It is definitely difficult to pick the most beautiful town in Colombia. The whole country is oozing with beautiful scenery, towns and destinations but when Barichara was named the most beautiful town of Colombia we decided to make a visit and we think they got it right.
We stayed a few days in San Gil on our way from Cartagena to Bogota. It’s about a 16 hour journey on a night bus and expresso Brasilia bus company goes direct without having to change buses.
San Gil is known as the adventure capital of Colombia. There is an array of activities to chose from for reasonable prices, including rafting, horse riding, canyoning, caving and much more. We decided to skip the adventure sports and do a few more low key activities around the town.
The town square is a cute little area to sit and watch the going ons of the town, there are a few little cafes dotted around the square and on a weekend it is full of locals sitting in the square having a drink. The Juan Curri waterfall is worth a visit. For a 40 minute bus ride for 4000 pesos they drop you right at the entrance. It’s 7000 pesos to take the 20 minute, easy walk to the falls where you can simply sit and admire the surroundings or take a refreshing dip in the small pool at the bottom of the falls. It’s a relaxing way to waste a day if you have the time. Otherwise take the day to head out to Pescaderito. When we went there was no one else out there, but apparently it can get quite busy with locals on a weekend. There are a number of swimming holes and waterfalls, but keep walking to the top of the falls for the most picturesque and beautiful spots to swim.
Then we come to the beautiful town of Barichara. 4200 pesos on a local bus and a half hour bus ride brings you to this cute, tranquil little colonial town. The streets are lined with white houses, the surrounding scenery is green rolling mountains and there is a beautiful square in the centre of town, every corner there is a photo to be taken. There isn’t a whole lot to do in the town and we walked around its entirety in the afternoon but Barichara just has a feel and charm about it that makes you feel instantly relaxed, happy and want to stay forever. It really is the most beautiful town we have visited in Colombia.
It is popular to do the walk from Barichara to a smaller town called Guane. It takes about 1.5 hours and has nice views across the valley. There isn’t much at all to do in Guane, but it was a nice morning stroll before catching the bus back to Barichara and grabbing a coffee in the centre.
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