Santander is a mountainous department located in north-central Colombia, a great waypoint for travelers that’s roughly in the middle of Bogotá and Cartagena. This area is celebrated for its rich gastronomy, particularly in the Barichara area—just one of the towns we cover in this section. Barichara is a tiny, perfect colonial village of whitewashed houses, red roofs, wooden balconies, and sun-baked cobbled streets. It is so picturesque, in fact, that it was declared “prettiest village” and a national monument in the 1970s by the Colombian government. Then there’s San Gil, 30 minutes southeast of Barichara, a popular destination for backpackers seeking an adrenaline rush; its steep riverside location makes for ideal rafting, paragliding, waterfall-rappelling, caving, mountain biking, and more (it’s also home to the gorgeous, moss-hung sanctuary Parque El Gallineral). Bucaramanga is the department’s capital, a large, fast-growing city known for its prevalence of pretty parks. It has great paragliding (parapente) plus an airport if you wish to skip the eight- to-10-hour bus ride to/from Cartagena or Bogotá.
Santander
Santander Food + Travel Guide
Essential Dishes
What to Eat in Santander
Activity Tips
How to Burn It Off in Santander
HIKE
In Barichara, set aside an afternoon for the Camino Real hike, a roughly two-hour, six-mile (9 km) hike to the tiny colonial village of Guane. It’s an easy trek descending from a high paved road on Barichara’s outskirts down to an ancient stone path through the bucolic valley below, silent but for the twittering of birds and the occasional grazing goat. You will likely have the path to yourself. In Guane, don’t miss a quick tour of the impressive Museo Paleontológico y Arqueológico—for $1, a petite, very knowledgeable woman named Cecilia (or one of her colleagues) will show you around (in Spanish, of course) the tons of regional fossils, ceramics, and even a 700-year-old Guane mummy. It’s a 15-minute bus ride back to Barichara; double-check the schedule so you don’t get stranded (the last one typically leaves around 5:30pm).
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Accommodations
Where to Stay in Santander
In Barichara, we loved La Mansión de Virginia (Calle 8, No. 7-26; 7-726-7170; doubles from 75,000 COP): Rooms are comfortable, quiet, high-ceilinged, have TVs (which actually comes in handy in a sleepy town), and are overseen by the affable granddaughter of the original Virginia. More upscale is the modern, minimalist La Nube Posada (Calle 7, No. 7-39; doubles from 265,000 COP).
In San Gil, the Colombia Plaza Hotel (Calle 12, No. 10-34, 2nd floor; 724-4341; doubles from approximately 40,000 COP) is basic, but clean and well-located (and boasting good, hot showers in each room). The Aussie-owned Macondo Guesthouse (Carrera 8, No. 10-35, map; dorms 18,000 COP, doubles 45,000 COP) is popular among backpacking adventure-seekers.
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