Villa de Leyva

Villa de Leyva is a beautifully preserved colonial town located about a four hour drive north of Bogota. It has narrow cobblestone streets, and all of the buildings are painted white and have red-tiled roofs. Minh and I spent a long weekend there. We enjoyed walking around the town, buying fruit at the farmer’s market, and eating delicious meals at some great restaurants, most of which are located inside beautiful old colonial homes. Our favorite was a restaurant called El Camaleon, located in the Casa Quintero. Our visit coincided with Villa de Leyva’s annual Festival del Agua, and we got to watch part of the festival’s concert in the main plaza.

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We spent most of Sunday visiting the Iguaque National Park, located about a 45 minute drive from Villa de Leyva. The main attraction of the park is a hike through a forest that leads to a lagoon near the top of a mountain. Minh and I attempted to complete the hike, but it was very difficult due to the high altitude, the fact that most of the hike is vertical, and the rainy weather left the path extremely muddy and slippery. I hurt my knee a little more than half way through the hike, and we ended up having to turn back. Nonetheless, we still enjoyed hiking through the forest, breathing the clean, fresh air, and Minh got some fantastic photos of the surrounding mountains and streams.

More photos of Iguaque National Park