The Salt Cathedral in Zipaquirá & Town of Villa De Leyva

What your day looks like

Experience the enchanting atmosphere and historical sights found in Villa de Leyva Colombia on a private trip. The tour starts at 5:00 am in the morning; A private vehicle will be waiting for you at the entrance of the hotel or the place of lodging and then start the journey, leaving Bogotá behind in the direction of Villa de Leyva; the tour lasts approximately 4 hours. Upon arrival in this historic town, you will start discovering the colonial center of the city on foot, including its large main square paved with cobblestones with 14,000 m2, that of Villa de Leyva is one of the largest squares in America. In this paved space, a water source and the church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario stand out. In the surroundings, visitors find restaurants, hotels, museums, and craft shops, among other buildings, that respect the colonial architecture characteristic of this municipality. You will enjoy the silence of the Santo Ecce Homo Convent, built in the early 17th century, on March 14, 1620, and named a national monument in 1996, 8 km from Villa de Leyva, also known as the Santa Sofía Monastery. It works as a museum since 1958 and is located in the municipality of Sutamarchán. It is an architectural and cultural relic, which has a large patio, a cemetery, a church, and different exhibition rooms. Touring each of the corners of the monastery becomes a mysterious and unique experience, since the antiquity of its construction added to the paintings of the 17th and 18th centuries, choral books and liturgical ornaments, etc. You will also have the opportunity to visit the Terracotta House, in this magical place architecture and design merge, as well as other arts and crafts. From its origin and concept, Casa Terracota is a construction project that uses the four elements, earth, air, water, and fire, turning cooked earth into architecture. Then we will visit the beautiful Ain Karim Vineyard is located at KM 5 of the Sutamarchán - Santa Sofía road and is a beautiful terrain, with an artificial lake and a horizon strewn with vines. In the guided tour they explain the process of cultivation and benefit of the grape, as well as the fermentation and processing of the wine. In the end, you can taste one of their wines, marketed under the Marqués de Villa de Leyva brand, by an expert who will help you make the most of the matter. After taking a break for lunch (own expense so you can select what you like best from all the variety of restaurants), we will head towards Zipaquirá, where the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá is located, The church was originally built in 1932 as a place for miners to offer daily prayers, and it opened in 1954. We will accompany you to the entrance of the salt mine where the visit to the Cathedral begins. The tour is done through an audio guide that has 7 different languages ​​to choose from Spanish, English, Italian, German, French, Portuguese, and Mandarin. The tour inside the Salt Cathedral lasts around two hours and you will have the opportunity to visit: NUCUMA Short Film: Short film that lasts approx. 15 min, in which you can see a summary of the geological formation of the salt deposit, exploitation levels and the entire structure of the mine. Light Show: It is the largest screen of led bulbs in the world underground, where you will hear and see the mythological history of our indigenous Muiscas. Water Mirror: Generates an optical illusion for the salt crystals found in the water.