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

Santander Department #10 destination in Colombia 2023. The average rating score is 4.54 based on 10.4k traveler reviews, of 196 attractions. Timezone: America/Bogota, current date and time: Saturday, May 04, 2024, 20:18.

Top things to do (40)

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

5.0 Colombia Rafting Expediciones (1.038 reviews)
- River Fonce White Water Rafting
Saturday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM River Rafting & Tubing • Water Sports • Kayaking & Canoeing

Brilliant morning spent white water rafting with Carlos (River Fonce Class II and III rapids). Safety briefing beforehand (in both Spanish and English) and Carlos made sure all of us stayed safe and had a fun time on the river. The guides have GoPros to take video and photos of the trip and it wasn't expensive to purchase afterwards - an email arrived overnight with details on how to download and save the files. Highly recommended. See more..
5.0 Parapente Chicamocha (335 reviews)
- Best experience ever !!
Saturday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Parasailing & Paragliding • Adrenaline & Extreme Tours • Air Tours

It was the best travel experience I've had! It was actually the first time that I did paragliding so I was a little scared but Sergio and his team were really nice and professional. They made the flight a truly unique experience. The view over the canyon is incredible and definitely a must-do in Colombia !! Very Highly recommended !! See more..
5.0 Colombia Bungee Jumping (242 reviews)
- Crazy but extremely fun activity!
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Adrenaline & Extreme Tours

This bungee jumping was spectacular! I felt very safe the whole time and they described exactly what I needed to do. I was absolutely terrified because I did it alone but the man that helped me with the jump was very supportive and helped ease my worries (the best he could). Plus they spoke English! Also didn’t have proper shoes & they let me go barefoot which was actually really cool too. Definitely a must try at least once. Good price, plus comes with pictures and the video purchased for 30000COP was well made and comes from 3 different angles! Do it! See more..
5.0 Parapente San Gil (177 reviews)
- Awesome experience! Highly recommended!
Saturday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Parasailing & Paragliding • Adrenaline & Extreme Tours • Water Sports • Private Tours • Day Trips

This was a fantastic experience! I'm so glad I went. I recommend to anyone: put aside your fears and go for it! It's an experience for everybody, not just for young adrenline seekers. The experts make it so easy. It's actually quite relaxing up in the air - you can sit back and enjoy the view. My partner Julian pointed out many sights to me, and it showed that he really loves his job! Laura and the others at Parapente San Gil were very professional, fun, and super responsive to all my questions and needs. Plus lightening fast at replying to messages. They returned to the office at night to sign me up last minute so I could go the next day (thank you!). And Laura included photos and videos of take off and landing at no extra charge. I recommend Parapente San Gil 1000%! Thank you! See more..
5.0 Parapente Paravolar Colombia (158 reviews)
- amazing
Air Tours

I went on 2 tours with this company, canyoning and paragliding. I enjoyed both the activities, everyone was so kind and welcoming including the guides. Canyoning was amazing, and my guide kept reassuring that I was safe and having fun at the same time. It was my first time paragliding and I'm glad I did it in chicamocha, it was a good one, and had some adrenaline rush towards the end:) See more..
5.0 Exploradores Colombia (153 reviews)
- Kayaking with the nicest instructor
River Rafting & Tubing • Kayaking & Canoeing

I've had an amazing experience doing kayaking with Exploradores Columbia. The instructor is knowledgeable and very kind. We had loads of fun in this 2 day activity. Day 1 was mostly for learning techniques, and day 2 was for applying them while going downstream. Oh, I should also mention a very nice local lunch that is included :) See more..
5.0 Aventura Total (91 reviews)
- Must Do Experience
River Rafting & Tubing

Our 1st time paragliding and what an amazing experience. Carlos (our runway manager) helped calm our nerves and looked after our safety before take off. Our pilots Diego and Ernesto took us on an amazing trip over Cañon de Chicamocha. It was so peaceful high up in the sky, on a beautiful sunny and clear day, with just the birds and clouds for company. Well worth paying the small extra charge for video and pictures which Carlos sent through within 24hrs. It's also possible to use your own GoPro/camera if you want. See more..
5.0 Pony Parque Hotel Mesa de Los Santos (82 reviews)
- Diversión
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Amusement & Theme Parks

We are a park of happiness located 400 meters ahead of the toll at the entrance of the beautiful Mesa de Los Santos, just 40 minutes from Bucaramanga. Enjoy a wonderful and cozy climate in the middle of ecological trails and many children’s play areas. The Hotel Mesa de Los Santos is inside the Pony Park and operates 365 days a year. See more..
5.0 Bike Multi Activity (81 reviews)
- Great mountain bike experience to discover Chicamocha canyon in a local way
Saturday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Adrenaline & Extreme Tours • Bike Tours

Great mountain bike experience with Camillo. Camillo is a nice guide and thanks to him we do mountain bike and also we discover the local culture with coffee farm and local families. The lunch spot is amazing. It's a good activity to discover Chicamocha canyon and Jordan in a local way. Gracias Camillo para esta grande experiencia See more..
5.0 Ecolombia Experience (78 reviews)
- Professional and serious attention
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Parasailing & Paragliding • River Rafting & Tubing • Canyoning & Rappelling Tours • Adrenaline & Extreme Tours • Water Sports

