Bogota, Colombia is often overshadowed by Cartagena, but I actually preferred Bogota due to the number of day trip options. I only had time to take a couple of the many great day trips from Bogota, but you could easily spend a week exploring the surrounding area.
Want a guided tour to start out your trip and get acclimated to the city? Then check out Guru Walks for a free guided tour. You can book online to reserve your spot and pay what you wish when you get there. Check out the tours in Bogota here.
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Where to Stay in Bogota
TripAdvisor is a great place to start your hotel search. Search for the best Bogota hotels here!
- BH Parque 93
- Salvio Parque 93 Bogotá
- DoubleTree Hotel Bogota
- Four Points Bogota
- Residence Inn Bogota
- Holiday Inn Express Bogota -Parque la 93
The Best Day Trips from Bogota
For my experiences, I chose to hire a driver to visit Lake Guatavita and the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira. There are many tours visitors can pre-book, so we chose to wait until we were there to hire a local driver. Hiring a local driver was over half the price of many of the pre-booked tours. However, if you want to guarantee a tour, check out these tours.
- Salt Cathedral
- Lake Guatavita and the Salt Cathedral
- La Chorrera Waterfall
- Villa de Leyva
- Coffee Farm
The entrances to the sites and food are not included when you hire a driver. Some of the other tours may include the entrance fees but make sure to double-check before. Also, be prepared for a long day of driving. Most of the day trips from Bogota take about two hours to get to.
Lake Guatavita
Lake Guatavita was a must-do option as one of the day trips from Bogota for me as I love the story of El Dorado. Our driver picked us up at our hotel in Bogota and then drove us to our first stop, Lake Guatavita. It was about a 2-hour drive out to the lake.
Along the way, he pointed out important sites to us. Upon arriving at Lake Guatavita, we settled on a time to meet at the exit. At Lake Guatavita, guests enter on one side of the Lake. You then hike to the other side and exit over there.
Lake Guatavita is also known as the El Dorado Lake. It is considered a sacred place to the Muisca people who are said to have cast a large amount of gold into the lake. Thus, this lake inspired the Legend of El Dorado.
After our visit to Lake Guatavita, we stopped for lunch at an adorable little cafe. The food was delicious and very inexpensive. It was maybe $10 for both of us to eat a meal of chicken, potatoes, and guacamole.
Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira
The most popular of the day trips from Bogota is the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira. It lies about 26 miles outside of Bogota and will take about an hour to an hour and a half to get to. It is a very unique and gorgeous stop, so I highly recommend planning a visit here.
The Salt Cathedral is an underground Roman Catholic Church built in the tunnels of a salt mine. It is a popular pilgrimage site and one of the most unique cathedrals in the world.
Visitors can walk the different stations of the cross before finally getting to the main Cathedral. On Sundays, visitors can go to mass in the Cathedral. There is also a short film and a shop. Plan to spend 2-3 hours here.
You can also opt to spend some time at viewpoints overlooking the town and opt to wander around for a bit.
Andres Carne de Res
We ended the day by having our driver take us to Andres Carne de Res, a very popular steak restaurant filled with quirky decorations in Bogota. The restaurant is located 45 minutes from central Bogota and super popular with the locals.
The food was delicious and not as expensive as I would have expected it to be. I spent around $20 for a steak, a side of potatoes, and a glass of wine. After dinner, our driver gave us a tour of the property and then took us back to our hotel.
Andrew Carne de Res is one of the best day trips from Bogota for the entire experience. The food was awesome and I loved the atmosphere of the restaurant. Many locals go there to celebrate special occasions or to hang out with friends.
Overall, I felt this tour was worth it. We got to see several different places and had a private tour. We could go at our own pace and take our time. I also liked that our driver added in the information along the way. It was not hard to arrange the tour once in Bogota. Many of the hotels have drivers you can hire. I also enjoyed that we got to eat at some amazing restaurants.
Note that many of the local drivers only speak Spanish. They will know enough English to communicate, but any tour information will be in Spanish. Keep that in mind when choosing your tour!
