/
Colombia
/
Bogotá
/
Tours & Activities
/
Villa de Leyva Day Trip from Bogotá
1 day
Full Day
About this activity
You will hardly find a place in Colombia that takes architectonic preservation as serious as Villa de Leyva. This small village located in the department of Boyacá and it’s a 3-hour drive from Bogotá. Spanish colonizers founded the village in 1572, visiting it gives the sensation of going back in time and in 1954 it was declared a national monument.
Get a closer look at the colonial history of Colombia’s and the fascinating towns outside of Bogotá on an 11-hour daytrip to Villa de Leyva. This mellow area’s exceptional architecture, great artisan craft shopping and historical richness offer the perfect combination.
Get started with a 7 am pickup at the hotel, proceeding north towards Villa de Leyva. Enjoy of a historical stop at the Boyacá Bridge, where the battle of Boyacá took place in the 19th century which helped secure Colombia’s independence from the Spaniards. Afterwards you’ll arrive to Villa de Leyva where you can take your time to admire the striking architecture of this area and learn the history around it thanks to a professional guide. Go to El Infiernito (Little Hell) and marvel in an ancient Muisca observatory and how they used to calculate the optimal time for harvest and then visit the blue pond, a water reservoir created by farmers. The water’s color has turned into a surprisingly vivid blue that contrasts beautifully with the arid vegetation.
Finish your visit to Villa de Leyva with an authentic Colombian lunch and (at your own expense) before proceeding to Raquirá, a small village nearby, famous for its amazing craftsmanship of woodworking, pottery, basketry and more. Have the opportunity to do some souvenir shopping and the then proceed to go back to Bogotá where you’ll be taken back to your hotel.
Optional: Change any of the activities above for the Casa de Terracota, which is a house made of clay measuring 500 m², considered the largest piece of pottery in the world. Designed and built by architect Octavio Mendoza, this house is baked in the same manner as pottery makers when they produce vases, dishes and other decorative objects.
Read more
Show less
Get a closer look at the colonial history of Colombia’s and the fascinating towns outside of Bogotá on an 11-hour daytrip to Villa de Leyva. This mellow area’s exceptional architecture, great artisan craft shopping and historical richness offer the perfect combination.
Get started with a 7 am pickup at the hotel, proceeding north towards Villa de Leyva. Enjoy of a historical stop at the Boyacá Bridge, where the battle of Boyacá took place in the 19th century which helped secure Colombia’s independence from the Spaniards. Afterwards you’ll arrive to Villa de Leyva where you can take your time to admire the striking architecture of this area and learn the history around it thanks to a professional guide. Go to El Infiernito (Little Hell) and marvel in an ancient Muisca observatory and how they used to calculate the optimal time for harvest and then visit the blue pond, a water reservoir created by farmers. The water’s color has turned into a surprisingly vivid blue that contrasts beautifully with the arid vegetation.
Finish your visit to Villa de Leyva with an authentic Colombian lunch and (at your own expense) before proceeding to Raquirá, a small village nearby, famous for its amazing craftsmanship of woodworking, pottery, basketry and more. Have the opportunity to do some souvenir shopping and the then proceed to go back to Bogotá where you’ll be taken back to your hotel.
Optional: Change any of the activities above for the Casa de Terracota, which is a house made of clay measuring 500 m², considered the largest piece of pottery in the world. Designed and built by architect Octavio Mendoza, this house is baked in the same manner as pottery makers when they produce vases, dishes and other decorative objects.
Included
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Professional guide
- Entry/Admission - Monasterio Del Santo Eccehomo
Not included
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- This tour includes an insurance. Please send Passport number by the time of booking to make the insurance effective
Features
Tourism
95%
Cultural
60%
Reviews
You may also like
See all 23 Collections
Click to discover other experiences
See all
Collections
Other trips
37 Activities
Collections
Zipaquira Salt Cathedral
30 Activities
Collections
City Tour
30 Activities
Collections
Horse Ride
4 Activities
Collections
Golden Guatavita
16 Activities
Collections
Original
23 Activities
Collections
Food & Drink
15 Activities
Collections
Coffee
11 Activities
Collections
Hiking
10 Activities
Collections
La candelaria
12 Activities
My husband and I took the Villa de Leyva trip on a Wednesday in April. We were told it could be cold and rainy, but the weather was perfect, sunny and 70 or so. The tour was indeed customized for us. We were picked up promptly at 7am the traffic leaving Bogota was horrible that time of day and we were later told its because of so many students going that direction to the universities at that time. Our first stop was to sample the local specialty of arepa made with corn flour and local cheese very delicious. Next we went to the village of Chiquinquirá to visit a cathedral renown for a miracle concerning an image of the Virgin Mary. We then drove on to Raquira to do a little souvenir shopping and to have a traditional lunch at a restaurant on the main square. The town is very picturesque and has many shops that sell pottery made of the local red clay. After lunch we stopped at El Infiernito Little Hell, a title given to the area by the Spanish colonists due to a number of phallic pillars at the site. It was a religious worship site for the indigenous people. It is now an archeological dig site belonging to a university. The site served the indigenous as a burial ground and observatory, helping them to create a calendar. We arrived in Villa de Leyva about 2:00 and walked around the village, taking note of the fossils which the Spanish colonists incorporated into their buildings and pavements as decoration. We also stopped for a hot chocolate at the Museum of Chocolate an unexpected, but delicious, experience. Our guide was very knowledgeable and explained the background of all the sites on the tour as well as information on the lifestyle of the farm people. The farmers have their own cultural practices, music and way of dressing. It was a very full day and we felt that we were able to see a much more diverse side of Colombia by going on this tour.
This is a beautiful town and the landscapes you watch while getting there are breathtaking. I gave it 4 stars because the driver was like a "maniac on wheels". At some point when I saw him passing 4 cars in a curved two lanes highway I started to think "That's it". I am glad we came back alive.
Villa de Leyva is definitely an enchanting village with an amazingly big plaza, it is worth seeing. However my tour guide, even if a very nice young man, was not prepared at all. He barely said few words about this place and if you pay for a private tour as I did you surely except much more information.