After the cold and rainy Tunha, I moved to the equally cold and rainy capital of Colombia Bogotá (Bogota) (emphasis on the last syllable, ie on “a”!).
Perhaps the bad weather was to blame for everything, or to feel and fall in love with the capital, it took more time, but for 4 days Bogotá never charmed me. The modern, clean and beautiful outskirts of the city gave way to a noisy and dusty center with houses of all sizes (from one-story to skyscrapers) and styles (from old colonial buildings that were in the minority, to gray concrete freaks in the spirit of the “Soviet office center”). I settled in a wonderful hotel in the area of \u200b\u200bLa Candelaria, the old part of Bogota and its original center, where all the most interesting museums and churches are concentrated. And even Candelaria didn’t hook me. In Bogota, very little antiquity has survived, since the city was often destroyed by earthquakes, and almost the entire center was destroyed during a powerful uprising in 1948.
Honestly, it was rather uncomfortable for me to walk along the streets of Bogota with beggars and beggars - the capital cities always attract any rabble. Therefore, I concentrated my efforts on museums, since they are beautiful in Bogota!
To warm up, I went to the free Museum of Police located in a 100 year old building of French architecture. Each visitor (or group of visitors) is given a personal guide, one of the 18-year-old young men dressed in police uniforms who thus undergo their army service. I got wonderful Daniel, who speaks very good English, who spent a 2-hour tour on several floors of the museum, telling about the history of the creation of the modern Colombian police in 1892 and about who performed police functions in the pre-Columbian era, when in Colombia only Indians lived, and from the 16th century, when the colonialists settled here. There are halls dedicated to different police units (horse, road, drug control), there are those that talk about social services. providing cops. Everything is very interesting and well done - the last not only about the museum, but also about the Colombian police as a whole.
In the middle of the tour, Daniel invited me to their cafeteria, where, in the company of several other young police officers, we drank coffee. Also completely free. I was also taken to the roof of the museum, which offers a wonderful 360-degree panorama and a great view of the rooftops of Candelaria and the mountains around, and Daniel told me about some buildings and showed me where the police department was located 100 years ago, while it was in the 1920s century did not move to the freshly constructed building, which is now occupied by the museum.
Then I went to the free museum Casa de Moneda dedicated to money, but there was little information there in English, which for a long time was not enough for me. It was nice that at the exit the guard gave me a jubilee coin.
The next one was wonderful and free fernando Botero Museum , the most famous Colombian artist. In addition to the sculptures and paintings of the master himself, there was a hall with paintings by European impressionists and a couple of halls with sculptures and paintings by Colombian figures.
If the huge sculptures of Fernando Botero, which I have already seen in Cartagena and Bucaramanga in the form of giant naked women, somehow did not really captivate me, then I fell in love with his paintings at first sight! He has a completely unique style, and all his images are kind of very kind and warm, always making you smile - which is only worth Mona Lisa, weighing, probably, under two centners.
Immediately behind the Fernando Botero Museum there is an exhibition hall with interchangeable expositions - on my visit there were wonderful paintings of Bogotá and Colombia of the 19th century.
For me the Museo del Oro or Museum gold (free on Sundays) with its incredibly amazing and amazingly incredible collection of gold and earthenware from pre-Columbian Colombia, i.e. those times when numerous Indian tribes lived here and there were no colonizers yet. Truly, the people who inhabited this area had a rich imagination, because I had never seen such bizarre images of different creatures before.
In addition to many gold and clay products, images of Indians, hung from all sides with gold jewelry, were recreated - not without reason the first Spanish visitors who landed on the coast of future Colombia were struck by the abundance of gold on the locals.
All exhibits are accompanied by excellent comments in English, screens are placed throughout the museum where you can watch educational videos, for example, about different techniques for making gold figures. One of the techniques is the lost-wax method, when first the figure is molded from wax, then coated with clay, when the clay hardens, all this is heated to the melting point of the wax, it flows out, and a mixture of molten gold and copper is poured into the formed space. When the mixture cools and hardens, the clay is broken and a three-dimensional figure is obtained. In general, after spending 4 hours in the museum, I was so delighted that I decided to definitely go to both ancient archaeological sites in the south of Colombia (San Agustin and Tierradentro) to learn more about the life of people who lived in Colombia before the arrival of the Spaniards. And by the way, if in different regions of Southeast Asia I often found myself thinking that I was 50 years late for a visit, then, of course, I had to go to Colombia at the beginning of the 16th century before the first Spaniards - such a region was incredibly interesting, until the Spaniards slaughtered most of the Indians and destroyed the ancient cultures!
To learn more about how people dress in different regions of Colombia, I went to the small Museo de Trajes Regionales or Museum of Regional Costumes (3000 COP), which presents different types of sombrero, woven bags and clothes. I already heard about it in Guatemala and read about it here again: before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Indians did not wear any clothes and only painted their bodies with various natural colors (so far rare tribes of the Amazonian Indians living in the wilderness beyond the reach of civilization and the church still do) . And only with the advent of the Catholic Church did the colonialists, at the suggestion of the priests, introduce into the everyday life of the Indians clothes different for each tribe (and sometimes the village). So those outfits that can be seen among different tribes of Indians in Latin America today are the result of the evolution of those outfits that were adopted by their ancestors five centuries ago.
And in the end I went to free National the museum , where there was a little bit of everything: both gold / clay products of pre-Columbian Indians, and colonial interior items, and religious attributes in the form of icons and statues of saints, and a story about the great Colombian river Magdalena. Comments, however, were everywhere only in Spanish, but before entering each room there was a sign with an English description of the main exhibits. In general, the museum is from the series “to go, if there is absolutely nothing to do”, unlike the previous ones.
