Villa de Leyva - A Historical Mountain Retreat
Our next destination is the preserved town of Villa de Leyva. Located a 4-hour drive north from Bogotá nestled in rolling hills and a landscape that was, to me, what I expected Colombia to look and feel like. The architecture is uniform: white stucco with red tile roofs. The streets are paved in stones, and I must admit, the ladies here wearing high heels are even braver and graceful than the Kyrgyz women who wear heels in winter.
The first day was spent wandering the town’s historic streets and enjoying a sunset behind the mountains and dark rainclouds which only impacted us long enough to make us seek refuge in a Brazilian cafe; I was totally ok with that.
Day Two: Chasing Waterfalls
The second day here was my favorite time of the whole trip. We rented 4-wheelers in the early morning and set out on a 30km ride through the jungle to see a group of seven waterfalls named “La Piriquera” 15 km away from the town. When we arrived at the waterfalls, we first had to zip-line down into the valley and then take a short hike to the main fall. Coming back up was a bit more challenging, ascending straight up the mountain only using a knotted rope to climb with.
This day was full of adventure and beauty, all complete before lunch!
*this is an excerpt from a longer article which tells the full story of my time in Colombia reuniting with friends from my Rotary Youth Exchange year in Germany.
Have you experienced the Colombian countryside? Please share your story in the comments below or message me directly at @judsonlmoore!
