Destination Map
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Destination video
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Best time to go
Since Villa De Leyva is so easy to get to from Bogotá it has been made a popular tourist destination.
During your trip in Bogotá it would be ideal to go for the weekend. Like many of the towns and cities of Colombia, Villa de Leyva is rich in cultural festivities.
The month of August holds the festival of kites (Festival de las Cometas) in honor to the winds that come through especially during this time of year.
Another beautiful festival held in the town is the Festival of Lights (Festival de Luces) during the month of December.
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Activities offered at this destination
Get to know Colombia
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Villa de Leyva - A Colombian town of the past
Time travel to the past in the romantic town of Villa De Leyva, declared a national monument in the 1950’s, Villa de Leyva is a town that is completely colonial and almost absolutely no modern architecture exists.
Villa De Leyva, just 177 km north of Bogotá, packed with plenty of activities to undertake such as horseback-riding in the town or a short ride to the Pozos Azules, vivid blue pools set in the desert.
Other activities include Kite flying in the town center with visits to the paleontology museums or simply relax walking around the beautiful cobblestone streets.
A magical place forgotten in time
Don’t miss the Iguaque Flora and Fauna Sanctuary (Sanctuario de Iguaque) which is a natural reserve that is so grand it stretches over Villa De Leyva, Arcabuco and Chíquiza towns or without visiting some nearby archeological relics; it is a great place for fossil hunting, such as a prehistoric marine reptile fossil still in the place it was discovered.
5 km southwest of Villa De Leyva is the famous Ostrich Farm which houses more than 120 ostriches, llamas, horses and sheep. If you’re feeling curious you can try the ostrich meat at the farms restaurant or try on some ostrich leather shoes at the farms shop.
Ráquira is also a great place to visit during your stay, a small town just 25 km south west of Villa De Leyva famous for its pottery. Go take a pottery workshop or go see the production process and shop for some souvenirs.
La Periquera waterfalls are also a wonderful place to take a walk, amongst a lush backdrop with a number of coinciding waterfalls.
Travel Tips
Dress Code
The climate ranges from 12 °C and 20 °C so be sure to pack a sweater or a jacket just in case. Don’t forget to bring comfortable walking shoes.
How to get there
By bus – There are 2 direct buses from Bogotá daily.
By land within the city - Most of the city can be done by foot or by a more earth-friendly option such as traveling by bike or by horse. Horses and bicycles are available to rent but a standing option is still buses or taxis.
Remember, when traveling by taxi always ask for the ride fare, as prices may vary.
Restaurants - Within the main square of Villa De Leyva (the biggest in Colombia), there are Dutch bars, French’s restaurants and bakeries, Italian pizzas, Austrian apple strudels, and Lebanon kibbes.
Tweet
Villa De Leyva is my absolute FAVORITE city in Colombia!It is a bohemian town full of artists,musicians, and back packers.They had any food I wanted, if it was Colombian food, Italian, or French food,food for all tastes.I went horse back riding to an ostrich farm and the weather is just perfect,during the day nice sun and at night nice and cold!I strongly recommend going!
I send my deepest appreciation to your company and especially our guide Oscar Beltran. We had a fantastic time on all tours and Oscar made the trips special. He made us feel safe and he showed us wonderful sites in Colombia. I will most definitley highly recommend your company and in particular our guide Oscar to everyone we can. We were very hesitant about coming to Colombia to begin with and your company and Oscar made it feel safe and we can’t wait to come back again. Thank you so much for everything.
Sincerely,
Melinda Martinez
United States