There are a great variety of day trips from Bogotá. Bogotá is undoubtedly the perfect destination if you are looking for an affordable destination with good weather, adventure, delicious food, and brilliant culture. Some of my favorite activities include the variation of day trips from the city! 

About Bogotá

Bogotá is the thrilling and lively capital of Colombia. It is a busy city, one of the largest cities. Even so, Bogotá is nestled within the Andes mountains. It is consequently one of the highest capitals in the world. Besides its riveting geographical location, Bogotá has some exciting history too. Did you know that Bogotá has the most impressive gold collection in the world?

Bogotá’s geographical location and rich history make for the perfect combination of culture and adventure inside and outside the city! There are plenty of excellent day trips from Bogotá.

While you are in Bogotá, you should check out some of these breweries:

4 Breweries You Have to Try in Bogotá

Bogotá’s Weather

In general, the weather is cool and temperate. The average temperature is around 58°F and fluctuates between 40°F and 65°F. There was usually an overcast during the daytime, and evenings were always cooler. We noticed most people wore closed-toe shoes and carried layers throughout the day.

The warm season is December and January, while the colder months are June and July. December and January are also the dry season. Typically, the best time to travel to Bogotá is December through March. You may run into the wet season if you wait until April or May.

We visited in mid-January, and our weather was perfect. It was temperate during the day and cooler at night. We wore pants, closed-toe shoes, and shirts. We also brought light layers to adjust as the temperatures changed.

Helpful Tips for Day Trips from Bogotá

• Tipping is standard
  • The usual tip is 10%. It is important to realize some restaurants will add gratuity or propina voluntaria to your bill. Always check your receipt to confirm.
  • It is equally important to know you should tip your guides if you take a guided tour. 
• Setting up your day trips from Bogotá
  • There are many companies to help set up your day trips. I listed the one we used within the blog.
  • You can also ask your hotel for some support. 
    • We booked a day taxi for a group of 4 people with help from our hotel. We in essence told the front desk at our hotel which 2 sites we wanted to visit. They arranged for a driver to pick us up, stay with us all day, and drop us off at the hotel at the end of the day. 
• Brush up on some Spanish
  • Although plenty of people within the city speak English and Spanish, it is harder to find English speakers when you take day trips from Bogotá. 
• Cell Service
  • This will vary with your individual providers. Our cell service worked great in the city. There was a little more trouble getting a signal during our more remote hiking day trip. 
• Give yourself time!
  • Some roads are bumpy, which in general will take longer to get around. Be patient and plan to give yourself plenty of extra time. 

4 Fun Day Trips from Bogotá

Now, let’s get to the good stuff! There are lots of things to see and do within the city. But, there is much to explore if you take day trips from Bogotá. We enjoyed these sites with plenty of time to return in time for dinner. Pending your desires, you could group some of these together. These are four fun day trips we took from Bogotá.

Chicaque Natural Park

Chicaque Natural Park is the cloud forest outside of the city. This lush landscape was a perfect and mystical day trip from Bogotá. Chicaque Natural Park is also a popular destination for bird-watching. As a matter of fact, you may find Golden-bellied Starfrontlets and Black Inca Hummingbirds. If you are lucky, you may find a sloth along the trails.

Day Trips from Bogotá Tours

We went with a tour company due to the difficulty of getting to and from the cloud forest. Unfortunantly, we also did not have much time to spare and wanted a quick option. We went with Andes EcoTours, who I would definitely recommend. They offer a variety of other tours as well.

There are several trail options for you to enjoy. Our tour was generally 7 hours long, including about 4 hours of hiking. It was a long day trip from Bogotá due to the traffic and long drive. The guide provided breaks as needed for the small group we were in. The trail we took was high in elevation with some slippery surfaces. However, it was very doable, and the guide was flexible. I recommend bringing good shoes for this one. The terrain can be slick and steep. 

Visiting Chicaque Natural Park

Our January trip was during the dry season, so our hike started with clear blue skies. We hiked down into the lush forest towards some fantastic viewpoints. The views were magnificent! We saw lots of hummingbirds and tanagers along our trails. A birdwatcher we spoke with said he saw a few toucans! I was also impressed by the variety of trees, flowers, and butterflies we saw along the way.

We were very fortunate during our day trip. Despite starting the hike with a beautiful clear sky, the cloud forest surrounded us as it rolled in while we climbed up and out of the trails. I love that we had the opportunity to see it in both environments.

Chicaque Natural Park was not our first choice for a day trip from Bogotá. However, it was the only tour with an English-speaking guide available on the day we had free. Overall, I am thankful we went and grateful for how it worked out. The entire park was breathtaking. We stopped at some of the most incredible overlooks I have ever seen. Chicaque Natural Park was the perfect day trip for nature enthusiasts.

More Options for Chicaque Natural Park

Even though we went on a day trip from Bogotá, there is plenty more to see and do at Chicaque. There are many more trails you can hike. I also noticed a lodge on site. Our guide mentioned the park has a few overnight tree houses. I would have loved to look into that option if we had more time here. If you want to find something thrilling, there is a zipline course here.

Food at Chicaque Natural Park

We stopped at Restaurante Arboloco for a bathroom break and to pick up quick snacks before starting the hike. Arboloco was in the same parking lot as our trailhead and the main entrance to the park.

