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Zipaquira Salt Cathedral: Private Tour Exploring Colombia's First Wonder and El Dorado Legend
4.8
146 Ratings
Tierra Negra
Embark on a private tour to the Zipaquira Salt Cathedral, Colombia’s first wonder, and discover the legend of El Dorado at the Guatavita Lagoon. Explore the unique subway cathedral and enjoy a nature walk to the lagoon. Book now!
Embark on a private tour to the Zipaquira Salt Cathedral, Colombia’s first wonder, and discover the legend of El Dorado at the Guatavita Lagoon. Explore the unique subway cathedral and enjoy a nature walk to the lagoon. Book now!
Duration:
10 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Laguna de Guatavita - The lagoon is part of a protected natural area. The tour is done through trails where you ascend and where a native guide tells the history of the Muiscas and the legend of El Dorado. The tour takes approximately 75 minutes, upon arrival you can see the beautiful lagoon.
- Catedral de Sal de Zipaquira - The Salt Cathedral…
- Laguna de Guatavita - The lagoon is part of a protected natural area. The tour is done through trails where you ascend and where a native guide tells the history of the Muiscas and the legend of El Dorado. The tour takes approximately 75 minutes, upon arrival you can see the beautiful lagoon.
- Catedral de Sal de Zipaquira - The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá has been declared the First Wonder of Colombia and is considered one of the most noteworthy architectural and artistic achievements in Colombia. There you will find a monumental work born from the faith of the miners of that region, whose tour surprises at every step.
- Plaza de la Independecia - Enjoy an interesting colonial tour, visiting the main squares of Zipaquira and learning about its architecture and history.
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off included
- Entrance fees covered
- Complimentary lunch provided
- Option for a private tour
- Audioguide available in the Salt Cathedral
- Optional English-speaking guide during the ride
- Hotel pickup and drop-off included
- Entrance fees covered
- Complimentary lunch provided
- Option for a private tour
- Audioguide available in the Salt Cathedral
- Optional English-speaking guide during the ride
What's Not Included
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Gratuities
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Embark on a full-day expedition from your lodging in Bogota to explore ‘The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira - Colombia’s first wonder, and the birthplace of the El Dorado Legend, The Sacred Guatavita Lagoon’. Watch as the splendor of the one-of-a-kind underground cathedral unfolds before you through a meticulously curated audio guide in your preferred…
Embark on a full-day expedition from your lodging in Bogota to explore ‘The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira - Colombia’s first wonder, and the birthplace of the El Dorado Legend, The Sacred Guatavita Lagoon’. Watch as the splendor of the one-of-a-kind underground cathedral unfolds before you through a meticulously curated audio guide in your preferred language. Once in Guatavita, immerse yourself in nature with a two-hour stroll leading to the Guatavita Lagoon.
Following the two-hour sojourn to the serene Guatavitá Lagoon listening to the tales of the Muiscas Indians and the El Dorado Legend as narrated by a local guide. Experience Guatavitá village life and catch a glimpse of the Tominé reservoir midway through the expedition, all while savoring a regional or vegetarian lunch. The tour concludes with a return journey to your Bogota accommodation.
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
- Hike on a natural path, good shoes recommended.
- Se camina por senderos y caminos con inclinacion
Location
Laguna de Guatavita
Km 15, Via Guatavita-Sesquile
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(146 Ratings)
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T315zymichaell
Nov 22, 2025
Good tour guide but the 'Cathedral ' is meh - This is a mixed bag for me: Guatavita Lagoon 👍 but Zipaquira Salt Cathedral👎.
Our guide and driver were excellent and we enjoyed our time with them... which -- because of the horror that is Bogota traffic and Colombia's healthy democracy -- was more than we anticipated.
Guatavita Lagoon. This is a must see place and it is a good place to see where many historical events took place... seeing this place put into better context the items in the Museo de Oro. Note that it is a steepish hike at altitude...coca tea before helps... but the views and flowers and the Lagoon are worth the breathlessness. I saw three orchids in bloom in November and two hummingbirds. It is a schlep to get to but the drive... once the traffic clears... is pretty.
