Things to do & places to visit in Boyaca Department, Colombia

Boyaca Department #9 destination in Colombia 2023. The average rating score is 4.23 based on 12.6k traveler reviews, of 222 attractions. Timezone: America/Bogota, current date and time: Saturday, May 04, 2024, 15:13.

Top things to do (25)

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

5.0 Mongui Travels (177 reviews)
- Páramo de Ocetá - do not miss this!
Saturday: 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM Cultural Tours • Sightseeing Tours • Hiking & Camping Tours

We had trekked to Laguna Iguaque from Villa de Leyva the week before and the Páramo de Ocetá is even more beautiful. Mongui Travels were great on emails, and later WhatsApp. Our guide, Victor, was capable, friendly and very knowledgeable. Their packed lunch was substantial and delicious. We had 6 hours of hiking and enjoyed every minute. In our opinion, the additional payment for transport to and from the start point is worth it for more time within the nature reserve. See more..
5.0 Parque Conscientia Universalis (150 reviews)
- Beautiful park and free to visit
Saturday: 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM Spent More than 3 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas • Parks

Just 20 minutes from Villa de Leyva, via Arcabuco 7 kms. Turn left into Alto del Espino sector, go down another 3 kms. Eco tourist park, with an agro-ecological approach, with attractions such as ancient constructions: castles, bridges, auditoriums and plazas, churches, lake in the form of dinosaur footprint, arboretum sectors, organic garden, vineyard, olive cultivation, fig cultivation , protein bank, seed bank, beach on the river cane, view of stars See more..
5.0 Paipa Tours (120 reviews)
- Beautiful Paipa
Saturday: 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM Sightseeing Tours

Had an wonderful experience in Paipa. Totally amazed by the warmth and affection of the people over there. See more..
5.0 Paramo de Oceta (114 reviews)
- Excursion with Maria, super guide
Spent More than 3 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas

Trekking in the paramo de octa Oceta is considered one of the most beautiful paramos in the world. Trekking - Ecological hike, to develop this activity a specialized guide will lead you through this place, with the possibility of doing it any day of the year. Guide the region will guide you through each of its attractions, and will describe in detail each part of this beautiful paramo. Trekking difficulty 6/10 It is recommended to go with children older than 8 years The walks on average last 6 hours and will depend on the physical capacity of the walkers. The Paramo of Oceta is considered one of the most beautiful moors in the world. It is located at 3,800 m.s.n.m. In the western part of the municipality of Mongui. We will start our tour in the main park of Mongui, we will enter the mountain to visit the mythical stone of the Chest that the locals respect for the legends that exist there, we will pass by the Waterfall of Penagos, the Stone City or Lost City, some formations Rocky areas that evoke a city built by nature surrounded by gigantic stones and vegetation. About 3,800 m.s.n.m. We can appreciate the spectacular Laguna Negra. The wonderful thing about this site and what makes it unique is the formation of gardens with these typical species, small enclaves of flora, permanent water factories and shelter of animal species, in short a place that is worth knowing and to conserve .. The other attraction of this place is the City of Stone, a name that was placed by the peasants to this rocky area, where by the detachment of stone floorboards have horizontally separated and have formed alleys that resemble a small town. There the walls are about 15 meters high and about 12 meters wide, they are covered with green, yellow and red mosses, there is also a series of rocks along the paths forming small gardens of micro vegetation in which it gives pleasure to let fly the imagination . In total the alley is about 100 meters long The other element that makes of Oceta a ... See more..
5.0 El Cocuy National Natural Park (108 reviews)
- Amazing and challenging hiking with great guide
National Parks

Visiting the high Andes in PNN El Cocuy is an unforgettable experience! We did two days of hiking with Julio as our guide. Julio is a great guide, we can only recommend him. We did one day of acclimatization at 2900m, followed by two day hikes up to 4800m, with about 900m of climbing and descending. It was very tough and exhausting but after completion it felt like a victory. Julio knows how to motivate and how to deal with the effects of the altitude. It's also nice that he knows so much of the flora, fauna of the park and the local people. He speaks English well and is a nice guy. The itinerary and all the necessary preparations and equipment were good. We contacted him via WhatsApp and quickly got a response +57 310 5581405 See more..
5.0 Sierra Nevada del Cocuy (74 reviews)
- Top of the Range
Saturday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Mountains

