Overnight Trip to Villa de Leyva from Bogotá
Bogotá, Colombia
Trip Type: Overnight Tours
Duration: 2 days
Discover the charming colonial architecture and cobblestone streets of Villa De Leyva, one of Colombia’s magical villages, on an 11-hour day trip departing from Bogotá. Explore its fascinating history, how it’s been beautifully preserved and the variety of sights including Boyacá Bridge, El Infiernito (Litte hell), the blue ponds and Ráquira. This mellow area’s exceptional architecture, great artisan craft shopping and historical richness offer the perfect combination.
You will hardly find a place in Colombia that takes architectonic preservation as serious as Villa de Leyva. This small village located in the department of Boyacá and it’s a 3-hout drive from Bogotá. Spanish colonizers founded the village in 1572, visiting it gives the sensation of going back in time and in 1954 it was declared a national monument.
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Discover the charming colonial architecture and cobblestone streets of Villa De Leyva, one of Colombia’s magical villages, on an 11-hour day trip departing from Bogotá. Explore its fascinating history, how it’s been beautifully preserved and the variety of sights including Boyacá Bridge, El Infiernito (Litte hell), the blue ponds and Ráquira. This mellow area’s exceptional architecture, great artisan craft shopping and historical richness offer the perfect combination.
You will hardly find a place in Colombia that takes architectonic preservation as serious as Villa de Leyva. This small village located in the department of Boyacá and it’s a 3-hout drive from Bogotá. Spanish colonizers founded the village in 1572, visiting it gives the sensation of going back in time and in 1954 it was declared a national monument.
Day 1:
Get started with a 7am pickup at your hotel, proceeding north towards Villa de Leyva. Enjoy a historical stop at the Boyacá Bridge, where the battle of Boyacá took place in the 19th century which helped secure Colombia’s independence from the Spaniards. Right before arriving at Villa de Leyva, you'll travel to El Infiernito (Little Hell) and marvel in an ancient Muisca observatory and how they used to calculate the optimal time for harvest and then visit the blue pond, a water reservoir created by farmers. The water’s color has turned into a surprisingly vivid blue that contrasts beautifully with the arid vegetation.
You’ll reach the colonial village around 2:30 pm (14:30) and check into the cozy traditional guest house that’s booked for your group. Casa de las Ventanas del Fierro is a guest house in the historical part of Villa de Leyva two blocks away from the square. The house was built in 1623 and the actual owners bought it and finished its reconstruction in 1976; at first it was a family house, but it’s became a guest house over the years. The house has a gorgeous interior garden and a balcony over the small stream that passes through San Agustin’s convent.
Feel free to explore the town the rest of the afternoon. The village was established around the enormous Plaza Mayor, a cobblestone main square that has a surface of 14,000 square meters and its delimited by the church and the colonial houses which are know shops, restaurants, hotels. Wander through narrow cobblestone streets and be swept of your feet by their charm, white washed facades and rustic wooden doors.
Day 2:
Explore the village and its surroundings by yourself, or you can arrange any other activity of your preference (not included in the price). Even though Villa de Leyva is small, it has a wide range of activities to offer from hiking in natural parks to buggy races, horseback riding, bird watching, archaeological sites to museums and historical buildings. At 11am, you will be picked up at your hotel and you’ll be taken to Raquirá, a small village nearby, famous for its amazing craftsmanship of woodworking, pottery, basketry and more. There, you have the opportunity to do some souvenir shopping and then proceed to go back to Bogotá where you’ll be taken back to your hotel.
*Please note: you can change any of the activities above for the Casa de Terracota, which is a house made of clay measuring 500 m² in Villa de Leyva is considered the largest piece of pottery in the world. This is the Terracotta House, bricked coloured structure that architect Octavio Mendoza baked in the same manner as pottery makers when they produce vases, dishes and other decorative objects. It is a construction which according to its creator, transforms it into habitable architecture.
You will hardly find a place in Colombia that takes architectonic preservation as serious as Villa de Leyva. This small village located in the department of Boyacá and it’s a 3-hout drive from Bogotá. Spanish colonizers founded the village in 1572, visiting it gives the sensation of going back in time and in 1954 it was declared a national monument.
Day 1:
Get started with a 7am pickup at your hotel, proceeding north towards Villa de Leyva. Enjoy a historical stop at the Boyacá Bridge, where the battle of Boyacá took place in the 19th century which helped secure Colombia’s independence from the Spaniards. Right before arriving at Villa de Leyva, you'll travel to El Infiernito (Little Hell) and marvel in an ancient Muisca observatory and how they used to calculate the optimal time for harvest and then visit the blue pond, a water reservoir created by farmers. The water’s color has turned into a surprisingly vivid blue that contrasts beautifully with the arid vegetation.
You’ll reach the colonial village around 2:30 pm (14:30) and check into the cozy traditional guest house that’s booked for your group. Casa de las Ventanas del Fierro is a guest house in the historical part of Villa de Leyva two blocks away from the square. The house was built in 1623 and the actual owners bought it and finished its reconstruction in 1976; at first it was a family house, but it’s became a guest house over the years. The house has a gorgeous interior garden and a balcony over the small stream that passes through San Agustin’s convent.
Feel free to explore the town the rest of the afternoon. The village was established around the enormous Plaza Mayor, a cobblestone main square that has a surface of 14,000 square meters and its delimited by the church and the colonial houses which are know shops, restaurants, hotels. Wander through narrow cobblestone streets and be swept of your feet by their charm, white washed facades and rustic wooden doors.
Day 2:
Explore the village and its surroundings by yourself, or you can arrange any other activity of your preference (not included in the price). Even though Villa de Leyva is small, it has a wide range of activities to offer from hiking in natural parks to buggy races, horseback riding, bird watching, archaeological sites to museums and historical buildings. At 11am, you will be picked up at your hotel and you’ll be taken to Raquirá, a small village nearby, famous for its amazing craftsmanship of woodworking, pottery, basketry and more. There, you have the opportunity to do some souvenir shopping and then proceed to go back to Bogotá where you’ll be taken back to your hotel.
*Please note: you can change any of the activities above for the Casa de Terracota, which is a house made of clay measuring 500 m² in Villa de Leyva is considered the largest piece of pottery in the world. This is the Terracotta House, bricked coloured structure that architect Octavio Mendoza baked in the same manner as pottery makers when they produce vases, dishes and other decorative objects. It is a construction which according to its creator, transforms it into habitable architecture.
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