Zipaquira Salt Cathedral. I was skeptical from the pictures but everyone said it was a must see but i don't agree. The devotion of the people who cut it is admirable but it is a Cathedral in ecclesiastical distinction only. It was drab and after you've seen three crosses, not crucifixs just plain crosses... cut into the mine wall, you've seen them all. Listen, I'm not one to yuck anyone's yum, but besides the very interesting statue at the entrance, there wasn't much of interest here. Also, the tour guide did not go with us... he gave us the site's audio guide... but that was so ponderously narrated and seemed to include narrative back to the time of the Myuasquas that it was not bearable. Given the length of the drive, the juice was not worth the squeeze. More hype than reality I'm sorry to say.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vacation54971370824
Oct 29, 2025
Wonderful walk! Don't lose! - It was a wonderful tour, with a private guide and driver, we were picked up and taken to the hotel. The guide Esteban Garcia was extremely attentive and very polite and the driver too. It's worth it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Edmund_s
Sep 27, 2025
The Cathedral is awesome.... - The Cathedral is awesome. Very unique and well worth seeing. Estevan is very good guide. You will need to be in good shape for the lagoon hike
Review provided by Viator
Shara
Jul 12, 2025
An unforgettable experience and great tour company - First, the agency contacted us in advance to let us know that the laguna would be closed for maintenance and offered us another date. Since we could not change the date, they offered other options to make the tour terrific. Our guide Esteban and driver Mauricio were fantastic. We enjoyed talking to them during the car ride about life in Colombia. We visited La Casa Loca, an upside down house, which was a lot of fun. We visited the town of Guatavita and learned about the significance of the laguna to the indigenous culture. We also toured the Salt Cathedral, which was a must see sight. I do not like underground spaces but I could tolerate this one. The amount of preparation and dedication that went into making the entire space was phenomenal. Esteban and Mauricio attended to our every need on the tour and made sure that we had a wonderful experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shara_k
Jun 26, 2025
An unforgettable experience and great tour company - First, the agency contacted us in advance to let us know that the laguna would be closed for maintenance and offered us another date. Since we could not change the date, they offered other options to make the tour terrific. Our guide Esteban and driver Mauricio were fantastic. We enjoyed talking to them during the car ride about life in Colombia. We visited La Casa Loca, an upside down house, which was a lot of fun. We visited the town of Guatavita and learned a lot about the significance of the laguna to the indigenous culture. We also toured the Salt Cathedral, which was a must see sight. I do not like underground spaces but I could tolerate this one. The amount of preparation and dedication that went into making the entire space was phenomenal. Esteban and Mauricio attended to our every need on the tour and made sure that we had a wonderful experience.
Review provided by Viator
Leonard_d
May 26, 2025
Guatavita and Zipaquira Tour - Great tour. We had a great time. Our tour guide was great. We enjoyed visiting the Guatavita and Zipaquira. We highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Krista_s
Apr 25, 2025
Highlight of our Colombian vacation - We went into this tour with little research as we like to be surprised when traveling. This tour greatly exceeded our expectations. Esteban was a fantastic guide. Our favourite part was the Lagoon. It has an incredible history and reminded me of a micro version of hiking the Inca trail. The salt cathedral was also very impressive. The tour was punctual and professional and the lunch was much nicer than expected. Overall, a fantastic experience! Gracias!
Review provided by Viator
Kristina_w
Feb 16, 2025
Wonderful day trip out of... - Wonderful day trip out of the city. The lagoon and history was fantastic. The lunch was delicious and very generous portions. The audio tour of the salt cathedral was very informative and it was nice to go at our own pace.
Review provided by Viator
Jennifer_f
Jan 4, 2025
Wonderful way to spend... - Wonderful way to spend the day! Guatavita was interesting to walk around. The hike to the lagoon was full of beautiful flowers and the lagoon was breathtaking. The salt cathedral has each of the stations of the cross. It was a unique experience especially when you realize all the work that went into carving inside a salt mine.
Review provided by Viator
Justin_w
Dec 16, 2024
Great tour! - Lorena was an awesome guide. She took us to the charming old town, then for a hike to see the lagoon, and finally to the Salt Cathedral. Lunch was a tasty bbq of pork and beef. Our driver was great too!
Review provided by Viator