And in Bogota, I visited a mountain beautifully towering over the city called Monserrate (3152 meters). Every Saturday and Sunday, probably a couple of millions out of ten million people living in Bogotá climb 1,500 steps to the top, which takes up to an hour and a half. Upstairs is a newly built church, built on the site of an earthquake that destroyed it - it is a place of pilgrimage, although it seemed to me that most people stomp upstairs simply out of love for sports and a healthy lifestyle. After the “stormy” days in Tunha, I still did not feel able to walk so high on foot, so I entered unsportsmanlike and took a ride up the funicular, especially since I love the funiculars. And down came down on foot, observing the suffering of all the rising and rising upwards of millions of idolists. One of the pilgrims was definitely among them - the man was climbing the steps wet from the rain on his knees!
In addition to the church, where the Sunday morning service was just going on, there were dozens of souvenir shops and several restaurants. And the clouds, floating right in front of the nose and covering the whole view of the city below. True, when a gap appeared in the clouds, it turned out that the view from above on Bogotá was not very - the same not very much as it was from below, because there is somehow not enough beautiful in the city for my taste.
At the foot of the mountain, for the weekend, there were many restaurants offering cheap food - what could be better than a hot fragrant Tamales and a glass of fresh orange juice for breakfast on a cold and cloudy Sunday!?.
On weekdays, walking to the foot of the mountain where the funicular station is located, and even more so to climb the stairs up to the top, is strongly discouraged, because lonely travelers are often robbed on this path. On weekends, millions of people go to the foot of the mountain and uphill, the police are everywhere, so you feel nowhere safer.
The center of life in Candelaria is the Plaza de Bolivar or Area already familiar to us Bolivara . A large and beautiful (outside) Cathedral enters the square, which was repeatedly destroyed by earthquakes and gained its present appearance only after the restoration that followed the destruction during the 1948 uprising. Next to it, a church that survived everything and everyone, called Capilla del Sagrario, has been preserved since colonial times. On this, the beauty of the square ends, and the harsh reality begins. The Palace of Justice, originally built in 1921, was burned during the 1948 uprising. The second version built in its place in 1985 was captured by partisans from the revolutionary movement M-19, taking 300 people hostage. After a 28-hour siege of the building, 115 hostages were killed, including 11 supreme judges. After that, a third version of the Palace of Justice was built on a long-suffering place - something unremarkable and ugly. Opposite him across the square stands Capitolio Nacional, a meeting place for Congress that looks completely different from the beautiful Capitol in Washington and Havana. The building completed in 1926 is also not distinguished by special beauty. And they obviously do not like him, because on the walls and windows are visible traces of the "bombs" with paints. In the middle of the square stands a statue of Simon Bolivar, the pedestal of which is all covered with inscriptions from spray cans, and some demonstrators of some kind of a homeless look pitched around their tents.
For days on end, they sell corn for pigeons on the square, so there’s no way to get away from the pigeons, only manage to dodge the flock frightened off by someone. And still there are charming lamas on which you can ride or take pictures. My first lamas - oh, hopefully soon I will see them in the wild. And all the 4 days, while I was in Bogota, some rallies and demonstrations took place in the square: either miners in helmets, then noisy students, or funny young people with theatrically painted faces and stilts (even policemen were seen on stilts). Cultural city, damn it !.
In addition to Candelaria, in the relative center of Bogota there are streets with office skyscrapers, and there is the Zona Rosa district with expensive housing, restaurants, bars and nightclubs. I drove it on a bus, but I did not find anything interesting for myself there. A comfortable place to live. Like the pathos of Bucaramanga that I liked.
Speaking of buses. For a long time, the Bogotá authorities dreamed about the metro and even spent three decades searching for work, but, in the end, surrendered and created a modern bus transport system called TransMilenio. TransMilenio has its own dedicated and fenced lanes, its safe, clean and clear stations and interchange hubs with ticket entry. At the station, each bus drives up to its section of the glazed platform and stops strictly opposite the doors, like the St. Petersburg metro. In general, everything is convenient and clearly faster than pushing through metropolitan traffic jams on regular buses. True, TransMilenio also has small congestion from its own buses at the stations, although there are two lanes there: one for stopping at its platform, another for getting to its stop or leaving the platform.
20 years ago, Bogota was one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Two charismatic mayors, who led the local administration for a decade since 1993, helped her change.
The first was Antanas Mokus, the son of Lithuanian immigrants born in Bogotá, who came to power in 1993. During his reign, the level of murders in the capital fell by 70%, deaths from road accidents by 50%. For his purposes, he used very unusual methods. For example, in order to draw attention to traffic rules, he hired 420 mimes who made fun of violators of the rules on the roads. When there was an interruption in water supply in Bogotá, he appeared on TV taking a shower, suddenly turned off the water, still remaining in soapy foam, and asked residents of the capital to reduce water consumption - the result was minus 40% in consumption. He also authored the idea of \u200b\u200bWomen's Night, when men were asked to stay at home and look after the children, and the city sponsored concerts and other outdoor events, bars only offered female drinks, and 700,000 women police officers enjoyed all of this.
While Antanas Mokus unsuccessfully pursued the presidency and until he returned to mayor in 2001, the mayor of Bogotá was an equally progressive dude named Enrique Penalosa, who was often seen riding a bike in Bogotá - he increased the number of bike paths (now in Bogotá more than three hundred kilometers of excellent bike paths) and created Sunday Ciclovia, when for half a day for vehicles more than a hundred kilometers of roads are closed and they ride bicycles and rollers (I observed a similar practice in other major Colombian cities). He opposed the continuation of dreams on the subject of the metro and for the creation of TransMilenio.
And now Bogotá has problems, like any big city, but the positive is noticeable even to a person who has been in the capital for only 4 days. As Enrique Penalosa said about Bogota in 2007: “I did not know a city that its inhabitants would hate so much. He has changed more than I dreamed. ” So it’s good that I didn’t come to Bogota 20 years ago.
The path from Bogotá to my next destination was not a short one, and I decided on a night bus, since they wrote on the Internet that this road was safe.
