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You have no idea how much I am enjoying writing this post…

The Cervecería Artesanal de Los Andes would like to invite you to try its beautiful beer directly from the tanks

The ‘tour’ consists of me pointing at some metal tanks and saying stuff for about 3 seconds before proceeding with the tasting, and tasting, and more tasting of the beer

We have two very good quality beers, Sierra del Tigre Pale Ale and Sierra del Tigre Brown Ale. The beer is better than much that I have drunk in the UK, home of real ale. I really like this ‘job’

The tour is free and beer is available at the much cheaper than pub price of $15,000 for 4 300 ml glasses and. If you are new to Colombia then you might not know that to buy ‘real’ beer, the most well known in Bogotá being BBC and Colón, you’ll pay, with tip $10,000 a pint

We have a regular event on Wednesday evenings will put on private events if you can arrange a group of a least 10 people, for more info mail me at alex@sierra-del-tigre.com. See our Facebook page here

We look forward to seeing you

P.S. Joking aside, we are happy to talk to you in depth about the beer making process and what makes our beer different to that which has been available until now in Colombia…

The Laguna de Guatavita and the Muisca people, indigenous to her surrounds are apparently the source of the El Dorado legend that originally had nothing to do with a city of gold

After telling us that there are many nonsense legends and the one true story, our guide recounted unto us how, as part of his inauguration, the new Cacique (chief-type thing), would strip naked, be covered in honey and then have gold dust blown over him. On a raft in the middle of the lake, the new Cacique would be struck by the first rays of the sun and in luminescent glory, throw offerings of gold alloy and gemstones into the laguna. He never though made it clear as to whether this was the ‘one true story’ or rubbish

Various peoples have over the years gone to great lengths to take the treasures from the lake, including (apparently) enslaving thousands of Muisca to empty water from the lake with pots, and cutting a great cleft in the side of the lake. We were told that the lake now contains only 30% of the water that is once did, 10 million cubic meters having been drained… Many of the artefacts taken from there lake can been seen in Bogotá’s Gold Museum e.g.

This day trip involves a few hours of countryside walking through very picturesque landscape and a guided tour of the lake.

From Portal Norte, take a bus towards Guatavita, tell the driver that you want to get of at the turning for Guatavita, you come to this after passing through Sesquilé. From here it’s about a 2 hour walk to the entrance of the park, the route is signed. Alternatively, you can get off the bus in Sesquilé and take a colectivo (bus) to the park entrance

On leaving the park (the exit is different to the entrance), walk down the hill a little to a little eating place for snackage. After that you can either get a colectivo or walk back to the main road from where you can catch a bus back to Portal Norte

If asking for directions, make sure that you specify that you want the Laguna de Guatavita as many locals might think you are looking for the Embalse de Tominé, a reservoir near to the village of Guatavita la Nueva

13,200 COP – entrance, foreigners
8,800 COP – entrance, nationals

Entrance hours 09:00 – 16:00, the park is open open until 18:00

Visit the park’s site here

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The Planetarium is being modernised and as such there are no more astronomic projections to be shown in 2010. There is other stuff going on there but from its website it looks like mostly workshops for kids, and stuff…

Cararra 6 No. 26-07
(1) 334 4546
(1) 334 4548
(1) 334 4571
Closed Mondays

Opening times:
Tuesday – Sunday 10:30 – 16:00

To call a landline from a mobile/cell in Colombia prefix the landline number with 03 followed by the region code. For Bogotá prefix with 031

Find Bogotá Planetarium on the map here

Visit Bogotá Planetarium’s site here

Calle 24 No. 6-00
(1) 286 0466
(1) 283 3109
Closed Mondays
Entrance 4,000 COP

Opening times:
Tuesday – Saturaday: 10:00 – 18:00
Sunday – 12:00 – 17:00

To call a landline from a mobile/cell in Colombia prefix the landline number with 03 followed by the region code. For Bogotá prefix with 031

