Guadalupe, Colombia: a hidden little gem

So we started from Villa de Leyva, one of the places we planned to visit on our way from Bogotà to the north, and we got off the bus heading to Bucaramanga in Oiba, and from there we reached Guadalupe in a jeep/taxi ‘colectivo’. The village is ‘hidden’ beyond a thick forest in a secluded valley and to our surprise it has way more interesting things than we expected! Nature, rivers, waterfalls, caves. In addition, there is a relaxed vibe to it,  nice and welcoming folks, and you will have the increasingly difficult privilege to be the only (or almost the only) tourists. Away from the crowd! 

The village is very simple but has a nice little historical centre with a lovely square full of very tall palms and an ancient big church built with pale and orange local stones, At night the lights illuminate the building giving it a striking appereance. The ‘calles’ (streets) are often steep and made of stones, as in many other Colombian towns.

Things to see

There are many things to see and do in Guadalupe, Colombia, you will be surprised! Apart from the small but pleasant village with its central square and its majestic church (Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Moguer) and its suggestive little streets, the real highlight here is Nature. The main attraction are the natural pools that lie along several small rivers reachable by foot by a stunning path overlooking the valley below. This ‘Gachas’ , as locals call it, are directly below the river surface where the water is shallow and the currents are mild. Some of them are a only few inches deep others are deep enough to accomodate a whole human being! It’s like having a bath in a natural Jacuzzi!  They are very popular with the locals, but you will likely don’t see any tourists in here (at least we didn’t).  A word of advice – be careful when walking in and around the creek, the rocks can be very slippery! Use sandals or shoes with rubber soles if you have it or if you don’t, walk with your socks on. The ‘gachas’ are between the flat rocks are colored with red and gold, you can bathe in without fear. They look very deep but they don’t, 5-6 feet maximum.

We did several treks in different days, without a guide (it’s not difficult at all); the first day we reached  Quebrada las Gachasand the next day Quebrada del Salitre, relaxing in the pools overlooking the stunning landscape. Then there are other attractions like El Pozo de la Gloria, La Chorrera Waterfall, El Salto La LLanera, the natural cave El Perico… they are all within an hour or two from Guadalupe, on foot. 

If you want an even easier experience you can walk downhill in the street that starts from the church for ten minutes. From there there is a walk to the top of a hill (not very high, just half an hour tops) where you can admire the beautiful valley surrounding Guadalupe, it is worth it! Last but not least on the cultural side, you can visit the local Casa de la Cultura (House of the Culture) which is on the central plaza on the right facing the church, which hosts a small but very well kept museum with all sorts of historical items: photographs, household objects, clothing. It is self-run from the people of Guadalupe. they are very proud of their town and they will be be very happy to tell you about everything- they also organize events, free film projections and they have a incredibly rich library and an IT lab for childrens. Lastly in the Central Plaza there is very reliable and fast Wifi, too! 

Guadalupe in summary

The folks in Guadalupe are nice and welcoming, so should you not find a place to stay they will help you find another. Again, the tourist scene is on the rise so there are probably other places that no one knows so far. 

To eat you have many possibilities, but nothing fancy:remember this is a rural village! There are many small eateries along the streets, breakfast and lunch is not a problem. HOwever dinner is less easy because they all tend to close early so ask around before sunset. If you don’t find a ‘proper restaurant’ you can always find some burgers or roasted chicken, or ‘patacones’ (fried big bananas)  in many places (a meal is 5.000 COP to 9.000 COP – here is a little list of those eateries all in or around the Plaza: Restaurant Bonanza, Los Amigos, Omar Parrilla, Crepes y Algo Mas). Another alternative is buy some local bread from the Panaderia left of the Church and buy something in a market and then enjoy your sandwiches sitting on a bech in the park, like we did 🙂 

There is obviously little nightlife here, but there are a few places to hangout for a beer or a drink. The sunsets is at 6.00 PM so you will probably end up in bed early!  Over the weekend we suggest to spend the evening at the Sinaloa Café Bar, in the corner of the Plaza, where you can enjoy drinks and music. But overall there is not much… on the other hand ‘nightlife’ is not the mai reason to come to Guadalupe, that’s for sure!!

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