Having taken the backpack from the hotel, I went to catch a city bus to get to the bus station. I don’t know how things are on the outskirts of Bogota, but there are no bus stops in its center, and buses stop at the request of people near each post. Which is convenient when you are already riding in it and want to go directly in front of your entrance, but it is not particularly convenient when you are still on the sidewalk, because the buses are in a dense stream, make out the names of the directions (especially at dusk) and stop the wrong one in time simply, besides, some buses go not on the right, but on the left lane, and stopping it is almost impossible.
After half an hour of fruitless attempts to find the right bus, I puzzled the policeman with this question, who stopped the bus I needed, walking along the left lane.
While I slowly drove through traffic jams in a crowded bus, it finally got dark. It turned out that despite the inscription “Terminal” on the plate on the windshield, the bus did not stop at the terminal, passing somewhere about a kilometer from it. With all my belongings, I unloaded into a crowd of people waiting for their buses and asked where is the terminal? A very nice uncle explained everything to me in detail, and then I checked with the oncoming people every 100 meters whether I was going right. In 15 minutes I reached the dark streets of the outskirts of Bogotá, and nothing bad happened to me. Fortunately, the bus terminal is located in a good area without slums, and all the people that I met on the streets were ordinary good people.
At night I wanted to ride the very best bus, and I bought a ticket from Expresso Brasilia, one of Colombia's best bus companies. The bus was really good, however, all the long-distance buses that I traveled before were very convenient. But 5 minutes after leaving the bus terminal, the driver stopped at a crossroads about a couple of dozens of bulk boxes, which he loaded with the help of senders into the luggage compartment. I could only hope that he had already earned that night the necessary part of the left money and that he would not pick up passengers on the road, because it was after such nightly pickups of the left dudes in South America that the majority of bus robberies happened.
After watching the traditional bus movie with the rest of the passengers for a dream, I slept pretty well the remaining 6-7 hours of moving, waking up halfway at 3 a.m. at the "lunch" stop, at which half the bus went out to bask on the street.
Until recently, tourists bypassed the tenth road. Now the tourist infrastructure is actively developing here, and the police are carefully monitoring the observance of public order. Nowadays, Bogotá is known not only as the center of Colombia, but also a city where there are many interesting and interesting places related both to the colonial past of the country and to the present.
general characteristics
Until recently, tourists bypassed the capital by the tenth road. Now the tourist infrastructure is actively developing here, and the police are carefully monitoring the observance of public order. Nowadays, Bogotá is known not only as the center of Colombia, but also a city where there are many interesting and interesting places related both to the colonial past of the country and to the present.
general characteristics
On the world map, Santa de fe Bogota (which was exactly the name of the capital of Colombia until 2000) is located in the central part of the country, where the main concentration of economic and financial flows is noted. By the way, the GDP of the capital takes a quarter of the total indicator throughout the country.
Conventionally, the city is divided into 4 parts: south, north, center and the district of El Occidente. For tourists, this information is extremely important, since the question directly depends on it. The authorities of the capital strongly recommend restricting visits to the southern part of Bogota, also known as the Bronx area, since there are slums where chaos and lawlessness reigns.
The population of Bogotá totals nearly 7 million people. A huge number of nationalities and races are mixed among themselves here. Most often you can find mestizos - the descendants of mixed marriages between Indians and Europeans. If you are wondering what language people in Bogota speak, the answer should at least alert you. In the capital of Colombia, it is very rare to hear English, and even less often to meet her understanding. Spanish is recognized as the official language.
Is there a Russian quarter in Bogota? No, Russian culture here is limited to only a few restaurants with traditional cuisine. In addition, in Bogota there is an embassy of Russia located at ul. Carrera, 4 No. 75-02.
Geographical features and climate
Bogota is located in the basin of Eastern Cordillera, which significantly affects both its climate and the general landscape photos of the city. The capital is located at an altitude of 2600 m above sea level. Due to its geographical location, it is never hot here. The average temperature all year round is + 14 ... + 15 ° С, and the amount of precipitation does not exceed 900 mm per year.
sights
The description of Bogotá as a tourist center sounds promising, because there is definitely something to see among the capital of Colombia. Almost all of them are concentrated in the tourist area of \u200b\u200bLa Candelaria, in the immediate vicinity of the historical part of the city. So, what should a tourist spend his time in the first place:
- in Bogota. All tourist routes begin with it, since the area is surrounded by a number of structures that correlate with the architectural monuments of Colombia: the National Capitol, the Palace of Justice, the Palace of the Archbishop and. In addition, there is a monument to the first president, Simon Bolivar.
- . It is located in close proximity to Bolivar Square, and daily at 17:00 there is a change of guard of honor.
- Cathedral of Bogota. It is made in the style of classicism, and its construction was carried out in the period from 1572 to 1610.
- in Bogota. You can climb to its peak (2800 m) in just a few minutes thanks to the monorail and cable car. At the destination, tourists are expected not only stunning views of the city, but also a number of sculptures on religious subjects, telling about the last hours of the earthly life of Jesus Christ.
- . This place is also known as the salt cave in Bogota. Once salt mining was actively conducted here, and today a Catholic Cathedral of unique beauty is located.
- in Bogota. It is famous for its unique exhibits, the origin of which dates back to the pre-Columbian era. Most of the exposure is made of gold.
- in Bogota. It is the tallest skyscraper in all of Colombia. On weekends, a roof top works on the roof of the building.
Hotels
In Bogota, a huge number of hotels that will suit both budget travelers and those who are accustomed to luxury and comfort. Most of them are concentrated in the area of \u200b\u200bLa Candelaria, which is considered safe for guests of the capital. Good reviews include NH Collection Bogotá Royal Teleport, Hampton by Hilton Bogota Usaquen, Best Western Plus 93 Park Hotel, NH Royal Pavillon, NH Royal La Boheme. If you are interested in inexpensive accommodation options, then pay attention to Botanico Hostel, Republica Hostel Bogota, The Cranky Croc Hostel.
