01 · For the view
Monserrate
Go early.
The whole city opens beneath you, and the air is thin enough to make you slow down without trying.
Our moveWeekday morning · Bring a layer · Give yourself 2–3 hours
Chapter V
Borrow Our Bogotá
If you have a day or two before Girardot, spend them like we would.
Bogotá is a city best borrowed slowly. A morning above the clouds, a long lunch, somewhere to wander, and a night that runs later than planned.
These are a few places we'd send you first.
- Altitude
- 2,600 m
- Getting around
- Uber
- Pack
- A light layer
- Then
- Lose it in Girardot
02 · Worth the detour
The Salt Cathedral
An hour north.
A cathedral carved deep into the salt mine at Zipaquirá. Strange, beautiful, cool underground, and very much worth leaving the city for.
BringA jacket · Comfortable shoes · A little extra time
03 · For a long night
Andrés Carne de Res
Go hungry. Stay late.
Not quite dinner. Not quite a nightclub. Definitely not an early night. Order the mandarin jarrito, a staple for Aleja thanks to David's grandmother, Toya.
Our moveDinner that turns into the rest of the night
04 · For a slow morning
Usaquén
Coffee, cobblestones, and nowhere to be.
Wander the neighborhood, browse the Sunday market if you're there for it, and let the morning unfold without much of a plan.
When you're ready to sit down, stop at Café Amarti. Stay longer than you intended.
Our moveUsaquén → Café Amarti → keep wandering
Before you do anything else
Download Rappi.
Trust us on this one.
Food, coffee, groceries, pharmacy runs, whatever you forgot to pack, whatever you suddenly decide you need late at night. Rappi is one of the great conveniences of being in Colombia.
Aleja's non-negotiable
05 · A few things we've learned
Before you go
Bogotá is higher and colder than people expect. Take the first day slowly, drink more water than you think you need, and keep a layer nearby.
Use Uber rather than hailing a taxi from the street. Carry a little cash for markets and smaller purchases.
And remember: whatever layer you need in Bogotá, you probably won't need it once you get to Girardot.