Bogota Day Trippin' #4: Suesca

The holidays may be over but the travels are far from done. On this edition of Let's Get Out of Bogota, I take you on a lovely trip to Suesca - the rock climbing capital of Colombia.





Just a quick Transmilenio ride to Portal del Norte than a 60 minute bus ride and I was in the heart of Suesca. Have I expressed how much I love visiting the center plaza of these beautiful pueblos? Suesca did not disappoint with the church, monument, and government building all surrounding the square.

How about for this trip, we do a little timetable(I know, can I make it any more exciting?!):



10:00 AM Rollin' Into Town I bypassed the entrance to the rocks since I wanted to take it straight to city hall! I love those centers of town. It was such a peaceful Saturday afternoon...and I am sure my gringa presence added an air of excitement to normal activities.



10:45 AMAlways Time for Cafe y Almojabanas! Oh, I love panadarias. And what better way to get introduced to a town then visiting one. It was delicious!



11:45 AMClimb Every MountainFueled by my delicious breakfast, I eagerly walked the 15 minutes to the path entrance and turned to conquer the mountain - only to be greeted by the gaggle of middle schoolers heading down. I knew I was on the right path!



12:30 PMI'm on Top of the World Looking Down on the City... It was an inspiring day and a beautiful day. It is amazing to think that in 60 minutes the immenseness of Bogota evaporated into this picturesque countryside. Even more exciting were the number of climbers that were starting to appear.



1:15 PMJust Put One Foot in Front of the Other Well, at least, that is how easy some of the climbers made it. Of course, I think it was the fact that the Virgin Mary was overseeing their climb...how great is it that there is a 10 feet tall Virgin Mary statue amidst a rock outcropping.

And, as time flies when you're having fun, the moment arrived to catch the bus back to Bogota. It was a great day and yet another reason to remind me of the beauty that Colombia has to offer. Let's just say it was a day of rock -n- roll. . .

Bogota Day Trippin' #2: Parque Chicaque

Have public transport, will travel!

At least, I have adopted this statement as my new motto. The combination of Bogota's taxis, Transmileno, Busetas, and Colectivos maybe be perfect but it sure works for me. So, continuing on my extended Christmas vacation, I took the opportunity to find Parque Chicaque. Ironically, I don't think this website was posted prior to my departure...it would have been extremely helpful!

Early on a Saturday morning, I ventured to the south of Bogota to find the town of Soachi, which I understood was the gateway to this amazing cloud forest. As half the fun is getting there, I think you might enjoy my adventures:

1. Take the Transmilenio: I took the Trans to Portal del Sur. From there, I hoped on an Alimentador- ensuring to ask the bus driver to advise when we reached Soachi.

2. Arrival in Soachi: About 5 minutes later, we arrived in Soachi (which has now become engulfed in Bogota and seems another bump on the freeway). Hmmm, the path seemed unclear to me, so I took the next logical course of action....

3. Time for Coffee Talk: I went to the friendliest looking locale, ordered a cafe con leche, and asked directions. 20 minutes, 10 puzzled Colombians, and a handwritten note, I at least knew the direction I wanted to go. I wanted to go toward Meseta.

4. Just Keep on Asking: I generously thanked my new friends and headed out to the freeway to try my luck with the buses. After flagging down about 5, one finally understood where I wanted to go and told me to get on.

5. Time to Transfer: About 15 minutes down the autopista, they dropped me at El Puente which is the intersection right after the gas station Guayasa. I hopped on the little van which seemed to just be awaiting my arrival.

6. Entering the Entrance: Another 15 minutes passed and they let me out in front of an ominous looking gate that said Parque Chicaque. I had arrived! (Of course, I still had about a 3 kilometer hike to the actual park.


7. Nothing Like Hitching a Ride: A continued my journey with a renewed sense of direction as I was engulfed in the freshness of the space. . . and maybe feeling a little overwhelmed by the solitariness of it all. A car finally passed to ask me if they were headed the correct direction...because I am sure that I look local! The kind couple took pity on my and invited me to join them in the car for the journey.

8. We Arrived! Another 15 minutes later and we entered the official gates and were immediately taken over with the fog of the cloud forest...from that point it just kept getting better!


I hiked about 3 hours climbing hills, going down slopes, and finding the waterfall. It was an amazing day surrounded by natural beauty and also engulfed with true Colombian hospitality. People were so friendly and very curious when they discovered I was out and about on an independent adventure. In fact, I meet a great couple on the way out who were not only great walking buddies (yes, we had to walk the entire way out) but also helped find my way back to the Transmilenio. Another excellent day trip around Bogota!