Restaurants
Since Bogotá is a city where representatives of many nationalities live, there will not be a problem with food here: a tourist can easily find an institution with a usual diet in the menu and affordable prices. Among the gourmet restaurants it is worth noting Tamarine Asian Cuisine, Restaurante Rafael, Casa San Isidro. You can enjoy it at Harry Sasson, Andres Carne de Res, Club Colombia. You can get a cheap and tasty snack in such institutions as La Puerta Falsa, Bukowski Bar, Quinua y Amaranto.
Shopping
All major shopping centers, boutiques and company stores are located in the northern part of Bogota. However, it is worth noting that shopping in the capital of Colombia is not cheap. You can buy any for memory both at specialized points and in markets where there is an opportunity to bargain and bring down the price of goods. Most often, tourists from Bogotá bring silver and gold products, leather, jewelry made of precious stones, cigars and coffee of various varieties.
A trip to Bogota will not turn into troubles for you, if you follow certain rules of your stay. In particular, limit yourself to walks in tourist areas, identifying slums as a restricted area. In addition, do not keep large sums with you, and valuables are best left in the hotel safe. The use of raw tap water in Bogota is fraught with an upset stomach at best. You should give preference to bottled water, in extreme cases - boiled.
In Bogota, it is developed at the highest level, although it is represented only by buses. However, on the central streets of the city you can see tram rails. It was only in 1952 during the student unrest that all the trams were burned.
In Bogota, passengers are transported by Bus Rapid Transit, a unique system of high-speed buses. They travel in a continuous stream over a designated lane and have an advantage at intersections. Basically, multi-section buses with a capacity of up to 270 passengers operate on the routes.
How to get to Bogota?
In the vicinity of the capital of Colombia there is, from where to Bogota 20 minutes. By the way, you can get there either by taxi or with the help of free shuttles - green buses. True, they will only take you to the outskirts of the city, but there you can already get a contactless ticket card for Bus Rapid Transit buses without any problems.
Santa Fe de Bogota (Santafé de Bogotá) or simply Bogota - the capital, economic and political center of the Republic of Colombia. It is also an important center for the art and culture of northern South America.
General information
The capital of Colombia is located on the banks of the Rio San Francisco River, in the Cordillera Oriental intermountain basin. In the vicinity of the capital, turfy grasses, prickly shrubs and semi-deciduous forests grow. Cougars, jaguars, possums, tapirs, monkeys, etc. live here. Turtles and crocodiles are found in the rivers.
The population of the city and its suburbs for 2011 is more than 7.5 million people. This is approximately 1/6 of all residents of Colombia. Mestizos predominate in the composition of the population of Bogotá, the rest are purebred Indians, descendants of Europeans, mulattos and blacks.
The city of Bogotá was founded by the Spanish conquistadors in 1538 in the center of the civilization of the Chibra Indians. The city was given the name - Santa Fe de Bogota. The prefix Santa Fe is the name of the Catholic feast of the Transfiguration, celebrated on August 6. It was on this day that the construction of the city began.
Since 1598, Bogotá has been the capital of the Spanish captain general. From 1819 to the present, the city has been the capital of independent Colombia. Today, Bogota is a cosmopolitan city and one of the most important economic centers of the continent.
Weather in Bogota
Despite the fact that the Colombian capital is located almost at the equator, its climate is quite cool. This is due to the location of the city at a high altitude (2610 m). Due to its geographical location, Bogotá is subject to frequent earthquakes.
The warmest month is March with an air temperature reaching 20 ° C. The coldest is January with an average temperature of 14 ° C. The driest months are July, August, December and January. The rainiest periods in Bogota last from April to May and from September to November.
Bogota Transport
You can get from the airport to the center of the capital in 2 ways:
- By official taxi. The fare, as a rule, is from 15 to 25 thousand COP (9-14 USD).
- By bus, whose parking is located next to the exit from the main terminal. The fare is 1200 COP (0.7 USD).
In addition to El Dorado, in the vicinity of the capital there are 2 more airports: the airport for private air transportation - Guaymaral and the base for police and military aviation - Catam.
The main public transport of Bogota is the bus. The city has 2 bus systems:
- The traditional system, which includes: large Ejecutivo and Corriente buses, medium-sized Buseta buses and Colectivo minibuses.
- The high-speed TransMilenio system, originally created to compensate for the lack of metro. Ticket prices range from 1400 to 1750 COP (0.8 - 1 USD).
In the Colombian capital there is a developed network of bike paths. Its length is 303 km. This is one of the largest bicycle networks in the world.
Areas of Bogota
Conventionally, the city is divided into 4 parts:
- The center is the historical part of the Colombian capital, where there are numerous attractions and the business district of the capital.
- The North is a modern part of the capital with colorful nightclubs, cafes, boutiques and large shopping centers.
- South - areas of the slums of Bogotá.
- El Occidente is an elite part of the city where the upper strata of metropolitan society live. Parks and sports facilities are concentrated here.
In addition to the above, the Colombian capital officially consists of 20 districts. Among them, the most interesting are:
La Candelaria is a tourist area with colonial buildings and beautiful churches.
- Chapinero is a modern area with office buildings, restaurants and shops.
- Teusaquillo is a sports attraction. Here are museums, the famous stadium of the capital and the botanical garden.
- Macarena is a bohemian area with upscale restaurants and art galleries.
- Parque de la 93 is a trendy area with popular cafes and nightclubs.
- Usaquén is the central area where the main attractions of Bogota are concentrated.
The poorest and most criminal areas of the capital are: Antonio Nariño, Barrios Unidos, Bosa, Los Mártires, Kennedy, Ciudad Bolívar, Suba, Tunjuelito, Sumapaz, Engativá, Puente Aranda, Fontibón and Rafael Uribe Uribe. The listed areas are not recommended for tourists to visit.
Sights of Bogota
The most popular sights of Bogota
- Bolivar Square is the main square of the Colombian capital. Here is a monument to the first president of the independent Republic of Colombia - Simon Bolivar and a magnificent cathedral.