We, father and two minors, have been very attended, already since several weeks before to get the general idea of our trip organised. The experience was just as promised via email / chat / images, so consider this a full recommendation. We did both the Paragliding at Chicamocha and the Extreme experience track ( the awesome dog from the little store walking along just completes the whole event ) Sorry don't have pix of the extreme Experience, but the guys were amazing and very accommodating especially for having two minors !!! Thumbs up!! A+ recommended!! See more..
5.0 Parapente Fenixtreme (75 reviews)
- Paragliding above Chicamocha Canyon
Saturday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Parasailing & Paragliding

Excellent experience! My friend and I went paragliding with them over the Chicamocha Canyon (my first time paragliding). They included transportation from San Gil and made the whole experience feel safe and fun. The workers made sure we felt comfortable and took extra measures to accommodate my friend when she became a bit nauseous from the flight. Remember it is weather dependent, so be prepared to potentially wait for a little bit before the flight - definitely bring sunscreen. I also took medicine for motion sickness and felt fine during the flight.The price for the experience and for photos was quite reasonable and affordable. It was a memorable experience! The views of the canyon were breathtaking from the flight and all the workers were so friendly and helpful. What a great day!! See more..
5.0 Xplorer (70 reviews)
- Best place for visit
Saturday: 8:00 AM - 10:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Amusement & Theme Parks

This place is awesome, you need to come visit it, excellent structure, awesome staff, the experience was unbelievable for sure one of the best places that I have been. Our guide Daniel was one of the best person on the world, please come visit this people. Juliette gave us the best introduction for the tour. See more..
5.0 Café Alfania (53 reviews)
- Quality coffee adventure
Saturday: 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM, 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Farms

Coffee plantation and farm in Barichara-Santander. Our coffee tour gives you the opportunity to visit the plantation and the centennial forest where its heart is, and understand a bit of baricharas culture. After a visit to our coffee factory you will try our coffee with different artisan local products like bread jams arepas cheeses and our own coffee in different tasting techniques. 90.000 cop per person adult, kids under 7 don’t pay. See more..
5.0 Galeria Cerámica Terracota (46 reviews)
- Ceramic from the Guanes to today
Saturday: 9:30 AM - 1:30 PM, 2:30 PM - 6:30 PM Spent < 1 hour Speciality & Gift Shops • Art Galleries

Great fun. Sebastian explained every single detail and helped us a lot. He showed us how to make pottery in both ancient Guane indigenous techniques and contemporary methods. The two hour course was just right. See more..
5.0 Fundacion San Lorenzo De Barichara (42 reviews)
- Great work. Inspiring and nice
Spent < 1 hour Art Galleries

This is a must see on Barichara. Brave women working their craft, the highest quality paper ever. In this place you can see the whole process and how these women turn natural fibers into paper. They also design and make paper jewelry, note books and many other things. They are organized in a Not for Profit Foundation that also works with children from the Barichara region to teach them skills on paper making among other. Great work, high social impact and environmentally efficient methods. Not to miss. See more..
4.5 Parque Nacional de Chicamocha (1.541 reviews)
- Beautiful views
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM National Parks

It is a beautiful experience, to be able to go from one end of the canyon to the next in 25 min cable ride. The park itself is well maintained, There are some nice stops along the way, while you admire the canon from different places. There are some 'adventures' that you can pay for, we went for the extreme swing, we all LOVED it. The time of the year we went though: there were moscas EVERYWHERE, it was quite annoying, but not much we could do about that. The Aquapark was ok, not great: there isn't a 'real pool' but rather 2 big slides, a lazy river, and a kids area: my kids happily spent half a day in there, but that's as far as I would go, somehow I imagined it bigger, and thought of going to the pool for 2 consecutive days (It's really hot there) but half a day was more than enough. It is without question a once in a lifetime experience See more..
4.5 Camino Real (485 reviews)
- Spectacular Views and Nice Trail
Points of Interest & Landmarks • Historic Walking Areas

At the trailhead from the NW corner of the streets in Barichara, there is a stone marking the entrance to the trail. The trail is easy to follow and if you start in Barichara it is mostly downhill. There are places along the way that offer food and drink. I wish I would have allotted more time to stop at some of those places, but the trail was very enjoyable. The views are fantastic and there is a bus at the end where you can return to Barichara. The ride back is about 20 mins and was a few thousand pesos per person. See more..
4.5 Panachi (443 reviews)
- Excellent!
National Parks

Panachi, also known as Chicamocha National Park, 50km from Bucaramanga, Colombia, is the site of a top-notch tourist attraction. Not only does it possess a spectacular landscape featuring the Chicamocha canyon, the second deepest canyon worldwide, it offers a large variety of outdoor activities such as paragliding, spelunking, bushwalking, camping, fishing, kayaking, rafting, mountain climbing. It even has a water park and ice skating rink. That’s right ice in the Colombian Andes! To cross the canyon you hop into a gondola that takes you from one side to the other covering a huge gain in less than 30 minutes. The park has a grand sculpture which is a monument to the commoners revolt against Spain and it is simply astonishing. You need a whole day and some to appreciate the park to its fullest! Get there early and you will surely be able to appreciate many of the parks features. See more..
4.5 Cascada de Juan Curi (361 reviews)
- Great experience
Waterfalls