Whether you are a weekend rambler or an experienced mountain man you'll find something to thrill you. Exceptional landscapes, unspoilt environment, walking, trekking or climbing 5000m peaks with the added plus of astoundingly helpful locals to stay with, be organised by or be guided upwards, this mountain region deserves the highest accolade. See more..
4.5 Plaza Mayor (1.191 reviews)
- Wine route
Points of Interest & Landmarks

I visited this beautiful place in January with my wife. This town is a one hotspot place in Colombia, is visited by many foreigners. There we visited the Chocolate Museum and we drank a chocolate beer, this experience was amazing. In this museum you can find different recipes with cacao. Next to the museum we visited a dessert shop, in this place we bought a Milhoja, it is a great dessert. Also, there we visited a wineyard Umaña-Dajud and we did a wine testing. See more..
4.5 Centro de Investigaciones Paleontologicas - CIP (405 reviews)
- Excellent curation of many fossils
Saturday: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Science Museums

We were taken around the small museum by a guide who spoke excellent English and explained the exhibits really well. She was extremely knowledgeable about their fossils and was able to give detailed answers to our questions. Do visit both this museum and the nearby El Fosíl museum. See more..
4.5 Pantano de Vargas Monumento a los 14 lanceros (395 reviews)
- Puedes ir en bus! You can go in bus
Monuments & Statues

You can take the bus “transturistico” in Duitama bus terminal or any other bus that has that route. Confirm with them if they can drop you off in the monument “Pantano de Vargas”. And in the monument every 30 min aprox you can take the bus to Paipa which is just minutes away. En la terminal de duitama puedes tomar un bus que te deja en el monumento. Alli mismo pasan cada 30 minutos aprox los buses que te llevan a Paipa. See more..
4.5 Pueblito Boyacense (334 reviews)
- Beautiful little place
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Points of Interest & Landmarks

A beautiful little modern tourist village that was only built in 1996. Has a vintage feel to it and it is quite stunning. Lovely eating places, cafes and when I visited it was not busy at all (Friday). 6,000 peso or £1.50 entry fee with ramps for wheelchairs. See more..
4.5 Casa Museo Antonio Narino (301 reviews)
- Things to do in Boyaca
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Spent < 1 hour Speciality Museums

I visited this museum in Villa de Leyva. Place is nice and well maintained. Entrance was free. Tour guide was knowledgeable. It gives a glance to Colombian founding father Antonio Narino. See more..
4.5 Puente de Boyaca (300 reviews)
- Great holiday light experience at historic location
Monuments & Statues

The place where Colombia won its independence from Spain becomes a holiday light wonderland for the holidays. Worth the drive but expect traffic. We parked half a mile away and walked. Many food vendors with interesting things. See more..
4.5 Monasterio Del Santo Eccehomo (296 reviews)
- Interesting facility
Spent 1-2 hours Churches & Cathedrals

Lovely grounds and well maintained. Not very crowded and easy to maneuver. Great story about the entry of the Catholics and their interactions with the indigenous people of the area. A little off the beaten path but worth a visit. Loved the way fossils were integrated into the masonry. See more..
4.5 Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario (286 reviews)
- Beautiful
Churches & Cathedrals

This place is located on a 3-4 hours bus drive from Bogota. The view of the church with the mountains on the background is breathtaking. The village is very small, you've seen everything in 2 hours. So come here to relax, not to visit a lot of things. See more..
4.5 Biopark Guatika (228 reviews)
- Envía trip!
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Zoos