- Presidential Palace, located south of Bolivar Square. Every day at 17:00 a colorful guard change is held near the palace, attracting many people.
- The Congress building, built in the classical Greek style.
- Salt Cathedral, located 49 km from Bogota. It was completely carved in salt rock. The height of the arches is 23 m.
- The Church of the Holy Child is one of the most revered places in the capital. The temple is famous for depicting a gentle and smiling little Jesus in a pink tunic and with open arms.
- The Moorish-style square of Toros la Santamaria, where bullfighting and various music events are held.
- Montserrat hill (3100 m), which can be reached by cable car. From its top offers stunning views of the capital. There is an international restaurant and several viewing platforms.
- Famous churches: La Candelaria, La Tercera, La Concepcion, San Francisco, San Ignacio and Santa Clara.
- Casa de Poesia Silva is a colorful mansion, which currently houses the Museum of Poetry.
Parks and Gardens of Bogota
- Simon Bolivar Park is one of the largest parks in the world.
- The Botanical Garden, where many different types of exotic plants are represented.
- Chicaque is a natural park located 20 km from the capital.
Museums in Bogota
- Museum of Gold, which contains works of art made by Native American masters of the pre-Columbian era.
- The National Museum of Colombia, divided into 4 large departments: Art, History, Ethnography and Archeology.
- Museum of Modern Art, which houses collections of graphics, photography and industrial design.
- The Colonial Museum of Art, which presents important collections of Colombian art.
- Museum of the famous Colombian artist and sculptor Fernando Botero, where his own collections of paintings and sculptures, as well as 87 paintings by European artists, are stored.
- Ciencias Naturales is one of the 4 largest natural science museums in Latin America.
Holidays Bogotá
Throughout the year, the Colombian capital hosts numerous festivals and events. Among them, the most popular among city guests are:
- Temporada Taurina is a bullfight that takes place in January and February. At this time, the famous bullfighters from Europe and Latin America come to Bogota.
- The annual rock festival, which is known around the world as the largest such Spanish-language festival.
- The annual jazz festival, which takes place in September in the largest parks in Bogota.
- The theater festival is one of the most important cultural events of the capital. It is held every 2 years during the Easter week.
- Carnival de Bogotá is a traditional carnival held annually on August 6 in honor of the founding of the city.
Bogota Restaurants
Colombian cuisine is rich in sweets, meat dishes and savory side dishes. Among the popular dishes it is worth noting:
- Pandeha Paisa - a traditional assortment of homemade sausage, meat, avocado and banana.
- Lechona - a fried pig stuffed with vegetables and rice.
- Sobrebarriga - steak with rice, vegetables or bean stew.
- Konejo-gausado-con-cocoonut - rabbit stewed in coconut milk.
- Mazamorro - meat soup with beans and vegetables.
- Ahiko is a soup made from poultry meat.
- Arros con coco is rice cooked in coconut milk. It is customary to serve with dried or fresh fruits.
Bogota has a large number of fashionable restaurants and establishments with local cuisine. Tipping in restaurants and bars depends on the level and location of the institution. As a rule, they make up 10-15%.
The best restaurants of the Colombian capital:
- Matiz - Restaurant of Colombian, Pacific and Mediterranean cuisine
- Pimento Cucina Italiana - An elite Italian restaurant.
- Mini Mal is one of the most popular Colombian restaurants in Bogota.
Things to Do in Bogota
Places for a family holiday in Bogota:
- Mundo Aventura is an amusement park for the whole family, located in the suburbs of Bogota. Among the interesting attractions: mini safaris, catapults, steam locomotives, electric cars and a huge Ferris wheel. In addition, a mini zoo, a botanical garden and an energy factory are open on the territory of the park.
- Zoologico de Santa Cruz is a large zoo located 56 km from the capital. It contains more than 500 different species of animals, including leopards, tigers, bears, squirrels, otters, etc.
- Diversity - a kind of mini-world for children. In the amusement park of Diversity, mini-banks, hospitals, shops, and also have their own transport system. Here, children can learn all about adulthood. They can try themselves as a firefighter, doctor, salesman, etc. In addition, there is an area for parents in the park.
Shopping in Bogota
The most famous shopping centers of Bogota:
- Titan is Colombia's largest mall.
- Santafé is the second largest shopping center in the country.
- Centro Mayor is the third largest shopping center in the country.
- Centro Andino is a shopping center with exclusive and expensive shops.
Among the traditional souvenirs of the capital, it is worth noting items made of gold or silver, jewelry with emeralds, ritual masks, clay products, musical folk instruments, cigars and Colombian coffee.
Bogota Hotels
The second largest city in South America, Bogota, attracts many visitors with its energy, color, multifaceted cultures, beautiful buildings and unforgettable entertainment. On the one hand, Bogotá is a city of colonial architecture, harmoniously combined with futuristic buildings, parks and various museums. On the other hand, the Colombian capital is a city of eternal traffic jams, slums and drug dealers.
The Republic of Colombia is located in the northwest of South America. This hospitable country is ready to receive tourists throughout the year, here every tourist will find entertainment to his taste.
For a leisurely family vacation, the beaches of the islands of Rosario, San Andres or Cartagena are perfect. Fans of active eco-tourism should definitely visit the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and Los Nevados parks, the Canbo Cristales River and the ancient Lost City.
Many diverse thematic museums in Colombia are ready to tell about the history and nature of this amazing country. Admirers of noisy entertainment will surely enjoy the Cali Fair, the Cartagena Film Festival, the Medellin Flower Fair or the El Joselito Carnival.
Most of the world's emerald mining is made in Colombia, and gold and silver here are relatively inexpensive. So many tourists buy jewelry in memory of a visit to this country. Sombrero and colorful hammocks are also brought from here.
The best hotels at affordable prices.
from 500 rubles / day
What to see in Colombia?
The most interesting and beautiful places, photos and a brief description.