Other Day Trips from Bogota
Although I only got to do these three day trips from Bogota, a few others contributed their thoughts on some of the best day trips from Bogota.
Cascada La Chorrera
By Zoe of Zoe Goes Places
Thirteen kilometers to the east of Bogota lies Colombia’s tallest waterfall. Standing at a mind-boggling 590 meters tall, Cascada La Chorrera is a majestic landmark worthy of inclusion on any Bogota itinerary as a day trip from Bogota!
This stunning waterfall sits at the midpoint of a 5 km hiking trail through the wooded countryside below steep cliffs. The start of the trail can be reached by a combination of taking a local bus towards Choachi and then either a taxi ride or walking the 5 km downhill route from the bus stop. By bus and taxi, journey time is around 1 hour 20 minutes and by bus then foot around 2 hours.
The hiking trail is easy to follow and does not require too much uphill walking. Then, once you are at Cascada La Chorrera, you will get to stand right underneath the waterfall. Although, it is so tall that it is hard to see all of it at once!
There is also a second waterfall on the hiking trail. Although much smaller at only 55 meters in height, Cascada El Chiflon is worth seeing. Plus, you can walk behind Cascada El Chiflon too. And, if that is not enough, the park also offers a range of adventure activities such as zip-lining, rappelling, and abseiling.
So, if you are looking to escape the city and spend some time around nature, a visit to Cascada La Chorrera is certainly for you!
Monserrate
By Sarah of A Social Nomad
Visiting Monserrate on a day trip from Bogota is an excellent combination of nature and history and it is easy to reach. It is just over a mile from the Botero Museum to the base of the cable car ticket office. From there to get to the top there are three options: the funicular, the cable car, or hiking. Most visitors will take the funicular or cable car to the top of this mountain sanctuary.
One great option is to take the funicular one way and the cable car the other. Alternatively, the (free) two-mile hike is a pilgrimage route, with a 400-meter altitude gain.
At the top of Monserrate, there is much to explore: the Basilica Sanctuary of Monserrate, the gardens at Monserrate are lovely and the Well of Wishes is also worth a visit. There are a variety of vendors up here selling all sorts of trinkets and souvenirs, but you will also want to have lunch up here as there is a good selection of places to eat traditional Colombian food. There are stunning views up here, and the sunset is magnificent.
TIP: There are no ATMs up on Monserrate, so you will need to make sure you have taken sufficient cash with you for your visit, and take care when using Colombian ATMs as fees can be high.
La Ciudad Bolivar
By Deborah of Passport the World
Most people visit the famous Comuna 13 in Medellin, famous for its cool street art when they are in Colombia. But from Bogota, you are able to visit Ciudad Bolivar, a colorful community with spectacular city views. And where you share the Comuna 13 with hundreds of other visitors, in Ciudad Bolivar you will probably be by yourself!
A visit to Ciudad Bolivar will make for a nice day trip. You can take an uber or taxi to the transmissible tunnel station, which takes about 45 minutes, depending on traffic. From here you will travel by cable car up the mountain, for a 20 minutes ride. Along the way, you are able to observe local life and the many colorful houses of La Ciudad Bolivar from above.
Ciudad Bolivar has had a negative image for years. However, a few years ago, several artists started a project to change this point of view. Together with the community, they created a colorful neighborhood with many cool murals. Initially, important leaders from the neighborhood were depicted, later this expanded with all types of collaborations and art.
Nowadays you can visit the community with a street art tour, to observe the works of the local artists and understand more about the history of the neighborhood. Besides that, you will meet many local people who are willing to have a chat with you about their lives. On top of that, you can visit a viewpoint with unforgettable views of Bogota. Ciudad Bolivar is a hidden gem activity, not been discovered by the big crowds yet and one of the best day trips from Bogota.
Other Day Trips from Bogota
Other possible day trips from Bogota include Chicaque Natural Park, Chingaza National Park, El Jardin Encantado, or a Coffee Tour. If you have more time after visiting Bogota, head to other places in Colombia such as Medellin and Cartagena. You can also head to Ecuador for some other amazing experiences.
