Villa de Leyva: Colonial Calm, Worth the Detour

Stuck in Bogotá, I suddenly felt like getting away for a few days. Colombia is full of beautiful, quiet colonial towns, and I chose Villa de Leyva. It gives you every chance to enjoy history, mountains, and countryside views, and to rest both body and soul.

Villa de Leyva isn't far from Bogotá at all, just 3.5 to 4 hours by car or by a comfortable bus. Direct buses run reliably from the main bus terminal or from others, such as Terminal del Norte.

Colonial style houses, the Plaza Mayor, and the town itself, recognized as national heritage. You'll find old style hotels where you feel like royalty, hotels with a religious character, simple places just to spend the night, and even camping works, there are interesting historic spots tucked away as well.

The Parish Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, built in 1604 in colonial baroque style, pulls you into thinking about what you actually want, and who you even are.

You can also treat yourself to a proper meal without a shred of guilt, in one of the many restaurants, with a cold beer, a wine tasting, or something stronger, and then head out to the mountains the next day to enjoy the nature and the open space.

I really loved Mercado Municipal, an elegant dining space with several culinary directions under one roof. It's set inside a restored colonial mansion from 1740, with a picturesque inner garden. Most dishes are cooked over a wood fire, using fresh, farm sourced ingredients.

There's always something happening, some event or festival, like the kite festival or the festival of lights, and you end up stumbling into one and getting swept up in it, along with workshops and other little happenings.

If you like walking as much as I do, you can simply stroll through the town and its surroundings, especially since the comfortable air temperature makes it easy, gathering visual pleasures and tucking away even the smallest things into the keepsake box of memory and that feeling of truly living.

It's worth visiting the Iguaque Sanctuary, with its sacred lake. According to legend, the goddess Bachué emerged from the lake with a young boy, taught people farming and crafts, and later, disappointed in her descendants, returned to the lake. The lake is called the cradle of humanity, and offerings used to be brought there. Many people go there looking for a kind of cleansing of the soul.

But really, the beauty of the outer world should be in harmony with the sense of beauty that comes from within, and then, wherever you are, you'll find something unique, because you're tuned to actually See it. In Villa de Leyva, of course, that comes much more easily, the place itself makes it happen...

Will I come back here again? No.

There's still so much more of Colombia I have to see.

Am I grateful for the memories? Yes.

By Irma, partner