Enjoy a great outdoor space with the best views. In our 45 fanegadas you will be able to see more than 500 animals, most of them rescued of the illegal traffic of fauna and received of circuses, you will be able to see wild and exotic animals besides to know the animals of the farm. A unique experience. We work and work closely with environmental corporations as well as environmental police. If after touring all our animal facilities you still have energy you can enjoy our amusement area for big and small. For the big ones we offer 5 adventure attractions like buggies, cavalcade, guatikable (tirolínea of 500m), guatisky (extreme pendulum) and climbing wall; for children (less than 1.20m) we have pony carousel, tricycle, miniguatikable, inflatable... After a long day of walking and playing at all we get the appetite, for this is the area of restuarant, with variety of delicious dishes à la carte in a rustic atmosphere. The hotel is also at your service. We are waiting for you! See more..
4.5 Playa Blanca (218 reviews)
- Tranquil Setting
Beaches

We went on a Thursday in the middle of the day, so there were only about five other people on the beach (though I hear it gets quite busy on weekends and holidays). It was a bit brisk and windy, so bring a jacket. Despite the cold, 2-3 of the 5 people were swimming (we did not). Once you get to the beach, you can walk to your left and find a trail that goes around the tip of the land. It looks like you shouldn't be walking there, but there is a trail, and you end up arriving at a cute restaurant called Arco Iris Del Lago. It seemed like a hidden gem, and there was only one other table of people when we were there. Very good lake views, and the trout was pretty good. It was relaxing taking a bus to Playa Blanca, since the countryside is so peaceful. It's worth an hour or so visit. See more..
4.5 Lago Tota (211 reviews)
- Very pretty, worth a visit
Bodies of Water

A nice destination with some good walks. Very untouristy. I only had a morning so set-off from Sogomosa around 8am, stunning views of the lake after about half an hour. Had originally planned to go to Aquitania (the buses final stop) but instead got of Hotel el Camino Real. From here I walked along the forested spur out to stunning views of Lake on both sides. Would recommend this as an option to visit the lake if short on time. Meant I was only on the bus for -45mins each way, rather than the 1 hr 30 it takes to get to Aquitania. See more..
4.5 Plaza de Raquira (164 reviews)
- Pottery, handcrafts and more!!!
Spent 1-2 hours Points of Interest & Landmarks

Beautiful little village just 30 minutes from Villa de Leyva. It's probably one of the top 10 villages in Colombia. It's very well kept, very colorful, very friendly and plenty of shopping. You can find everything pottery, souvenirs, woodwork, clothing, hats, but the specialty is definitely the pottery. A great place to spend half a day walking around from shop to shop. Parking is very easy to find at one of the local garages and very inexpensive. We paid less than $.75 for an hour. You can take a quick break at the coffee shop right off of the square. Very inexpensive. See more..
4.5 Plaza de Bolivar (150 reviews)
- The heart of Tunja
Points of Interest & Landmarks

Heart of this colonial city. The second largest Bolivar Square in Colombia is a painting that perfectly portrays the historical, libertarian, academic and bohemian spirit of the capital of Boyacá. Surrounded by beautiful and quiet cafes, restaurants, theaters, churches and administrative agencies. See more..
4.5 Casa Museo Luis Alberto Acuña (135 reviews)
- Unexpected treasure...
Speciality Museums

With the wonderful assistance of our marvelous guide Ana, we were presented a fantastic gift in this small but beautiful museum with truly impressive works by Acuna. Not sure how it would have been without Ana. Nice for sure. But with her it was a constant stream of fascinating material. Helps to have knowledge of the Spanish conquest and indigenous culture. Never a real fan of the near Marxist reframing of the history of the cultural encounter but always interested in learning more of both colonial and indigenous history. That a descendent of a Viceroy of New Spain (Mexico) would end up attempting to preserve and recover indigenous pre-columbian Colombian culture says quite a bit itself about our complicated sense of identity in the Americas. See more..
4.5 Laguna de Iguaqué (130 reviews)
- This hike is not for everyone
Bodies of Water

