Salt Cathedral and Guatavita Lagoon from Bogota (Private Tour)
Description
Visit the first wonder of Colombia, "The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira and the cradle of the Legend of El Dorado, the Sacred Lagoon of Guatavita" this is a full-day tour departing from your accommodation in Bogota. Explore the beauty of this unique subway cathedral; the story is told through an audio guide in the language of your choice. Upon arrival in Guatavita, enjoy a nature walk of approximately two hours to the Guatavita Lagoon. After a two-hour nature walk to the Guatavitá Lagoon, where the local guide will share with you the history of the Muiscas Indians and the legend of El Dorado. Meet the village of Guatavitá and the view of the reservoir of Tominé halfway through the tour tasting a typical regional or vegetarian lunch. At the end of the tour we return to your accommodation in Bogota.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The lagoon is part of a protected natural area. The tour is done through trails where you ascend and where a native guide tells the history of the Muiscas and the legend of El Dorado. The tour takes approximately 75 minutes, upon arrival you can see the beautiful lagoon.
The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá has been declared the First Wonder of Colombia and is considered one of the most remarkable architectural and artistic constructions in Colombia. There you will find a monumental work born from the faith of the miners of that region, whose tour surprises at every step.
Enjoy an interesting colonial tour, visiting the main squares of Zipaquira and learning about its architecture and history.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Let us come for you to your hotel, hostel, Airbnb, or any accommodation of your choice in Bogota. Let us know the exact address and we will come for you.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
- Hike on a natural path, good shoes recommended.
- Se camina por senderos y caminos con inclinacion
Reviews(150)
Esteban and Alfonso were excellent guides for this tour. They were very knowledgeable and ensured that everything was well-executed. The visits to Guatavita and Guatavita Lagoon were beautiful, providing great cultural context for the region. We had visited the Museo del Oro the day prior, so everything tied in well. Lunch in Zipaquirá was at a nice restaurant and consisted of a tasty traditional Colombian plate. The subsequent visit to Catedral de Sal was incredible. We had plenty of time to explore the beautiful chambers and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
We're so glad to hear that you had a great tour and enjoyed it to the fullest. Thank you for choosing us! We hope to be able to join you again for another incredible experience.
Well planed tour, guide Steven was very knowledgeable, helpful throughout the tour. I am 70 years old, was having difficulty to climb, he stayed whole time with me. Over all I would highly recommend thi tour.
Thank you for trusting us and choosing our company for your tour. We are delighted to have been part of such a special experience.
A very pleasant experience, excellent treatment from the guide, always pending details, excellent very pleasant Mr. Esteban.
Nos complace saber que la experiencia fue de su agrado. Nuestro propósito es brindar momentos satisfactorios y memorables.
We enjoyed the communication of the tour guide and his attention with us, everything excellent I loved, the Colombians are a wonderful very friendly and polite.
Gracias por compartir el tour con nosotros. Nos alegra mucho saber que la experiencia estuvo a la altura de sus expectativas.
This is a mixed bag for me: Guatavita Lagoon 👍 but Zipaquira Salt Cathedral👎. Our guide and driver were excellent and we enjoyed our time with them... which -- because of the horror that is Bogota traffic and Colombia's healthy democracy -- was more than we anticipated. Guatavita Lagoon. This is a must see place and it is a good place to see where many historical events took place... seeing this place put into better context the items in the Museo de Oro. Note that it is a steepish hike at altitude...coca tea before helps... but the views and flowers and the Lagoon are worth the breathlessness. I saw three orchids in bloom in November and two hummingbirds. It is a schlep to get to but the drive... once the traffic clears... is pretty. Zipaquira Salt Cathedral. I was skeptical from the pictures but everyone said it was a must see but i don't agree. The devotion of the people who cut it is admirable but it is a Cathedral in ecclesiastical distinction only. It was drab and after you've seen three crosses, not crucifixs just plain crosses... cut into the mine wall, you've seen them all. Listen, I'm not one to yuck anyone's yum, but besides the very interesting statue at the entrance, there wasn't much of interest here. Also, the tour guide did not go with us... he gave us the site's audio guide... but that was so ponderously narrated and seemed to include narrative back to the time of the Myuasquas that it was not bearable. Given the length of the drive, the juice was not worth the squeeze. More hype than reality I'm sorry to say.
Thank you very much for taking the tour with us. It has been a pleasure to accompany you, and we hope to see you again in our beautiful country to continue sharing unforgettable experiences. See you soon!
It was a wonderful tour, with a private guide and driver, we were picked up and taken to the hotel. The guide Esteban Garcia was extremely attentive and very polite and the driver too. It's worth it!
Thank you so much for sharing this experience with us! We are delighted to have had you as part of our journey and hope you enjoyed it to the fullest. We hope to see you soon for a new adventure.
The Cathedral is awesome. Very unique and well worth seeing. Estevan is very good guide. You will need to be in good shape for the lagoon hike
That's wonderful! We're thrilled you found the experience at the Salt Cathedral so awesome and unique! Esteban is truly a fantastic guide, and we'll make sure to pass along your kind words. We also appreciate your note about the hike at the Laguna de Guatavita; it's great feedback for future visitors to know they need to be in good shape for that part! We hope to see you back for another adventure soon!
First, the agency contacted us in advance to let us know that the laguna would be closed for maintenance and offered us another date. Since we could not change the date, they offered other options to make the tour terrific. Our guide Esteban and driver Mauricio were fantastic. We enjoyed talking to them during the car ride about life in Colombia. We visited La Casa Loca, an upside down house, which was a lot of fun. We visited the town of Guatavita and learned about the significance of the laguna to the indigenous culture. We also toured the Salt Cathedral, which was a must see sight. I do not like underground spaces but I could tolerate this one. The amount of preparation and dedication that went into making the entire space was phenomenal. Esteban and Mauricio attended to our every need on the tour and made sure that we had a wonderful experience.
Thank you for your feedback. We are glad you had a great experience and hope you return to Colombia soon.
First, the agency contacted us in advance to let us know that the laguna would be closed for maintenance and offered us another date. Since we could not change the date, they offered other options to make the tour terrific. Our guide Esteban and driver Mauricio were fantastic. We enjoyed talking to them during the car ride about life in Colombia. We visited La Casa Loca, an upside down house, which was a lot of fun. We visited the town of Guatavita and learned a lot about the significance of the laguna to the indigenous culture. We also toured the Salt Cathedral, which was a must see sight. I do not like underground spaces but I could tolerate this one. The amount of preparation and dedication that went into making the entire space was phenomenal. Esteban and Mauricio attended to our every need on the tour and made sure that we had a wonderful experience.
It fills us with joy to know that your experience was so positive. Nothing motivates us more than knowing that we were able to provide you with a special and memorable moment.
Great tour. We had a great time. Our tour guide was great. We enjoyed visiting the Guatavita and Zipaquira. We highly recommend this tour.
Thank you for trusting us! We want to express our most sincere gratitude for choosing us. It has been a real pleasure to serve you and be part of your experience. We are very proud to know that we were able to contribute to make your experience a great one.