The large port city of Cartagena is a popular tourist attraction in Colombia. People come here to look at the medieval Old Town, where many attractions are located - the castle of San Felipe, Plaza de la Aduana, the Inquisition Palace, as well as one of the oldest churches in the city of Iglesia de Santo Domingo.
Founded in 1616, the city of Medellin is considered the second most important settlement in the country. The city has a botanical park, several museums and a zoo. The former estate of Pablo Escobar, a famous local drug lord, is also popular with tourists. And in the summer, Medellin hosts the annual Flower Fair.
The capital of the state is Bogotá, the largest economic, political and cultural center of Colombia. There are many buildings that were erected in the XVII-XIX centuries - the church of San Ignacio, the Palace of Justice, the National Capitol. In the botanical garden of Bogota, you can visit the greenhouse and enjoy the man-made waterfall.
One of Colombia's most popular sites is Tayrona National Park. Here you can not only enjoy the breathtaking nature, but also stay for a few days in comfortable campsites, bungalows or eco-villages. To travel around Tayrona Park more conveniently, you can rent bicycles right on the spot or rent peaceful sightseeing horses.
Among other attractions of Cartagena, a special place is occupied by the fortress of San Felipe de Barajas. The construction of the fort began in 1536, and it brilliantly performed its defensive function until the fall of 1815 after the attack of the Spaniard Pablo Morillo. Despite its impressive age, today the fortress is used for various cultural and social events.
One of the most beautiful and most visited temples in Colombia is the Las Lajas Church, located on a bridge in the canyon of the Guitar River. According to legend, in 1754 a miracle happened in these places of the Virgin Mary, who healed a deaf-mute girl. At the end of the 18th century, the first chapel was built here, which in 1948 became a neo-Gothic fortress. The miraculous miraculous altar image of the Virgin attracts believers from all over the world.
In the north-west of the country is the rock of El Peñon de Guatape, whose age is estimated at approximately 70 million years. Since the 1940s, this attraction has been protected by the state. To get to the top of the 220-meter cliff, tourists will have to overcome about 650 steps.
The amazing Colombian River Canyo Crystals is famous for its unusual color. Crystal clear water precisely conveys the yellow, green, blue, black and scarlet shades of underwater moss and algae, for which the locals call it the "river of five colors." Bathing in Canyo Crystals, according to many tourists, is one of the must-do items in Colombia.
To make the trip to Ciudad Perdida, tourists should be in good physical shape - the entrance to the famous Lost City of Colombia is preceded by a jungle-covered mountain staircase in more than 1000 steps. This amazing place was discovered quite by accident in the 1970s and has not yet been fully explored.
In the mountain range in the north of the country is the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Natural Park of Colombia, whose territory is divided into several climatic zones. There are jaguars, cougars, tapirs, sloths, otters, several species of monkeys and many different birds.
Since 1932, the National Bank began to buy jewelry from the pre-Columbian period from treasure hunters who plundered the ancient settlements of the Indians. In 1968, all purchased exhibits were decorated at the Museo del Oro Gold Museum. One of the most famous exhibits of the Museum is the Golden Raft, made approximately in the II millennium BC.
32 km from the capital on the Bogota River is the famous Tekendama waterfall. In 1927, a villa in the style of French architecture was opened here, which was later rebuilt into an unusually popular 8-story hotel. But since the 1970s, the waterfall has become polluted by industrial and sewage waste, and the hotel’s popularity has gradually fallen into decay. Currently, work is underway to clean the river and parallel reconstruction of the hotel in the Museum of Biodiversity and Culture of Tekendama Falls.
One of the best places for eco-tourism in Colombia is the southernmost point of the country, the city of Leticia. From here, many hiking trails depart for the Amazon River and Lake Tarapoto, where unique pink freshwater dolphins live. Also not far from Leticia are the reservations of several Indian tribes.
One of Colombia's most famous archaeological sites is the San Agustin Stone Sculpture Park. There is no consensus among archaeologists who exactly created these unique sculptures called Chinas from volcanic rocks. The sizes of the sculptures range from a couple of tens of centimeters to seven meters high.
The extraordinarily beautiful islands of San Andres and Providencia are located in the southwestern Caribbean. Once this place was a haven of sea pirates, and today tourists from all over the world come here to relax on the beaches or go diving, windsurfing and yachting.
Near Cartagena is the archipelago of Rosario, consisting mainly of coral islands. This is a popular tourist destination where you can snorkel, go sailing, go fishing or just swim in unusually clear water. On one of the islands of the archipelago is a natural aquarium in which sharks and dolphins show performances for visitors.
Popular among tourists, the National Natural Park of Los Nevados was created in 1973. There are many birds, animals and about 20 species of bats. In Los Nevados, you can take an excursion to the Andes volcanoes, visit the Santa Isabel lake of glacial origin, ride jeeps on the mountain peaks of the park or spend the night in equipped guest houses.
One of the peaks located near the capital of Colombia is Mount Montserrat. In these places in the XVII century the cathedral and the monastery were founded. Today the Basilica of the Crucified Christ is a popular tourist attraction on Mount Montserrat. You can get here on foot along a specially paved path, on the cable car or using the funicular.
In the 1820-1830s, the famous Colombian figure Simon Bolivar lived in Bogota, where he founded his residence in a house of the late 17th century. In 1919, with the funds raised, the house of the former residence was bought out and turned into a museum. Now diplomatic and cultural events are being held here, and the museum’s exposition includes items and objects from the famous liberator of Colombia.
The salt mine near the city of Sipakira is quite popular among tourists. And all thanks to the fact that at a depth of about 200 meters in the tunnels of this mine there is an amazing Catholic church, which is considered one of the most famous achievements of Colombian architecture. Sipakira Salt Cathedral is part of the famous Salt Park complex.
In the northeast of the capital in the mountains of Kudinamarka is the sacred lake of one of the ancient civilizations of South America. The first conquistadors were very impressed with the stories of local residents about the tradition of dumping gold items in the middle of the lake during the coronation of the new ruler. Attempts to get these treasures from the bottom of Guatavita were made until 1912. Today, the lake is a popular tourist attraction.
