Zipaquira Salt Cathedral & Guatavita Lake tour with pickup

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

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Duration11h–12h

GroupUp to 18

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

The Salt Cathedral sits deep underground in a converted mine, with a towering cross carved from salt at its center.

A full-day group tour from Zipaquira visiting five sights—Guatavita Colonial Town, Guatavita Lake, the Sabana de Bogota landscape, a typical Colombian lunch stop, and the Zipaquira Salt Cathedral—with hotel pickup, bilingual guide, and round-trip transport included. Entrance fees to the lake and cathedral are paid separately at each site. The Guatavita Lake portion includes a moderate 90-minute guided walk with a local Spanish-speaking guide; English translation is available through your driver for an additional fee at the entrance.

11h–12h

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Guatavita, Sabana, Zipaquira

Pick up guests at accommodations
Drive via La Calera viewpoint
Visit Colonial Town of Guatavita
Walk and explore Guatavita town
Travel to Laguna de Guatavita entrance
Guided walk at Laguna de Guatavita
Enjoy landscapes of Sabana de Bogota
Arrive at Zipaquira for lunch
Eat typical Colombian food
Visit Zipaquira Salt Mine and Cathedral
Explore Salt Cathedral independently
Drive back to Bogota and drop off

The Experience

The day starts at 7 am with pickup at your accommodation, then heads north through the Calera viewpoint to see the Bogota savanna before arriving at Guatavita Colonial Town by 8:30 am. You walk the white-walled streets with clay tile roofs and stone floors for 45 minutes, with time to photograph the colonial architecture. After 35 minutes of driving, you reach Guatavita Lake, a natural reserve sitting almost 3,000 meters high on a mountain. A local guide leads a two-hour walk explaining the ancient Muisca rituals connected to the lake; if you need English translation, your bilingual driver can provide it for a fee paid at the entrance.

The third stop is the Sabana de Bogota itself—not a single site but the landscape you see throughout the drive: valleys, different tree species, local vegetation, flowers, and lagoons across the region's towns. After more than an hour crossing this terrain, you arrive in Zipaquira for lunch at a local restaurant serving typical Colombian food. The final stop is the Zipaquira Salt Cathedral, a former salt mine converted into an underground cathedral. You descend to the central dome, where a 14-meter cross carved from salt stands as the largest underground cross in the cathedral. The space includes a light show, a film about the mine, and a water mirror feature. You spend around two hours inside at your own pace, then drive back to Bogota—over an hour—and are dropped at your hotel.

The tour runs approximately 12 hours total, and while the exact end time can vary, your bilingual guide speaks both English and Spanish throughout. A free audio guide in English or Spanish is available inside the Salt Cathedral. The tour is designed for all ages, from children to seniors, and requires only short walks; bring Colombian cash for coffee shops and souvenir stores along the way.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and drop-off at your accommodation.
round-trip transport in a comfortable SUV or van.
bilingual guide in English and Spanish.
a 90-minute guided walk at Guatavita Lake with a local guide.
time for lunch at a typical Colombian restaurant in Zipaquira.
approximately two hours inside the Zipaquira Salt Cathedral with a free audio guide available in English or Spanish.
and views of the Bogota savanna landscape throughout the drive.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Cesar Augusto Cruz Perlaza

Is this one for you?The 7 am start and 12-hour duration mean an early morning and a full day of travel and walking, so book this if you're comfortable with an early pickup and can handle the pace of five stops across mountain terrain. The moderate 90-minute walk at Guatavita Lake is the most physical part; if you prefer less walking or a shorter day, look for a tour that skips the lake or focuses on fewer sites.