One of the visits we made during our days in Bogotá was to Monserrate hill. It is one of the hills located to the east of the city and the most emblematic. To go up, we went to the station to take the cable car. There is also a funicular to go up, but it only operates on weekdays in the mornings, and our visit was after noon.
The cost of the round trip is 23,500 Colombian pesos, which at the exchange rate is a little more than 5 dollars. You can also walk up at certain times, as there is a pedestrian path, but considering the altitude of the city, you have to be well trained to venture on foot. Bogotá is at 2640 meters, and Cerro Monserrate is at 3152 meters.
That day there were not many people, so we did not queue, and in a few minutes, we were waiting to get on the cable car.
Through the windows of the cable car, we saw how the immensity of the city was revealed to us as we went up.
And once at the top, the view of the city is breathtaking.
At the top of the hill, there is a small church, a place of pilgrimage and very important for Colombians since there it is the image of el Señor Caído de Monserrat, a Christ to whom his devotees attribute several miracles.
Climbing the steps to the Sanctuary, the view is stunning.
The church inside is simple but beautiful.
Inside the church, it is a small chapel in devotion to the Virgen Morena de Monserrat, known as La Morenata by her devotees.
So after we visited the inside of the sanctuary, we headed out to explore the outside.
Leaving the sanctuary and walking along one side of it, there is the entrance to a market area.
Many spots are selling Colombian handicrafts, although everything is cheaper in the city.
There is an area with many food stalls, and some of the small stalls have a nice view. But the market was almost empty. Surely on weekends, it is more crowded. It was a weekday afternoon, the day we visited it.
Almost every stall sells coca tea, some to take away and some to drink on the spot. Coca tea is widely consumed in some of the Andean regions since it is said to help to mitigate the symptoms of altitude sickness, called soroche in some places.
The end of this route of food stalls leads to the pedestrian path that gives access to Monserrate. The more adventurous who want to walk up reach this point.
We retraced our steps to the viewpoint area and noticed one of the typical milestones that indicate the Camino de Santiago, a gift from the Galician people as a symbol of the pilgrimage.
The view towards the hill where a couple of restaurants are located is beautiful, and in the distance, it can be seen the hill where another sanctuary, Guadalupe, is located.
We continued to the restaurants, where the husband was waiting for us. He had not wanted to go for a walk because of altitude sickness.
There are two restaurants, a fancy, upscale one called Casa San Isidro and another one serving typical Colombian food called Casa Santa Clara.
We headed for the latter.
We ate empanaditas bogotanas. The husband ordered an ajiaco, and the three of us shared a dish called puchero, which brought beef, pork, chicken, and sausages with potatoes, all with a delicious sauce, and served with white rice and avocado. We had coconut lemonade which was so delicious. And we had a memorable meal.
We were almost the last ones to leave the restaurant, and it was already past 5 pm.
Down from the restaurant, there was a cozy cafe that looked very nice and perfect if you wanted to have a coffee or a hot chocolate instead of lunch. But we were full from our meal and wanted to come back to watch the sunset on the cable car ride down.
So we set off back to the cable car station, and even though everything was very close, the return was uphill, and the food and the altitude made us short of breath as we walked. So we went slowly.
And from time to time, we stopped to take a breath of air and enjoy the view.
By the time we reached the platform of the cable car station, it had already started to sunset.
As we descended on the cable car, we had a gorgeous view of the illuminated city as it was getting dark.
And in a few minutes, we were back in bustling Bogotá.
On arriving at the station, we called an app taxi. It took us almost two hours in traffic to get back to where we were staying. But it was a worthwhile afternoon and a must-visit place if you travel to Bogotá.
Thank you for reading!
WOW
The last picture of the sunset and the city...
WOW
I am glad you chose the restaurant that I would have, and the food looked awesome too.
About time you showed us some more of Columbia and Bogota Super Eli!
The food was awesome and you would have liked it.
I have some other things to show about Bogotá, Super Ed. But they will come little by little. Be patient, jeje ;)
Yes and I want food now Super Eli!
Patience is a virtue Super Eli
It is, Super Ed:) You mention food, and I will have to go now for a midnight snack ;)
jeje buenos días Super Eli. Hoy es martes 😁
Comí un sándwich para mi desayuno. Ahora tengo mi café.
Jaja!! buenos días Super Ed. Yo he comido yoghurt con frutas y granola mientras Ageese trataba de meter su nariz en mi plato 😂 a ver si le enseñas mejores modales a tu sobrino.
Feliz Martes :)
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What a beautiful place/s to be sis and an amazing bonding for you guys :) The view from the top is simply astounding. And the food, yum! Now, I really feel the need to eat something, lol! Seeing the potatoes on your dish made me suddenly crave for some.
It was a lovely place to visit, and we built some cherished memories,sis😊.
I hope you have had some potatoes, amiga ;)
Me lo apunto por si un día, quien sabe... jaja sólo estuve una vez en el aeropuerto!!! Pero es muy bonito este lugar. Saludos amiga🤗
Hola:) Si alguna vez vas a Bogotá, esta es una de las visitas que debes hacer. Hacía mucho tiempo que no iba y me sorprendió mucho el cambio de la ciudad, ahora hay mucha inversión y recomendaría a cualquiera que tenga la oportunidad de visitarla unos días que lo haga.
Un abrazo!
De verdad lo tomo en cuenta, ojalá vaya... pero me gustan esos sitios que sorprenden por su avance o su mejora, y no porque se deteriore... Muchas gracias 😘 feliz día amiga!!
Hola, estuve hace unos años por Monserrate, el lugar es hermoso y muy grande para recorrer y pasar un excelente día. Las vistas son maravillosas, es tan alto el cerro que se puede ver toda Bogotá. Ese día fuimos muy temprano y nos regresamos temprano también, así que no pude disfrutar de esa sublime puesta de sol, que gran privilegio que la hayas visto.
Hola! el lugar es precioso y tuvimos mucha suerte ese día porque el tiempo estuvo despejado toda la tarde y pudimos ver esas magníficas vistas al atardecer. Muchas gracias por pasarte por aquí :)
Oh wow! Such a great place to visit and you captured some great photos!
I wasn't aware of how high up it is there. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Steve 😊
That is very high indeed Eli, must have been a really special time with your 2 men, lovely seeing the 3 of you!
That chapel looks beautiful and as for that sunset over the city, simply stunning!
Lovely memories indeed.
We had a great time that day, and those are memories to treasure. Thank you, Lizzie 🤗
Sin palabras... Un "tour"... Una publicación de muy alta factura, tanto por las lineas como por las fotos... Digna de un magazine expecializado... Gracias por compartir y felicitaciones por el excelso trabajo @coquicoin!...
Muchas gracias por los elogios y por pasarte por aquí. Saludos!
Oh, Lord, that’s beautiful. Beautiful in every way. 🥰😘😘🥰🥰🥰😍🤩😊😉😉😉😉
Thank you 😊😍🤗
Wow - that looks great, and Bogota is huge. The views there are lovely and the church looks amazing - what a nice place to visit !!!
!LUV
It's huge and bigger than it can be seen from there.
!LUV
!PIZZA
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A pretty place as usual..you also like traveling 😊
I do like to travel a lot, and I wish I could do it more often ;)