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Other entries in Villa de Leiva

A Homely Town

Villa de Leyva is a charming old colonial city in Boyaca in Colombia. Calm and tranquil on weekdays, it gets flooded by tourists from Bogotá on the weekends. Villa de Leyva is one of the few towns in Colombia that conserved all its colonial architecture. It is located 150 km north from Bogota and has a nice dry and warm weather, although it gets windy and cold in the evening.

After a four hour drive from Bogota, we soon arrived at Villa de Leyva in the Colombian Highlands. It is a small village that resembles Cusco in Peru; except that it does not have any large churches. The architecture of its colonial buildings and its cobbled streets are reminiscent of Cusco and, of course, make it aesthetically-pleasing. Villa de Leyva is a small, rural town and therefore it has a friendly local population.

We checked into our very beautiful hospedaja, Sol de La Villa, and explored this decidedly chill-out destination, and the best way to do this is to ditch the lonely planet guide and go for a trouble-free wonder around the cobbled stone streets.  Casa de Juan de Castellanos and Casona La Guaca are just two of the meticulously restored colonial mansions with their beautiful patios, house cafes and craft shops that really show the true splendor of the towns internal architecture.

A visit to to El Fosil, with it's 120 million year old prehistoric marine reptile wasn't too bad, followed by a short bus ride to El Infiernito a site containing odd cylindrical (more like phallic in shape) stone monoliths..... rather dull and not worth seeing.  Convento del Sante Ecce Homo, a large stone and adobe construction Dominican convent with it's lovely courtyard, well worth a visit..... especially for it's bottled wine made by the monks.

With so little to do in Villa de Leyva, all you can do is relax at one of many charming street-side cafes or restaurants and just blend into their individual character and architecture.  The people here welcome travelers with open arms and large genuine smiles, they'd even go as far as inviting you to afternoon tea and coffee with homemade cakes.  A pleasant place which will not be forgetton for a long time.

Next stop the return to Bogota for our final two days in Colombia.

Useful Information for Travelers

The architecture of Villa de Leyva has a Spanish style. You can see in the construction of most of the houses in the village, their wonderful balconies, arcs and main doors (it is possible to appreciate this in the old buildings such as Casa del Primer Congreso, Casa de Don Antonio Narioño, Casa de La Real Fabrica de Licores, Claustro de San Agustín). Villa de Leyva is a place of inspiration to poets and writers. They can find peace in its stone paved streets or just contemplating the majestic main square, unique in Latin-America. 

Solo de La Villa Hospedaje. Carrera 8a No. 12-28, Villa de Leyva, Colombia. Tel: (098) 732 0224.  This quaint and quite hotel has colourfully decorated rooms which happen to be spotlessly clean and airy.  There is a charming dining room where guests congregate for the excellent breakfast in the morning.

Villa de Leyva is small enough to be covered on foot.  Around Villa de Leyva are several attraction which can be visited as a day trip.

• El Fosíl — Nearly complete fossil of a chronosaur. About 5.5km on the road to Santa Sofía. Open: Mo-Su 7am-6pm. Entrance COP$2.500.

• El Infernieto — A Muisca Indian astronomy observatory and a collection giant phallus statues. About 7.5 kilometers down the road to Santa Sofía. Entrance COP$5.000

• Pinturas & petroglifos — Rock paintings and petroglyphs. Around 10km down the road to Santa Sofía. The site is hard to find on your own.

• Convento Santo Ecco Homo — Monastery founded in 1620 now open for public. About 16km down the road to Santa Sofía. Open Mo-Su 9am-6pm. Entrance COP$2.000.

• Raquira — Village famous for its pottery. With the souvenir shops it's a bit artificial. Bus connections are infrequent and schedules tend to change if there aren't enough people.

• La Candelaria dessert — About 7 km east of Raquira.

• Santuario de flora y fauna Iguaque — Natural Sanctuary which is home to Laguna Iguaque and several other lagunas at an altitude of 3600m. Buses drop you off about 3km from the entrance. From there to Laguna Iguaque and back takes about 7 hours. At the entrance there is a hotel, camping area and restaurant. Bring warm clothes. Open: 8am-6pm. Entrance COP$20.000.

• La Periquera — A camping site known for its 7 waterfalls. This is a great place to hike and walk in a natural enviroment. 15 Km from town.

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