Barichara is located 25km from San Gil or 100km from Bucaramanga along the rim of the river Suarez valley. This town was declared a National Architectural Monument in 1975 for the well-preserved urban structure and colonial Spanish-style architecture. The houses are expansive and encompass a cloister style design around internal gardens, intricate stonework and clay tiles on the rooftops. The cobblestone streets speak volumes for the culture and the population of this Santanderean town that is known for its cuisine, stonemasonry, weaving, tobacco growing and gathering “hormigas culonas”, large ants (fried up and eaten and considered an aphrodisiac).

Pick up at the hotel in Barichara or San Gil to start your trip to Guane, a small town located on a tiny plateau beside the hills and alongside the majestic Suarez River. This journey can be made by car or on foot (2 hour approximately) along the old Camino Real which extends 5km connecting the Guane with the town of Barichara. This ancient pathway was made by the pre-Columbian indigenous and it was paved in stones the German Geo Von Lengerke in 1867. While treading the footsteps of an ancestral culture, appreciate beautiful landscapes, valleys and fossils, besides seeing the way of life of the peasants and their crops. If you do it by car, after 20-minute drive, arrive in Guane. This perfectly preserved colonial village, with a pre-Columbian past, dating to the XVII century is at an altitude of 1100m. Visit Isaias Duarte Cancino Paleontological and Archaeological Museum to see fossils from the region, various pieces from the Guanes indigenous people, where a mummy of a girl stands out, religious antiquities and objects from different eras. Also, visit the Santa Lucia Church made in stone, the fossil and sabajón stores (typical drink of the region) and the Central Plaza.

La excursión continúa en coche hasta Barichara para hacer un recorrido a pie o en coche por el centro de la ciudad. La Plaza Principal está elegantemente rodeada de altas palmeras y frondoso follaje, y en el extremo occidental del parque se encuentra la Alcaldía, un edificio verdaderamente colonial con grandes balcones, columnas internas de piedra y el monumento a la Hormiga Culona en su patio central. Las iglesias más destacadas son la de la Inmaculada Concepción y la de San Lorenzo Mártie, cuyos altares están bañados en oro. En lo alto del pueblo se encuentra la Capilla de Santa Bárbara, construida a finales del siglo XVIII, y en uno de sus lados hay una enorme ceiba. Este árbol era temido por los indígenas guane que habitaban estas tierras antes de la llegada de los españoles. El Parque para Las Artes Jorge Delgado Sierra está plagado de interesantes esculturas de piedra aportadas tanto por artistas locales como internacionales.

The Casa Natal de Aquileo Parra, the 11th President of Colombia, is today a small museum and also an elderly peoples’ recreation centre where they can work on handicrafts. There are outstanding viewpoints from which one can enjoy views of the Suarez river valley as well as the town’s streets and architectural offerings. Afterwards, visit the Casa de Arte de Oficios, where local artists display their works such as cotton and fique weavings. Back to the hotel.

DURATION: Approximately 6 hours from Barichara or San Gil, and 8 hours from Bucaramanga.

NOTE: Isaías Duarte Cancino Paleontological and Archaeological Museum is closed on Wednesdays, but the closing day may change without prior notice. On Tuesday in Barichara the churches, chapels, the cemetery and the Arts Park, are closed. We suggest not offering this tour Tuesday or Wednesday.

Very often some tourist sites and workshops in Barichara and Guane closed without notice. These handle irregular opening hours and we cannot guarantee entry to all the mentioned sites.