On the central square of the capital is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, which was first built in the 16th century. After the earthquake of the XVIII century, which destroyed the building, the cathedral began to rebuild only after almost 100 years. The opening of the modern version of the Cathedral of Bogota took place in 1823.
On the Bolivar square in the capital is the building of the National Capitol. It hosts the Congress of Colombia. Inside, the rooms are decorated with beautiful frescoes by Santiago Martinez, which depict famous political figures of the country.
24. The Botanico Garden of Jose Celestino
In 1781, a botanical garden was opened in Bogota, which was named in honor of the famous Spanish botanist, naturalist and physician Jose Celestino Mutis. On the territory of the garden is a man-made waterfall, as well as a lush greenhouse. In the botanical garden of Jose Celestino, there is a scientific library where some notes and sketches of the scientist are stored.
In the city of Popayan, which attracts many tourists from all over the world, the famous Tierradentro National Archaeological Park is located. People come here to see the unique underground crypts of the pre-Columbian era, decorated with drawings using black, white and red colors.
To visit the Malpelo Island, located in the eastern Pacific Ocean, you must obtain permission from the Colombian Ministry of Ecology. However, all the difficulties with visiting are compensated by the beauty of underwater rocks and caves. Sand sharks, groupers and hammerhead sharks are found here, making Malpelo one of the most popular diving sites.
At the beginning of the 17th century, a convent of Convento de la Popa was founded on a hill above Cartagena. Two centuries later, a small wooden chapel was rebuilt into a beautiful building, which many tourists come to admire. The pedestrian road to the monastery is quite complicated, so it’s easier to take a taxi.
Most of the coffee produced in Colombia is grown on the coffee cultural landscape, which includes the departments of Caldas, Kindio and Risaralda. Here is the Colombian National Coffee Park, the Museum of Coffee Culture and the National Park for Agricultural Culture.
An unusually colorful, cheerful and incendiary carnival takes place in Barranquilla annually before Lent. The carnival lasts 4 days, during which mass festivities take place in the city. Carnival in Barranquilla is popular with tourists from all over the world, so hotel rooms should be booked in advance.
Every summer in the city of Medellin hosts the famous Flower Fair. This event was first held on May 1, 1957. Since then, the main event of the Fair has been the parade of porters Siyeteros, on whose backs are large platforms with figures of fresh flowers.
And the administrative center of the department of Kundinamarca (Spanish. Cundinamarca). The city is located in the Andean region, in the intermontane depression of Eastern Cordillera at an altitude of more than 2640 m above sea level. The population of Bogotá is more than 10.7 million people, its area is about 1775 km², it is the largest city in Colombia, one of the largest metropolitan areas, it is an independent administrative unit - the metropolitan area, divided into 20 districts.
Bogota is the largest economic, financial, cultural and industrial center of the state, the most important South American economic center. The headquarters of most Colombian companies are located in the capital.
The city has a developed transport system, in which the bus has an absolute priority.
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Population, religion
Most residents of the metropolis are indigenous Colombians, among whom there is a clear predominance of mestizos - descendants of mixed marriages between Europeans and Indians. An insignificant part of the population is represented by purebred Indians, descendants of Europeans, mulattos, blacks and sambo (African-Indians). In fact, about ¾ of the population of the capital of Colombia have “mixed blood”.
The vast majority of believers in the capital belong to the Roman Catholic Church. The city has several Protestant churches.
Natural conditions
Bogotá is located in the intermontane depression of the Eastern (western slope), at an altitude of about 2610 m above sea level. m., on the banks of the small river Rio San Francisco (Spanish Riu San Francisco), which cannot be seen today, because it flows through pipes. Although the city is practically at the equator, there is no heat there. The average t of the warmest month of the year (December) is + 25 ° C, and the coldest (May) is about + 14 ° C. The average annual daytime t of air is about 19-22 ° C, nightly 7-11 ° C. Sometimes frosts are possible in the capital, very rarely snowfalls. In general, Bogotá can be called a city of constant rains, to be honest, the weather here is rarely good.
Due to its geographic location, the metropolis is prone to earthquakes.
The cold belt, in which the capital of Colombia is located, is characterized by the transition of mountain forests to "" - alpine meadows. The banks of the river are overgrown with low semi-deciduous forest, prickly shrubs and sod grasses. In the vicinity of Bogota there are jaguars, cougars, tapirs, armadillos, monkeys, porcupines, bakers, sloths, possums, various species of reptiles. Crocodiles and turtles live in the rivers.
A bit of history
The city was founded in 1538 by the Spanish conquistador, historian, poet and prose writer Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada (Spanish Jimenez de Quesada, 1500 - 1579), calling it Santa Fe de Bogotá (Spanish Santafé de Bogotá), where “Santafé” literally means “holy faith” and “Bogotá” means distorted “Bacata” "(" Fertile land "). The Archbishop of Bogota, Luis Zapata de Cárdenas, in 1573 declared Saint Isabella the patroness of the city. Before the introduction of Europeans, the culture of the Indians flourished here, ““, one of their fortresses, “Bakata” (Spanish: Bacata), became the foundation of the future capital of Colombia.
As elsewhere in the possessions captured by the Spaniards, the Indians were evicted from their homes, and in 1598 the city of Santa Fe de Bogota became the capital (Spanish Nueva Granada), the Spanish Viceroyalty in South America, which included the territory of the present Colombia. After independence from Spain (1824), the city was renamed Bogotá by the end of the 19th century. he became the most important center of the revolutionary movement of fighters of Latin American countries.
Despite the favorable geographical location and political leadership, the development of the city was for a long time hindered by weak transport links with other regions of the country, therefore by 1940 the local population had decreased to 300 thousand inhabitants. A series of civil wars 1942-1958 led to the massive relocation of residents from rural areas to the capital. By the end of the 20th century, Bogotá became one of the largest cities in Latin America.