Find MAMBO on the map here

Visit MAMBO’s site here

Please leave feedback in the comments section below

Carrera 68 B No. 24-39

Close to Gran Estación, cheaper cinema

See here for cinema listings

Find Salitre Plaza on the map here

Visit Salitre Plaza’s site here

Please leave feedback in the comments section below

Avendida calle 26 No. 62-47

Massive mall to the west of the centre

See here for cinema listings

Find Gran Estación on the map here

Visit Gran Estación’s site here

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Calle 81 No. 13-05
Zona Rosa

Older and less salubrious than Andino, cinema is cheaper

See here for cinema listings

Find Atlantis Planza on the map here

Visit Atlantis Plaza’s site here

Please leave feedback in the comments section below

Carrera 11 No. 82-71
Zona Rosa

Large and popular mall in the heart of Zona Rosa

See here for cinema listings

Find Centro Andino on the map here

Visit Andino’s site here

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Cinemas abound in Bogotá, most being found in shopping malls. Prices vary from about 4,000 to 20,000 so if you’re on a budget it’s worth shopping around…

The closest cinema to La Candelaria is the Multiplex Embajador on Calle 24 No. 6-01, tel. 404 2463 (031 404 2463 from a moblie/cell). Prices range from 6,500 to 14,000 COP

Links to cinema websites:

Cinecolombia
Procinal
Cinemark

Find cinemas on the map here

Parque Natural Chicaque is a cloud forest reserve to the south west of Bogotá. It is visitable from central Bogotá in one (long) day but it’s probably best to stay there for a night, or two.

View from park entrance:

Its website tells of 18 km of footpaths through seven types of forest and more than 300 species of birds and 20 of mammals.

Accommodation is available at the refuge (right) or in nearby cabañas, both options including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Camping at the refuge camp site includes the three meals as well as use of the refuge’s toilets, showers etc. You can also camp near the park entrance, no food is available there so bring cooking stuff.

The refuge has a large circular dining room with balcony with stunning views (left) of the valley of San Antonio de Tequendama, the large fireplace in the middle providing for a cosy evening after a day of exercise and general naturey stuff.

To get there by public transport from Bogotá, take the Transmilenio to the Portal Sur (1,600 COP) and from there take a bus west along the autopista to Soacha (1,300 – 1,350 COP). If you can, get a bus to El Parque de Soacha and get off the bus at El Parque (an obvious central plaza type place), other buses pass Soacha on the autopista, ask someone to tell you where to get off and walk the 3-4 blocks from the autopista to El Parque. I’ve heard that in the mornings you can find cars that will take you from El Parque to Chicaque for 10,000 – 15,000 COP. The other option is to walk two blocks south from El Parque to a small roundabout from where you can get buses that pass the entrance road to Chicaque. Buses to Apulo, Anapoima, La Mesa, Mondoñedo and Funza all pass the park entrance road. Your best bet is to stop any bus that passes and ask. As well as asking the driver to stop at the entrance to the park, it’s wise to ask fellow passengers to tell you where to get off the bus, it’s not unusual to find yourself at the end of a bus route with an unapologetic driver telling you that he forgot that he was supposed to stop for you…

From where the bus drops you it’s about a 30 minute walk to the park entrance where you pay the park entrance fee (if you get a private car from Soacha’s Parque it will bring you to the entrance). From here you can walk the trails of the upper part of the park and also use the park entrance camp site. If you are staying at the refuge/cabañas/refuge camp site, there is a fairly lengthy decent through probably about 500 metres to get to there, it’s reckoned to take about 50 minutes – we managed to scab a lift in one of the park vehicles having had a shambles of a time getting there, including ending up in Funza explaining to the bus driver that implicit in my question ‘do you go past Chicaque’ was the request that he stop there… You pay for your accommodation at the refuge. If you don’t fancy the long climb out of the park you can hire a horse to take the strain for you.

They have peacocks too…

Prices:

Entrance to park – 10,000 COP
Camping at the entrance camp site – 10,000 COP
Camping at the refuge campsite including breakfast, lunch and dinner – 42,000 COP
Accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner at the refuge – 75,000 COP
Accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner per couple at the refuge – 159,000 COP
Accommodation per couple in a cabaña plus brekka, lunch and dinner at the refuge – 220,000 COP
Horse rental – 16,000 COP
Guide (general) – 55,000 COP
Guide (specialist) – 65,000 COP

Just found some lovely pictures of Chicaque here