Zipaquiera
THE SALT CATHEDRAL OF
The town Zipaquiera is located roughly 49km north of Bogota. The Cathedral is build into old Saltmines. The Mines were already exploited by the pre-Columbian Culture Musica somewhen in the 5th century BC.
WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT THE CATHEDRAL:
The Cathedral is about 200meters into the Mountain close to the town Zipaquiera.and it is one of the most impressive Christian buildings I have ever seen. First you will walk by the stations of the cross there are 14 chappels, each one representing one of the stations of the cross, but from each of the stations you can see an enormous salt mine hall.
Once you walked the walk of the crossing you will reach the Dome. The Dome are three long tunnels. But its more like a huge central nave in a regular church. The left nave symbolises the birth and the right nave the death of Jesus.
HOW TO GET THERE:
We did take a bus from Terminal de Norte to Zipaquiera also known as Zipa. I would recommend taking the Trans Milenial buses (Number 8) to the Station Terminal de Norte. In case there is traffic on the streets the public transport has individual lines and you will be much faster.
Once you arrive at the Terminal de Norte do not enter it but walk past it (north) and there will be a Busstop where the Busses to Zipa leave. Ot os onfront of the "El Corral Makro" on the Map above. They don’t have a timetable but there are about 80 Buses a day that will go there. The Busses have a big sign in the Windshield which doisplays the destination, in case you are unsure: ask the driver. You pay the driver directly. There are always fare tables in the bus displayed, we paid 8.000 COP one way.
Once the Bus arrives in Zipa you will get of, an the Bus will most likely continue its journey as Zipaquiera is only a stop and not the final destination. In case you are not so good with navigation make sure to set a pin in you Map to make sure you will find the way back to this street where you will catch the return bus to Bogotá. I recommend either a downloaded Google Map or Maps.me.
If you walk up the street you will pass a skatepark and walk directly towards the train station. Pass the station on the left and follow a pedestrian like zone up to a Main square.
Another way to get to Zipaquiera - Saturdays only:
Take the tourist train leaving to Zipaquiera, you can check about availability here:
From here you will turn left and Follow the street until you reach the end of the street. Here you can see the entrance to the park of the Cathedral on you right. Enter it and Follow the white line all the Way to the Top.
The Ticket office is on your right. If you are two or more people I would recommend that one person already starts to que in line while the other person will get a ticket.
We were here the day before Christmas and were super lucky that we only waited for 15 minutes. But I heard that you could wait up to 3hrs. Be prepared ;)
At the Ticket office you will get an audioguide to get some additional info to all the stations you will pass during the walk.
In the End there is a Bus disguised as train to drive you back to the entrance.
Picture this – the old salt mine turned into a cathedral stretches for hundreds of meters, creating a spectacle where the sacred and earthly seamlessly merge. As you move beyond the central area where your spiritual exploration takes place, you'll stumble upon tourist shops and a café nestled within the heart of the mountain. This encounter might seem a bit surreal at first – a beautiful interplay of the divine and the everyday.
After the cathedral we went to this amazing place in town to have lunch. Its called INDULTO Restaurante bistró & cafe and is hidden behind the store La Playa. Just walk through the Winestore to the back, there is a beautiful garden with many tables to choose from. The food is delicious :)
WHAT TO EXPECT
