The salt church was so different from what we expected, and so pretty. We hired a private English speaking guide (who was also our driver) out of Bogota, and had him enter the mine with us as our guide. This worked out excellent, as otherwise we would have had to wait 45 minutes for the English guide there, and this way we didn't have to fight a crowd for photos (we got there about 3pm, crowds were not too bad, but steady). Our guide was extremely knowledgeable on the history of Columbia, Bogota and the salt cathedral. As well, he was able to show us a few extra things that the regular guides don't have time for. Afterwards he gave us a tour of the town of Zipaquira, and we stopped for the best empanadas in all of Columbia. We actually combined this with a trip to Laguna Guatavita, which was a 10 hour day (with plenty of stops along the way, whenever something caught our attention - that is the beauty of a private tour!), but a very enjoyable day. If you want a guide who takes the time to show you everything you want to see on your customized tour, and never makes you feel rushed, we highly recommend Jorge cell 316-471-5012 or cell 300-567-7990. He is a great driver, speaks excellent English and knows the area and history extremely well.
This place will take your breath away. Not only because of it spiruality, also because of the human work involve in it. The esmerald walk is not a good choice, but the miners walk is fun.You will need at least 4 or 5 hours to see it all. After that I recomend you to go and eat in Andres Carne de Res the original. Nothing like originals.
If you are visiting Colombia s city, Bogota. Try to find a day to go a day trip to see cathedral of Salt. Impressive & very well organized. Kept in very good condition. Tour guides are good and explain well in English. For just an extra €1.5. Take the train and leave you in centre of Zipaquira.Nothing to say. . Just Amazing. If you are on your own,you can take the bus a pay a visit to Guatavita village
Of all the sights in the Bogota area, this one is a "must see", especially if you are modestly religious. I know this is not European Cathedral that was built in the middle ages with stain glass windows. But, it is unique with its impressive stations of the cross and the main church so far underground. My biggest regret is that I did not get to attend mass on Sunday. I believe the Cathedral closes at 7:30 pm, I'd recommend coming after 5:00 pm to avoid the crowds. Any monument, even St Peter's in Rome is not impressive when you are sandwiched in a crowd. If you only speak English, they do offer tours in English, ask ahead of time when these are conducted.
There are no words to describe the magnificent Salt Cathedral at Zipaquirá. Even if you are not a religious person you can admire the maevelous archeological, architectural and engineering work they did. Take a tour so you can learn about the process of building one of Colombia's wonders.
Cathedral del sal is definitely worth seeing but can be expensive to get to. Here is an easy three step guide to getting there on public transit. It will take 1 1/2 to 2 hours each way but the taxi or tour bus won't be much faster. Step 1: On the Transmilenio system, take a B bus to Portal Norte. If you are traveling from La Candeleria, B74 works well from Las Aguas station, but any bus labelled Portal Norte will get you there. B74 starts at 9:00 a.m. but it is express so makes up for the later start. Step 2: cross the platform and look for a bus with "Zipaquira" on the list of destinations in the front window. Take that bus. The fare will be a bit over 4000 pesos. Tell the driver you want the cathedral del sal - people aware very friendly and helpful. Step 3: when you get to Zipaquira (the driver will tell you if you have told him where you are going, plus for us it was the last destination on the route) alight from the bus and turn left. There should be a sign (the only sign we saw) pointing you in the proper direction. Walk a kilometre or more straight down that street. You will pass by the lovely town square on your left, and, if you keep just going straight down that same street, you will eventually get to the bottom of a hill where the path will bear right up the hill to the cathedral site. To get back, return to the place where the bus dropped you off and catch any bus labelled Bogota. At Portal Norte, take a J bus back to Las Aquas. Zipaquira is a nice little town, so it is enjoyable to spend a while wandering around if you have time.
This is a most unusual Roman Catholic church, but it is not a true cathedral. Constructed in a salt mine, where mining operations no longer take place, the church opened to the public (admission fee is charged) in 1995, about 656 feet below ground. It contains the stations of the cross -- 14 small chapels in caves left behind when this was an active mine; a dome; and three naves. The concept began in the 1930s when miners carved a sanctuary for daily prayers in the active mine. This expanded to a church in 1954, but that eventually closed for safety reasons in 1990. The new church went in about 200 feet below the original and has become a major tourist attraction in Colombia.Though it is possible to get here from Bogota by public transport, we opted for ease and comfort. We hired a cab, which waited for us at the site. It took about 50 minutes from our hotel in Northern Bogota to the "cathedral" entrance. We then had to wait almost 1 hour for the first English tour, which began at 10:45 a.m. The admission charge was 16,000 COP per person and entrance is allowed only on a tour. If you require a tour in English, I highly recommend checking in advance on what times they occur so you can plan accordingly.Our guide spoke excellent English and was superb, giving detailed information about the church, allowing time for photos and happily answering questions from our small group. Music and lighting effects added to the atmosphere as did sculptures from marble and salt. The enormous, beautifully illuminated cross at the main altar was simply stunning. The tunnels we navigated were wide and high but dimly lit. I think that those with claustrophobic tendencies (I have them myself) would do just fine here. There is a film offered at the end of the guided tour, which took about an hour and ends in the largest, tackiest gift shop area I have ever seen. The film is timed to start above 20 minutes after arriving in the area so we opted out. We did, however, use the clean restrooms before backtracking through the tunnels to the entrance on our own.
You maybe a tourist and the air is thin but its an amazing experience. Immerse yourself into total darkness to explore miles of the human made cave structure.Key note: If you take a taxi from the hotel - they will charge for wait times.The food in the city is spectacular - dont bother with what is served below, maybe just the coffee.The mining experience is a little cheeky but its fun and there is plenty of fool's gold that will have you picking up pieces off the floor.The museum can be skipped - there is nothing at all interesting there.
I was working in Bogotá and my friends drove me out to the salt cathedral for the day. It is incredible! All 14 Stations of the Cross are carved from salt, and you walk through the caves and have a chance to meditate, pray or just pause in front of each one. Then there is the cathedral itself—very impressive. I wish I could have been there for a Mass.
We toured the salt mine today. The Cathedral they build in the salt mine is beautiful & amazing. It is a hugh place 67 feet underground. The lights the sounds are great. They even have a movie theater underground with a 3D movie. We did not have time to see it but the concession stand & the smell of fresh made popcorn was great. They have some shopping underground as well. The facility is very nicely kept. They have a little food court before you enter the mine if you are hungry. This is worth the schlep out of Bogota. There are only two such places in the world and the other one is in Poland.