Villa de Leyva Tour | A Trip to Authentic Colonial Towns | Uncover Colombia
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Villa de Leyva Tour Colombia

Villa de Leyva and Beyond Tour

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From $0 - 3 Days

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An authentic view of Villa de Leyva and other colonial towns

The department of Boyaca is famous in Colombia for having the most beautiful and picturesque towns and villages in the country. Its breath-taking mountain landscapes and its historical memorials of Colombia's independence are features of this area that will intrigue you. This 3-day tour offers the opportunity to visit Villa de Leyva, one of the most beautiful colonial towns in Boyaca that seems to be frozen in time.

This interesting journey will also include a visit to the colourful village of Raquira, famous for its pieces of pottery, and the local community of Gachantiva, where you will be immersed in their regular activities by learning how to cook traditional Colombian snacks, milk a caw and shear a sheep. 

EXPERIENCE TYPE History, Culture and Local Traditions

 Villa de Leyva Tour Colombia
Tour Highlights

Zipaquira Salt Cathedral

Zipaquira Tour Colombia

The small town of Zipaquira is famous for its salt mines and for the Salt Cathedral now built inside the network of monumental chambers and tunnels that were left behind when commercial mining operations ceased. This cathedral is unlike any other in the world, in terms of its innovative architecture. It was opened in 1995 and represents an eclectic mix of religion and architecture to maximise protection from the ever-present risks of working in a mine. The walk-through Stations of the Cross in the mine are a poignant representation of Jesus' last steps, and they culminate in a three-part cavernous subterranean cathedral.

Villa de Leyva

Villa de Leyva Holiday

Villa de Leyva is undoubtedly the most famous town in the department of Boyacá. Located 3.5 hours driving from Bogota, this lovely town has been remarkably well-preserved. It was founded in 1572 by Hernán Suárez de Villalobos, and early on, it was mainly a retreat for military officers, clergy and the nobility. Its central plaza, the largest in Colombia and one of the largest in South America, is surrounded by magnificent colonial buildings. Villa de Leyva was declared a national monument in 1954. 

Gachantiva

Gachantiva Cooking Experience

Gachantivá is a small town only 30 min driving from Villa de Leyva. It located at altitudes ranging from 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) to 3,300 metres (10,800 ft) a bit higher than Villa de Leyva. Before the Spanish conquest this are was inhabited by the indigenous Muisca. 

What to Expect

Detailed Itinerary

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DAY 1 Travel to Villa de Leyva via Zipaquira

We will pick you up from your hotel to start our journey towards Villa de Leyva. Along the way, we will visit the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira and other towns. The Salt Cathedral is located 50km north of Bogota and was built within the tunnels of a salt mine. The cathedral is situated 180m underground and has three sections representing the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ. It is an amazing work of architecture and engineering.

Then, we will continue with our journey. We will make a small stop to visit the wonderful traditional village of Cucunuba, which has been trapped in time, with its narrow streets and colonial houses that still retain the majority of its original architecture. There we will enjoy a delicious yogurt along with a traditional snack.

After making this wonderful visit that transports us in time, we will go to the town of Chiquinquirá, famous for its imposing Basilica of Our Lady of Chiquinquira, to which thousands of parishioners go in search of religious miracles or to show gratitude. At this point, we will take our lunch before continuing our trip.

Once we've had lunch, we will continue our adventure towards Raquira, a small a colourful village with brightly painted facades and a jumble of crafts shops. This beautiful village is famous for its pottery and handicrafts made of clay. An interesting spot for shopping.

Leaving Raquira we will continue our journey to Villa de Leyva. Once we arrive, we will check in at the hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure for individual exploration of the town that will transport you back to Spanish colonial times.

Overnight: Villa de Leyva
Meal Plan: Lunch

DAY 2 Gastronomic Tour and Santo Ecce Homo Convent

Early in the morning we will go to a farm located an hour from the town, where we will have our traditional breakfast and learn from the gastronomic tradition of the region through a workshop of traditional cooking, for which we will interact with typical food such as corn, which is one of the most important because of its relationship with the ancestral natives and in the same way we will use traditional preparation techniques in a beautiful wood oven.

After this beautiful gastronomic activity, we will go to another nearby farm where we will learn everything related to the production of Panela, a product derived from sugar cane, there we will learn from its cultivation, harvest, transformation processes to the importance for habitual consumption in our local gastronomy. Later we will have our lunch accompanied by a delicious refreshing drink based on this product called aguapanela.

We will continue visiting the Convento Santo Ecce Homo, founded by the Dominican fathers in 1620. This is a spectacular stone-and-adobe construction with a lovely courtyard and floors paved with stones quarried in the region, containing ammonites and fossils, including petrified corn and flowers.

The rest of the day is at leisure for your own exploration. 

Overnight: Villa de Leyva
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 3 Wool workshop and milking activities. Travel back to Bogota

After breakfast we will go to a traditional farm, where the hosts will teach us the whole process to obtain the wool, from the sheared to the sheep, subsequent washing and handling of the fibers that generate the threads. We will also have the opportunity to perform a milking activity, in which we will learn the importance of milk in this area and the products derived from it, such as “cuajada”, a traditional cheese that we will be taught to make. Before starting our return to the city of Bogotá, we will have a delicious lunch.

