5 / 5 - One review
How to get there
1hr 30mins by bus from Bogota
When to go
From June to September and December to February
Minimum stay
1 to 2 days
Guatavita (Colombia)
©
Flickr cc C.C.P. Photography
Practical information about Guatavita
Reviews of Guatavita
At 3hrs 30mins north of Bogota, the white town of Guatavita is a great place for a long weekend. It's also where you'll find the Guatavita Lagoon, the origin of the El Dorado legend and myths surrounding the Muiscas and Chibchas people.
My suggestion:
Try camping in the valleys - the locals will enjoy showing you the best, natural places to pitch your tent. If you climb up to the top of the colosseum, you'll get some superb views. Be warned that it can get chilly at night.
Summary:
At a short hop from Bogota, I was able to visit this town several times, both alone and in company. The town is really pretty, with white houses, a colosseum and a large square where events are often held - traditional dances, the infant school's theatre productions, craft markets... Take a walk around the outskirts of the town towards the Guatavita Lagoon : you'll come across a gorgeous, turquoise lagoon that's steeped in legend.
The goddess Bachué and her child, progenitors of the Chibcha civilisation, rose from this lagoon. It's said that once Bachué and her son (with whom she had an incestuous relationship) had peopled these lands, they dived back into the lagoon's waters and turned into snakes. Since then, only the Chibchas' cacique is allowed to enter its waters and does so covered in mud and gold for the occasion. This is the origin of the El Dorado legend ('el doré' meaning 'gold'): a lake filled with gold that led to the death of numerous explorers who tried to uncover its wealth.
©
Flickr cc C.C.P. Photography
89 travellers' photos