Bogota Attractions
Today's Bogota is a Colombian quintessence. It is a city of vibrant and eventful cultural life, amazing colonial architecture, ultra-modern buildings and magnificent museums. At the same time, it is a city of perpetual traffic jams, border slums, tramps and drug dealers.
An amazing kaleidoscope of splendor and poverty, supercars and pack mules, modern office areas and poor favelas makes Bogotá one of the most contrasting and chaotic, indescribably charming and dangerous capitals of the planet.
This is a city with a complex and confusing network of narrow streets winding along the mountain slopes. In the old quarters there are many ancient churches and other architectural monuments of the 17th-19th centuries, and new areas sparkle with glass and metal of bank and office skyscrapers.
On the main square of Plaza Bolivar (Plaza de Bolivar, 1807-1823), a famous statue of the first president of the Republic of Colombia is installed. Here is the city Cathedral (Catedral Primada, 1572-1610), with the statue of the Mother of God. In the main Cathedral of Bogotá, rebuilt at the beginning of the 19th century and restored in 1998, there are the graves of Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada, the founder of the city, Antonio Nariño (Spanish hero Antonio Nariño), and the grave Gregorio Vasquez de Arce and Ceballos (Spanish: Gregorio Vsquez de Arce y Ceballos, 1638 - 1711), the most famous artist of the era of colonialism. To the south of the square is the Presidential Palace, in front of which an exciting ceremony takes place every day at 5 p.m. - a change of the guard of honor. The north side of the square is framed by the grandiose building of the Palace of Justice, which, after the assault on the rebels in 1985, was restored and restored in 1999.
In the center of the city and in the adjacent oldest area of \u200b\u200bLa Candelaria (Spanish La Candelaria) there are ancient buildings of the church: San Francisco (Spanish San Francisco, 1567), Santa Clara (Santa Clara, XVII-XVIII centuries. now a museum), La Concepción (Spanish La Concepción, XVIII century, today there is a repository of works of art), San Ignacio (Spanish San Ignacio, XVII-XVIII centuries, the most richly decorated church in the country), La Tercera (Spanish: La Tercera, XVIII-XIX centuries), Nuestra señora del carmen (Spanish Nuestra Senora del Carmen), La Candelaria (Spanish La Candelaria) and San Diego (Spanish San Diego).
Very colorful building Casa de Poesia Silva (Spanish: Casa de Poesia Silva), where the Museum of Poetry is located today, as well as Fundación Alsate Avendano (Spanish: Fundación Alzate Avendaño), The Palacio de San Carlos (Spanish Palacio de San Carlos), Casa del Marquez de San Jorge (Spanish: Casa del Marques de SanJorge), library Luis angel arango (Spanish: Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango), Catedral Primada (Spanish: Catedral Primada), Capilla del sagrario (Spanish: Capilla delSagrario), Archbishop's Palace (Palacio-Arsobispal built XII-XIII centuries.), Palacio-Echeverri (Spanish. Palacio Echeverri) and The Palacio de Narinho (Spanish: Palacio de Narino) - the residence of the president of the state. The area of \u200b\u200bNueva Santa Fe (Spanish Nueve de Santa Fe), located south of La Candelaria, is the clearest example of architecture of the late XX century. To the north of La Candelaria, near the intersection of Jimenez de Quesada (Spanish Jimenez de Quesada) and Carrera 7 (Spanish Carrera 7), there are Plaza de Santander (Spanish Plaza de Santander) and Rosario University (Spanish. Rosario), one of the famous historical monuments of the city.
Opposite the Plaza de Santander, in the northeastern part of the Park de Santander is the Gold Museum (Spanish: Museo del Oro), which is very popular: it is the only museum in the world dedicated to works of art with the richest collection of gold jewelry ( about 35 thousand exhibits) of pre-Columbian South American cultures made by Indian craftsmen.
In general, almost all the Museums of Colombia are located in Bogota: the National Museum (with the richest exposition introducing the history of the country), the Archaeological Museum of Arts and Folk Traditions, Traditional Art, Urban Development, Colonial Art, Anthropology, Religious Art, Maritime, Numismatics, Science and Technology, Museo de la Ciudad, Museo de la Ciudad, Museo del Silio XIX with an impressive collection of jewelry and paintings. On the “hill of miracles” Cerro de Montserrat (Spanish El Cerro de Monserrate) rises the famous monastery of San Vincente (Spanish El Monasterio de San Vicente, XVII century), which can be reached by a serpentine staircase and cable car.
The capital and economic center of Colombia is Bogota
On Plaza de Santander you can listen to original street musicians, it is interesting to wander through the noisy Sunday flea market in Mercado de Las Pulgas (Spanish Mercado de Las Pulgas), or the emerald market (intersection of Carrera 7 and Avenida Jimenez), although it’s better not to buy anything here, due to the large number of scammers. The town square Plaza de Toros la Santamaria (Spanish: Plaza de Toros de la Santamaria) is a national monument of Colombia and is used for various musical events or traditional corridas. By the way, the most important annual sports spectacle in Bogota is the bullfight, which collects from 150 to 200 thousand spectators.
In the El Salitre area, there are many parks - the best places to relax in the capital: the Unidad Deportiva El Salitre Park (Spanish Unidad Deportiva El Salitre), the water park, the Palacio de Los Deportes (Spanish Palacio de los Deportes), »Children's Museum» Los Ninos (Spanish: Los Niños) and Central Park. Simone Bolivar is the largest park complex in the capital.
In the Botanical Garden of Hardin-Botanico-Jose-Celestino-Mutis (Spanish: Jardin Botanico Jose Celestino Mutis), more than 800 species of Colombian flora grow, including a variety of species of exotic plants.
To the north of Calle-60 is the district of Usaken (Spanish: Usaquen), which is a miracle that preserved among the modern quarters of the city a small colorful village with cobblestone paved bridges.