On our way to Bogota, we will stop at Boyacá Bridge, which is a very important historical place where the most important battle of the Colombian War of Independence took place. Upon arrival in Bogota, we will go to your hotel.

Overnight: -
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation

Villa de Leyva

Hotel Posada de San Antonio

Villa de Leyva Colombia Tour

Hotel Posada de San Antonio is set in a charming colonial-style house very close to the main square. It offers rooms with stylish decor, private bathrooms and free Wi-Fi. Breakfast is served daily. International dishes can be ordered at the property’s restaurant.

 

Essential Information

What's Included

  •  2 nights' accommodation (double occupancy)
  •  Private ground transport
  •  Meals as defined in the itinerary
  •  Local English-speaking tour guides
  •  Entry tickets to all tourist attractions mentioned in the itinerary

What's Not Included

  •  Meals not listed in the itinerary 
  •  Tips and other discretionary expenses

How to Book

If you wish to book this tour, please click on the yellow "Book Now" button, select the date, number of people, complete the details and go through a secured online payment platform.

If you have any question or whish to change something, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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We had a FANTASTIC experience with Uncover. Nidia and her team organized the most magical 4-day trip to the Colombian Coffee Region. I am Colombian but needed assistance as I wasn’t familiar with the area. We went to the Cocora Valley, Rafting down a river, had a fabulous coffee farm experience and even visited a cacao farm where we got to make artisan chocolate. We traveled with our school aged children...

– Daniela, July 2024

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Uncover Colombia did a wonderful job of providing me with a itinerary covering some of the best of Colombia's many highlights covering cities and villages, mountains and beaches, and more, and accommodating my own wishes and preferences. Every day was a different experience and a chance to see something completely different from my own life, not a moment was wasted and I never felt rushed.

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Amazing tour with Uncover Colombia - San Agustin, Tierradentro and Tatacoa

My mother and I did a 5-day trip to San Agustin, Tierradentro and the Tatacoa dry forest/desert with Uncover Colombia. It was absolutely brilliant. The communication was great and Nidia helped us to ensure that the trip was tailored to our needs and wishes. Our driver, Jesus, and guide, Jorge, were very friendly and Jorge was very knowledgable. I can highly recommend using Uncover Colombia for your trip!

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We feel very fortunate to have chosen Uncover Colombia. Your guides were passionate and professional and informative, the accomodation was exceptional at every stop and most impressively, we were aware of you constantly checking in our wellbeing. We return to Australia with an awareness of Colombia’s variety, vitality and positivity.

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My wife and I planned a 3 week trip to Colombia, with Nidia at Uncover Colombia. The advice and planning were first class across a range of activities. At every stage we received extra help. The guides were absolutely top class. I much prefer to deal with small travel companies who really know the country they operate in, and have had some excellent experiences, but Nidia and Uncover Columbia are the best A mark of 11 out of 10.

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It was actually two whole days plus two half days. Everything was well organized. I was accompanied by our guide Sergio from the first to the last minute. He was very nice, helpful and knowledgeable. The program was very exciting and I felt safe and in good hands at any time.

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A perfect organization!

I'm the Italian President of CIGV (Club Internazionale Grandi Viaggiatori) and I decided to organize the trip to Colombia for 14 club members selecting Uncover Colombia agency. The program they made has been fantastic, touching the most interesting sites of this country but also their, guides, drivers and hotel selection I found simply perfect. Not a mistake, never a delay. I would recommend this agency to everyone...

– Luca, January 2023

Great tour of Salt Cathedral

Myself and my wife did a private tour with Juan Carlos to the Salt Cathedral. The tour and Juan Carlos were both great. He had an intimate knowledge of the Salt Cathedral having worked there previously, and also knew a lot about the nearby town and local area. It's a really fascinating structure, and would definitely recommend visiting it if you're in Bogota.

– Barra M, January 2023

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We had an amazing two weeks tour arranged by Uncover Colombia for our honeymoon. Nidia suggested great hotels and activities and made adjustments based on our feedback. All our tour guides were friendly, knowledgeable and professional with excellent English. Great activities in a beautiful country. They've got a UK-base so are ATOL protected - reassuring given uncertainty with travel at the moment. 

– Louise, October 2022

Fantastic 15 day Tour of Colombia

We selected Uncover Colombia after reading their great reviews online and it was definitely the right choice. They were the best communicators and within a few emails back and forwards, we had tailored our perfect tour. We spent 15 days traveling Colombia, with all connections, accommodation and activities being handled by Uncover...

– Ben, September 2022

7 extra days in Colombia

We needed a tailored tour to follow a wedding we were attending and wanted to make the most of our travels. Nidia was helpful, responsive and excellent in organising our trip from Periera to Medellin, Cartagena and Bogota. Everything worked like clockwork. Our 3 guides (one for each place) were also perfect, Andreas, Roberto & Camilo. They knew their stuff, were responsive and very personable.

– Daniel, August 2022

 

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They Organized activities in Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena for the two of us. They modified the activities to our needs of seeing wilderness as well as a local culture. Been around the word a few times, we were a little demanding as well. They came thru on everything at a very reasonable price.. Pays to have local organizers like them who truly know Columbia and the needs of the Clients...

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