Villa de Leyva (Tunja)

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Tunja is the highest provincial city in the country and is therefore a lot cooler, wetter and more windy than what you are used to in the rest of Colombia. It is located at a height of 3000 meters and you feel and see your own breathing here as you were in La Paz, Bolivia. It is a fairly large angular city with a large square, a number of low-traffic shopping streets, a few colonial churches and serves mainly as a starting point to other parts of the country.

One of those is the small but beautiful Villa de Leyva which is about 35 kilometers away is and a world of difference with Tunja. Similar to Barichara but built in a very different style. Nice as a day trip but you can also easily stay here and make some hike trips in the beautiful surroundings of this village.

Tunja - Villa de Leyva: minibuses leave every half an hour between these two cities; the journey takes about 45 minutes and costs 6000 COL.

Tunja - Bogota: I paid 15.000 COL for a busride with the company "Libertadores" to Bogota. The journey takes about 3 hours.

If you're really hungry for a pizza, go to Pizza Nuestro in Tunja - it's not cheap but it's worth it. Tip of the Day; Go for two - order a small pizza in two flavors (I think that's what he tried to tell me) and you have a great cheap lunch at a very central location in Tunja.

• Name: Hotel American (Tunja)

Address: Calle 11, no 18-70

Price: 15,000 (excluding WC and shower)

Phone nr. : 7422471

Content:

This hotel is right in the center and you walk easily past it without notice. On the first floor you see an American flag, so that’s why I recognized it. A world opens up to you at the top of the stairs; a very large and spacious lobby surrounded by rooms of different orders.

Bargaining was no longer an option, but I also think that this was the lowest you’re going to get. The building is old, the floors are from wood and therefore a bit noisy, just like my room on the busy shopping street (and only a single window). The staff is friendly and helpful. The toilet and shower are a bit of a walk and the water is really ice cold.

I wanted to skip the town of Villa de Leyva because I thought it’s just another colonial town. And especially when you’ve been already to citie like Cartagena, Popayan and Barichara. But what a surprise - a different style of building and architecture; yes, it also has white houses, cobblestoned streets, orange roof tiles and lies in a valley surrounded by mountains and forest but maybe it is me - I found it a pleasure to walk around here again.

Do not get crazy and make just a half-day trip and then return to messy and somewhat grubby Tunia to have a coffee in a snack bar but it’s worth it.