We returned to Arboloco at the end of the hike to order some quick snacks before the drive back to Bogotá. Try the freshly squeezed juice- it was so refreshing! I also loved the empanadas and arepas we ordered. They made for a perfect quick lunch.

Laguna de Guatavita

You cannot visit Bogotá without a day trip to the birthplace of the Legend of El Dorado! You read that right- the Legend of El Dorado is a day trip from Bogotá!

What is El Dorado?

The Legend of El Dorado started during the Spanish conquest of South America. The legend goes there is an ancient city of gold.

The tale is derived from a historic ritual. The leaders held ceremonies at Laguna de Guatavita. They would cover themselves in gold before rowing out into the lake. The leaders would offer gold to the underwater gods by throwing golden figures as offerings into the lake. That was followed by plunging themselves into the waters. 

More Options for Your Day Trips from Bogotá

You can easily combine your trip with a visit to the town of Guatavita. We made a quick stop there to walk around the historic area. 

Visiting Laguna de Guatavita

Laguna de Guatavita is a park with required guided tours. Our driver dropped us off at the front entrance, where you pay a small fee to enter. Once inside, they told us to wait in the waiting area for the tour to start. Unfortunately, the tour was only in Spanish. The informational signs, which included English translations, were towards the end of the tour. You can hire a guide for a different language, but we were fine without it. Once you get to the lake, the guided tour is complete, and you are on your own to enjoy the views and walk to the exit on your own.

The park itself is beautiful. I wish we were allowed to enjoy it at our own pace. The tour group was rather large. Since we are not fluent in Spanish, we purposely lagged behind. However, some in the group struggled to hike uphill to the lake. So we were there to offer some assistance.

Food at Laguna de Guatavita

When you exit the park, there is a structure in the parking lot. We stopped there for quick bites, including sausages and arepas. They were delicious! Our driver recommended trying the local cheese with a hardened jelly. I later learned we ate bocadillo and fresh farmer’s cheese. I recommend it as a tasty snack!

Catedral de Sal

The Catedral de Sal is in the town Zipaquirá. Your visit includes an audio guide in the language of your choice. The guide was essential during tour you as you walked through the impressive cavernous salt mines. The Catedral has religious figures, which I did not understand without the help of the audio guide. I brought headphones to plug into the audio device, which helped make the experience more comfortable.

More Options for Your Day Trips from Bogotá

We combined our trip to Catedral de Sal with our day trip to Laguna de Guatavita. The driver took us based on what route made sense. So, the cathedral was the last stop of our day trip from Bogotá. We felt like we had plenty of time for both sites.

Visiting Catedral de Sal

To my understanding, the different stops along the tour were markers to tell the story of Jesus and his crucifixion. The tour ends at the marvelous and infamous Salt Cathedral. Overall, I found the light displays on the mines to be spectacular. You go at your own pace, which takes about 2.5 hours.

By the end, you are surrounded by beauty and what is meant to be a religious experience. Then, you turn in your audio guide by the churro cart. With that said, you will see several stores and snack options after you turn in your device. When you are ready to leave, you take a small train shuttle along the salt mine tracks to get back to the entrance plaza. My husband loved that part.

An Unexpected Day Trip from Bogotá- La Casaloca

La Casaloca Guatavita is a whimsical stop in Guatavita. It is an upside-down funhouse. The house was a popular spot for families. There is a giant parking lot and plenty of outdoor space. You can purchase your tickets to go inside the house on-site. Tickets are timed to limit the number of people inside the house.

Tickets were under $5/adult when we went. There were deals for families with children.

More Options for Your Day Trips from Bogotá

La Casaloca was one of our stops on our day trip to Laguna de Guatavita. It was a pretty quick trip along the way. We were here for about an hour, which included our wait time and bathroom breaks.

Visiting La Casaloca Guatavita

We did not plan on stopping at La Casaloca Guatavita. Our driver took us here before Lake Guatavita. Between the language barrier and my need for a bathroom break- Why not?

It was a little strange going inside this upside-down house. When you walk inside, everything is hanging upside down! Take your pictures and then rotate them to make funny scenes. I got a kick out of the dog house outside.

La Casaloca is a photo op stop if you are into that. If you are traveling with kids who want something kitschier and fun to look forward to, this is a quick stop worth considering.

Food at La Casaloca Guatavita

The premises have souvenir spots, a restaurant, and restrooms.

More Day Trips from Bogotá

Per usual, I research more than we have time for during our trips. The following are more day trips from Bogotá that I would have liked to see.

• Andes EcoTours
  • We used Andes EcoTours to see Chicaque Natural Park. They offer plenty of other options.
  • La Chorrerra Waterfall
    • La Chorrerra is 1,936 feet tall. It is the tallest multi-step waterfall in Colombia. I love to hike, and I was very intrigued by this trail in the cloud forest. We wanted to do this hike over Chicaque Natural Park, but we did not schedule far enough in advance. 
  • Coffee Tours 
    • Andes offers a tour to visit local farms and learn about Colombian coffee. My husband wanted to do this one, but the timing did not work out for our quick trip to Bogotá. 
• Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza
  • This national park is northeast of Bogotá. I would love to see this Andean tundra! Once I started looking more into this park, I felt like a day trip was not long enough to fulfill my fomo. 

Enjoy Some Day Trips from Bogotá!

No matter which day trips you choose from Bogotá, have fun! There are overall plenty of good day trip options thanks to its location and vibrant history. It appears you really cannot go wrong with all the options.