Where to stay
Hotel Camino de la Sal, with its understated elegance and central location, is the hotel of choice for many visitors to Zipaquira. The hotel features 34 rooms, starting at about $45 a night (hotelcaminodelasal.com/nosotros). Hospederia Boutique El Libertador, a six-room boutique hotel, lies a short walk up the mountain from the cathedral entrance. Rooms cost $84 a night; breakfast for two is also included (hospederiaellibertador.com/web).
Where to eat
Casual Colombian dining and international cuisine are offered at Casa Del Chorro, in a restored colonial house a half-mile walk from the cathedral. Try the ribs or Pechugona relleno de mozzarella y jamon, a chicken breast stuffed with ham and cheese. Entrees cost $10 or less (casadelchorro.com/noticias.php). La Komilona de Andres, a welcoming restaurant in the heart of the old city, prides itself on its authentic Colombian menu. Sample Sobrebarriga en Salsa Criolla (flank steak in a Colombian Creole sauce) or Lomo de Cerdo a la Parrilla (grilled pork tenderloin) and spend less than $10 (lakomilonadeandres.com/index.php).
What to do
Tours of Colombia: Five-hour tours from Bogota to the Salt Cathedral cost $89 per person for groups of two or more and $119 for one person, with a 50 percent discount for ages 7 and under. A longer tour takes visitors to the Salt Cathedral and Lake Guatavita, which reputedly is a source of the legend of El Dorado, the mythical "city of gold." It's $119 per person for groups of two or more and $170 for one person (toursofcolombia.com).
Salt Cathedral: The cathedral, part of the Parque De La Sal in Zipaquira, sits in the middle of a hilly, 79-acre park dedicated to salt mining. Attractions include the Museo de la Salmuera (the Museum of Brine) that features geologic displays and depictions of the salt mining process. The guided cathedral tour takes about two hours. At the end, two chambers lead into two theaters. One theater shows a movie describing the history and geology of the salt mountain and cathedral, while the second features an LED light show in which colorful images of Colombia are displayed on the ceiling. Admission for foreign visitors costs about $17; tickets for seniors and ages 4 to 12 cost about $12 (catedraldesal.gov.co).
More information: colombia.travel/en.
Rich Morin
