BOGOTÁ
109
DAY TRIPS
Catedral de Sal
Zipaquirá is a town about ninety minutes to two hours from La Candelaria. In
Zipaquirá you can find the Catedral de Sal (031-852-9890, everyday, 9:00 AM -
6:00 PM). This is one of Bogotá's biggest tourist attractions. The Catedral de Sal
is found inside a massive salt deposit that is an operating salt mine. This three-
level mine provides a sizable amount of Colombia's salt. This is a good attraction
if you like churches and underground caverns. The cavern is huge and features a
descriptive tour of Jesus Christ's last walk with religious displays throughout the
mine. There are guides available or you can just wander around. The admission
fee is 20,000 COP fee (2013).
Transportation to Zipaquirá is very easy by bus. Take the Transmilenio (1,700
COP) or a taxi (12,000-18,000 COP) to the Portal de Norte. Without leaving the
station, you can grab a small intermunicipal bus (4,100 COP) outside of the Exito
to Zipaquirá. Once in Zipaquirá you need to walk about 10-15 minutes to the
Catedral. It's best to ask a local where the Catedral de Sal is located. When
returning from Zipaquirá, reverse the directions back to La Candelaria.
PARKS
There are several parks throughout Bogotá. Two of the more visited parks are
Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park and Parque Nacional.
Simón Bolívar Metropolitan - The largest park in the city hosts rock concerts and
other events. There are biking, running and walking paths. There is a large lake
in the middle where you can rent a paddle boat.
Parque Nacional - This is a recommended park to visit and is a nice walk from La
Candelaria. It's a hilly park that starts at the Septima and goes up into the
mountain. There are walking and biking paths.