Among all the river places, this is the most organized. Good parking, no loud music, no garbage, great. This very high waterfall is actually very beautiful (water is cold “as hell”) and the rappel experience was safe and professional. Recommended. See more..
4.5 Capilla de Santa Barbara (284 reviews)
- Nice little chapel.
Spent < 1 hour Points of Interest & Landmarks

The place is cute. A small chapel. It is very fresh inside because of the building material. It would be a beautiful place for Catholic weddings. See more..
4.5 Cathedral of the Holy Family (257 reviews)
- Beautiful lighting at night.
Churches & Cathedrals

I have been to many churches in Colombia always enjoying the architecture and materials used in its construction and this church stands out as the lighting at night is beautiful. My hotel is around the corner and I can see the lights from my hotel room on the second floor, very welcoming. I stepped into the church today and the inside is nothing out of the ordinary, but still a nice visit. SAV See more..
4.5 Cementerio Barichara (163 reviews)
- pick a time of day when it won’t be overrun with tourists
Cemeteries

such an amazing place but it’s one of those that attracts visitors and i felt badly for some of the locals who were there paying their respects and cleaning some family member’s graves which bus loads of small groups were traipsing around. i really loved walking through the rows and seeing the carved stone figurines that depict what the departed loved or owned while they were alive. this is a very special place but if you’re looking to take photos, i’d say make sure you choose areas that don’t have tons of people walking through or you wait until the small groups have seen enough and decide to leave. i love visiting cemeteries in other countries but i can’t remember seeing one as crowded as this one. See more..
4.5 Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepcion (155 reviews)
- glorious from any angle
Spent < 1 hour Churches & Cathedrals

check this church out! many people just take photos from the exterior but if you walk inside you’ll notice how well maintained it is! the tile floor and the ceiling are both in great shape. it’s clear that not only the houses but the main church is beloved in barichara. tip: go up to see the capilla de sta. barbara at the high point in town and capture great views of this cathedral’s profile amidst the characteristic tile roofs of the town’s houses. See more..
4.5 La Casa del Libro Total (136 reviews)
- World Class Cultural Attraction
Saturday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Libraries • History Museums

My Wife and I visited la Casa de el Libro Total at the invitation of a friend in March during the "Principito" month and we were enchanted by the whole experience. We saw the art exhibit of paintings by a Bucaramanga artist, a lecture on St. Exupery, a musical performance, a play and a lecture on three different nights. It was wonderful sitting under the stars enjoying Bucaramanga's delightful weather and the artistic accomplishments of so many fine young artists and performers from the area. Kudos also to the Navas family for their dedication to the cultural enrichment of the city and its people and for presenting a model that should be adopted by other cities around the world. Highly recommended. See more..
4.5 Universidad Industrial de Santander (123 reviews)
- One of the best universities in Colombia
Points of Interest & Landmarks

I arrived in bucaramanga on december 1st and the next day visited the industrial university of Santander also known as la UIS or la Universidad Industrial de Santander. The campus is beautiful and the faculty polite and accessible. I asked if there was a need for English professors and they had me come back and take the exam at the school of languages 48 hours later. Hopefully I can get a work visa and start in February. Regardless I would recommend a visit for travelers with subs time in Santander Colombia See more..
4.5 Puente del Bicentenario (110 reviews)
- VERY COOL
Spent < 1 hour Bridges

One night our taxi driver suggested we go to this brodge and it is so cool. You can see it from the whole city but being under it really shows how unique it is. Be careful though because the cars are alittle crazy there See more..
4.5 Parque Para Las Artes (89 reviews)
- Quiet Place to Visit
Parks • Gardens

This park is on the upper reaches of town with a lovely view of the mountains and area below the ridge that Barichara is on. The sculptures are interesting and it was a lovely place to rest one early morning. See more..
4.5 Centro Comercial Cacique (72 reviews)
- Great shopping mall / Wonderful variety at the foodcourt
Spent More than 3 hours Shopping Malls

We visited the Cacique mall several times while we were in Santander, Colombia. It was a great shopping experience and on the days we visited most stores were offering great deals. We also stopped by the food court for lunch and were glad with the variety of food and types of restaurants. This is a must visit spot for serious shoppers. See more..
4.5 San Gil Extremo (68 reviews)
- Highly recommended
Saturday: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM Adrenaline & Extreme Tours • Historical & Heritage Tours • Walking Tours • Climbing Tours • Eco Tours

The staff was excellent , great skills and very profesional - we had a great time can’t wait to come back To San Gil and book one of your tours See more..
4.5 Catedral Nuestra Senora del Socorro (65 reviews)
- Unforgetable!!!!
Spent < 1 hour Churches & Cathedrals

If you go to Socorro please go to the central park and in front of the Cathedral there is a point of touristic information,for some money they tell you the history of the whole place and the Cathedral, for sure youll enjoy more it with that history. See more..