Villa de Leyva

Plaza Mayor: 3 blocks from the bus terminal. It is the biggest plaza in Colombia with 14000m2 area.

– Iglesia Parroquial: Located at the main square. Inside you can find many important antique art pieces.

– Casa Juan de Castellanos: Next to the city council. It was home to one of the most important writers of Spanish colony in Villa.

– Casa del Primer Congreso: In front of the city council. The First Congress of the Granada United Provinces was celebrated here in 1812.

– Museo del Maestro Acuña: across the Plaza from the church. Museum of artwork by Master Luis Alberto Acuña. He was a very important painter, sculptor and muralist in Colombia. Ask for the Prehistoric museum in the same house.

– Casa Museo Antonio Nariño: Cra 9na #10-39. House where the precursor of Independence died.

– Iglesia del Carmen: Located at Carmen Park. Admission only during mass times.

– Museo de Arte Religioso El Carmen: in front of the Cármen church. Open only weekends.

– Museo Paleontológico: 1km away from Villa. Exhibits fossils of the area.

– Molino Mesopotamia: The first construction in Villa de Leyva. Ask in the reception of the hotel to visit. Wonderful gardens and pool.

– Claustro de San Agustín: In front of the Plaza San Agustín. It was the first church in Villa de Leyva. Now house of Humboldt Institute.

– Museo Antonio Ricaurte: In a corner at the Plaza San Agustín. At this house was born the national hero Antonio Ricaurte.

– Real Fábrica de Licores: One block to the west of the main square. This was the first liquor factory in Colombia.

InsideInside – Pozos Azules: 2km (from Villa de Leyva). Beautiful blue pools located in the desert.

– Granja de Avestruces: 4km. Tourist farm where you can see ostriches and other farm animals. Restaurant.

– Fibas Jardín del Desierto: 4km. Wonderful garden with desert plants. A perfect place for meditation. Instructor required.

– Museo “El Fósil: 5km. Exhibits the fossils of 2 Pliosaurs, one of them in its original discovery place. Additionally it has a great variety of fossils and minerals of the region.

– Centro de Investigaciones Paleontológicas: 5Km. Permanent exhibition of fossils and place for paleontological researches of the region. Kid´s activities.

– Casa Terracota: 2km. Unique house made entirely out of clay. Inside of the house you can find a lot of art pieces made in clay and forging.

– Archeological Park of Monquira (Little hell): 7km. One of the most important places in Villa de Leyva, our Stonehenge with more than 2.000 years old. The columns were used by the Aborigines to identify solstices and equinoxes. Also phallus symbol of fertility.

– Viñedo Ain Karim: 10km on the way to Sutamarchan but from the Sta. Sofia road. Testing and explication of the production of wine.

– Monasterio del Santo Eccehomo: 14km on the road to Santa Sofia. Built in 1620, belongs to the Dominicans monks.

FOR KIDS:
– Gondava: 9km. A park for kids with full-scale dinosourios. On the way to Sutamarchan.

– Granja de Avestruces: 4km from town. See ostriches, llamas, ponies, horses and buffaloes. Also restaurant

The National Park, Iguaque’s Flora and Fauna Sanctuary, is located 14km from Villa de Leyva. The most common walk goes to the first lake, Iguaque, which according to the Muiscas, was the place of origin for humanity. This lake is at 3600MASL in the paramo. In this park you will be able to explore the diversity of the ecosystems and the fauna and flora of the region. The walk until the lake takes 6 hours (round trip), but if you want to stay in the park and camp, you can visit the other six lakes in three days.

The entrance to the waterfalls is located at 12km from Villa de Leyva. The circuit has 7 waterfalls but only four have easy access. The path has several view points of the region (High Andean Jungle) that makes this spot a beautiful and diverse place. Close to La Periquera enjoy the extreme parks: Aventura Park or Ecoparque Mayoral.

WARNING: This place it’s temporarily closed for Santa Sofia´s City Consul order.                     

Located at 6km from Santa Sofia. It is a mountain ridge with two abysses, one on each side. With an amazing view and paths to waterfalls. Hike through native forests and original Muisca’s paths and rivers. You can also visit Santa Sofia, the national capital of the Curuba, a typical Colombian fruit.

We offer Rappeling activities (abseiling), caving, climbing. We practice these activities on the beautiful Guatoque waterfall, the amazing Romera whole and the Angel Step. All our tour guides are professionals and we have all the best equipments to practice these sports.

We also have an amazing Mountain trips from two nights or more, cover many spectacular landscape and doing some adventure activities every day, as well bike tours with guide covering the more representative places of Villa de Leyva. Ask in our reception.

Raquira is located in the road to Chiquinquira at 30 minutes from Villa de Leyva. It’s a colorful town and it is the main town in the elaboration of pottery. Also, in your return to Villa de Leyva, you can stop in the towns of Tinjaca famous for the Arepa with cheese and Sutamarchan where you can try and enjoy the typical longaniza and “fritanga boyacence”. Recognized for cooking the best “fritanga” in Colombia.