When in Colombia take a break in Villa de Leyva
My van ride from Zipaquira to Villa de Leyba was probably one of the scariest of my life. Drivers speed beyond recklesness and accidents are frequent, but I was lucky enough not to participate in any despite numerous scares. Riding shotgun might have been more comfortable than sitting in the back, but under these circumstances I would have preferred taking a safer position in any of the back seats. Evetually I made it to my destination, the small village of Villa de Leyba in eastern Colombia.
After the three hours of stressed out travelling it was about time I reached a town as quiet and peacefull as Villa de Leyba. This modest village has found itself in the path of many travellers who pursue a few days of relaxation and getting away from it all. Sure, there are other travellers as well, quite a few in fact, but there is enough space for all as the common purpose is to chill out and relax (just look at the 180 degree view of the Plaza Central two pictures below and you’ll see that there are no crowds to be seen anywhere).
What is there to do? Not much, frankly. You come here to sleep in, walk along its’ few cobbled streets, speak with the locals, spend time in the main plaza, watch people or gaze at unreal sunsets. There are those who hike into the nearby mountains for excellent views, camp in the nearby lakes, or spend time chilling out in their hostels or pensiones, catching up on email or making progress in that long forgotten book.
There is no lack of places where to sleep- I spent the night I was there in Alojamiento Maria in Calle 14 # 7-51, a small but comfortable enough place at a good price (around 5usd). Mauricio is the manager and will do everything he can to make sure you are comfortable- you can reach him at his mobile 314-3492004.
Should you visit this small yet charming town? I would say so. I would not plan on spending more than a day and night if you don’t have too much time but if you do it might just be the place you were looking for, where time appears to be irrelevant. To get here from Bogota you need to find your way to Tunja on a bus and then hop on another bus (van) to Villa de Leyva. Enjoy your time in Villa de Leyva!
Have you been in Villa de Leyva? What did you think about it?
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[...] That night I had a great dinner with Wolf and we went to sleep right after because he had to work the following day and I would be visiting the world’s only salt cathedral (read my post on the Catedral de Sal in Zipaquira) and make my way to one of Colombia’s most popular yet charming villages (read Villa de Leyva). [...]