Nature

Choachi: an undiscovered trail for hiking near Bogota

August 8, 2019 // 0 Comments

Choachi cloud forest, Colombia I grew up in London, so I wasn’t much of a hiker before moving to Colombia. But if you’ve lived in Bogota, you’ll know that restless feeling of wanting to escape the city once in a while. Bogota is surrounded by lush green countryside, several different ecosystems due to the varying altitude, and wildlife-spotting opportunities. [more]

Horse riding near Bogota: an adventure in La Calera

July 24, 2019 // 0 Comments

Born and raised in London and with family roots there that go back many generations, city-living is part of my family’s DNA. Horse riding on Saturdays in London when I was a child involved walking around a large sandpit in circles. Needless to say, I lost interest in that hobby fairly quickly. Occasionally I’d see a couple of police officers out on the roads of [more]

Close encounters with hummingbirds at the Observatorio de Colibries

July 16, 2018 // 2 Comments

Great Sapphirewing Observatorio de Colibries hummingbird observatory Bogota

I entered Victoria Lizarralde’s garden, also known as the Observatorio de Colibries (Hummingbird Observatory), and heard the unmistakeable ‘buzz’ of a hummingbird whizzing past my ear. On a cool, damp Sunday morning I had joined a small tour group led by Andes Ecotours and travelled 45 minutes up into the mountains from Bogotá. We headed for a wooden shelter [more]

Visiting Chingaza National Park in Colombia

January 8, 2018 // 7 Comments

I’d wanted to visit Chingaza National Park since I arrived in Colombia four years ago. A guy on my CELTA course at the British Council waxed lyrical about it for weeks after he visited it with his family, and this piqued my curiosity. Unfortunately though, we don’t have a car and weren’t sure how to organise a guided visit to the park. So I was [more]

A day trip to Guatavita

December 16, 2015 // 4 Comments

This last festivo (public holiday) I wanted to visit the Guatavita lagoon, which is about a 1.5 – 2.5 hour drive outside of Bogotá (depending on traffic and exactly where you live in the city). Guatavita is one of a number of places just outside of Bogotá which is worth visiting, along with La Calera, Sopó, Zipaquira and its Salt Cathedral, the Nemocón [more]

Bogota Botanical Garden (for peace & fresh air!)

November 1, 2015 // 2 Comments

The José Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden / Jardín Botánico (to give its full name) is one of my favourite places in Bogota. When you’ve had a busy week navigating the hustle’n’bustle of the city, it can leave you gasping for some fresh air and tranquility. There are a few places to find peace and quiet in Bogota, and the Bogota Botanical Garden [more]

Andes Ecotours: Exploring Beyond Bogotá

June 2, 2015 // 0 Comments

In my opinion, one of the best things about Bogotá is its beautiful surrounding regions. Life in the city can get pretty stressful so you really should take advantage of all those long weekends and go and explore outside of Bogotá. The main concern people have is being able to travel safely, with a bilingual guide, to places which are worth visiting, at a [more]

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