This is a perfect hike for avid hikers looking for a cultural experience. The lagoon is a very sacred place to the native culture and not an easy place to get to. The hike itself brings you up around 1,200 meters in altitude to around 3,800 meters above sea level. In total it took us about 3 hours each way. The hike begins very normal but as you enter the zone of the cloud forest the weather can be a bit disastrous. We went from sunny skies to freezing cold and pouring down rain in a matter of minutes as we entered the cloud forest. The lagoon was barely visible due to the intense amount of fog that surrounded us. All of these factors combined made the last 300 meters of the hike extremely challenging. We did not encounter anybody on the trail all day besides the 5 people that arrived with us. Getting away from the touristy hikes was a very nice change of pace for us though the entrance fee to the park is quite steep if you are not a Colombian resident at 44,500 COP. This makes it quite difficult on a backpackers budget. I would not recommend this hike to anybody looking for an easy afternoon and beautiful views of Villa de Levya's country side, but if you're looking for a cultural experience, interested in the flora and fauna of cloud forests and up for a challenge the this hike may be for you. See more..
4.5 Basilica de Nuestra Senora Del Rosario de Chiquinquira (91 reviews)
- Absolute religious Must for all
Spent 2-3 hours Churches & Cathedrals

Incredible architecture and spiritual center of healing and peace. The center plaza is charming colonial and gathering people from all nations. See more..
4.5 Manoa Parque (91 reviews) from $9.38
- Teh worst place ever
Saturday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Amusement & Theme Parks

El peor lugar en Colombia, un robo de plata y por stupides. ademas de abuso de menores de edad, niños de 12 años que trabajan por 20mil pesos todo el dia, nada ahi funcciona ni vale el camino ni la fortuna que cobran. 20mill pesos para adulto que no hace nada si no esperar. Definitivamente el peor gestion que vi en toda mi vida. The last place you want to go, th site is far on the montains with terible access road unless you have 4x4. After 1hour drive from paipa yo arrive to what seem to de nice park but then they will charge you for everything. 20milCOP for entrance passport that you jave nothing to do with it. Terrible rides on a train that make your stomach sick because it is so short. Small pool with boats that go nowhare. All electric cars are not working. Kids are beeing abused working there all day for 20milCOP/day. We went there and felt we were robed. Verry bad management. Good intantions the worst execution ever. See more..
4.5 Museo Arqueologico de Sogamoso (70 reviews)
- Visit to Museum
Speciality Museums

Very nice museum with some very interesting exhibitions. Definitely worth a visit during your stay in Sogamoso. See more..
4.5 Parque Central y Feria Dulce de Iza (66 reviews)
- Desserts! As much as you want!
Spent 1-2 hours Points of Interest & Landmarks

Real nice small town!! You can enjoy many delightful desserts, with many flavors of the fruits of Colombia, and also from around the globe!!! You have to taste this trip!! See more..
4.5 Catedral Basílica Metropolitana Santiago de Tunja (59 reviews)
- Mass
Churches & Cathedrals

Fully impressive and gorgeous! Central point for gathering across the main Plaza! Very secure and safe area! See more..
4.5 FIBAS Jardin de Desierto (59 reviews)
- Spiritual experience
Spent < 1 hour Amusement & Theme Parks • Points of Interest & Landmarks

We visited late afternoon and experienced the labyrinth as a family. It was wonderfully explained and guided by Monica. A very special spiritual event reconnecting our family. The advertising of Fibas should put more emphasis on this experience. Much more than a garden. See more..
4.5 Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Carmen (55 reviews)
- Nice and quit
Churches & Cathedrals

A hundred meters walking from the main square you can find this church. Because it’s not at the mail square it’s less crowded her but together with the nice square it’s a nice spot to enjoy the view on this building. See more..
4.5 Casa Museo Capitán Antonio Ricaurte (54 reviews)
- A little house that allows you to know an important aspects of the Colombian independence from Spain
Temporarily closed - Closed until further notice Spent < 1 hour Military Museums • Speciality Museums • History Museums

Colombian Air Force Museum. It is the home of Captain Antonio Ricaurte, hero of Colombia and symbol of Colombian Air Force See more..
4.5 Templo De Santo Domingo (49 reviews)
- Beautiful church interiors and place to meditate
Churches & Cathedrals

You will not expect to see what is inside this beautiful renovated church.. The visit is enjoyable and make you fill like in the past.. See more..