Destinations · 7 min read
Boyacá and Villa de Leyva: the complete guide to Colombia's colonial highlands
Published
Written by Colombie Travel team
Three hours north of Bogotá, Boyacá holds Colombia's most authentic treasures: preserved colonial villages, sacred Muisca lagoons and páramos covered in frailejones. Our team lives and works here, this is how we'd explore it.
Villa de Leyva, a 16th-century gem
Its 14,000 m² cobbled Plaza Mayor is one of the largest in Latin America. Stroll past flower-filled balconies, then see the ammonite fossils and the Kronosaurus, relics of an ancient ocean.
Lake Tota and its white beach
Colombia's largest natural lake sits at 3,015 m and surprises visitors with Playa Blanca's pale sand. Perfect for a night in an eco-lodge and fresh-caught trout.
What to combine
For a 4 to 6 day trip we recommend:
- Villa de Leyva and La Candelaria desert
- Ráquira, the pottery capital
- Ocetá Páramo near Monguí
- Lake Tota
- Sierra Nevada del Cocuy for hikers
When to go
December to March brings the clearest skies; July and August are pleasant too. Pack layers: 20 °C by day, sometimes 5 °C at night.
