Bucaramanga
Located a short walk from the park in Floridablanca, this lush botanic garden beside a pretty stream is a good place to take a break from the city, although you can still hear the frenzied traffic in the distance. In addition to wonderful trees covered with drooping moss, it has two small lakes and a population of turtles.
Admission includes the services of a guide, but you're also free to explore on your own.
20 MILES
A 6.3km-long, 30-minute cable-car ride in eight-berth cabins that descend to the base of the Chicamocha canyon, then ascend to the top of the opposite rim.
Parque Nacional del Chicamocha
20.04 MILES
Don't be fooled by the name: Parque Nacional del Chicamocha, or 'Panachi' as it's known by locals, isn't a national park in the conventional sense. It's…
4.27 MILES
Another piece in the historical jigsaw of Simón Bolívar's life (Colombia is full of them), this slightly musty museum is housed in a colonial mansion…
Museum of Paleontology & Archaeology
28.73 MILES
The unique Museum of Paleontology & Archaeology has a collection of more than 10,000 fossils, a 700-year-old mummy, a few conehead skulls, Guane artifacts…
4.36 MILES
In Parque García Rovira, this diminutive chapel is Bucaramanga's oldest surviving church; it was erected in stone from 1748 to 1750. Its simple…
Catedral de la Sagrada Familia
4.14 MILES
Facing Parque Santander is Buca's most substantial piece of religious architecture. Constructed over nearly a century (1770–1865), it's a massive,…
4.24 MILES
One of Bucaramanga's best preserved colonial mansions, the Casa de la Cultura is currently occupied by an educational institution, but visitors are free…
4.36 MILES
Buca's colorful, well-organized central market is worth a stroll, especially for its 4th-floor food court with all manner of local eats and mountain…
2. Museo de Arte Moderno de Bucaramanga
4.02 MILES
A bright little museum with two exhibition rooms with rotating exhibits of modern paintings and sculptures. There's also a garden with sculptures and a…
3. Catedral de la Sagrada Familia
4.14 MILES
Facing Parque Santander is Buca's most substantial piece of religious architecture. Constructed over nearly a century (1770–1865), it's a massive,…
4.24 MILES
One of Bucaramanga's best preserved colonial mansions, the Casa de la Cultura is currently occupied by an educational institution, but visitors are free…
4.27 MILES
Another piece in the historical jigsaw of Simón Bolívar's life (Colombia is full of them), this slightly musty museum is housed in a colonial mansion…
4.3 MILES
This twin-towered, pale-yellow, colonial-period church dominates the east side of Parque García Rovira.
4.36 MILES
Buca's colorful, well-organized central market is worth a stroll, especially for its 4th-floor food court with all manner of local eats and mountain…
4.36 MILES
In Parque García Rovira, this diminutive chapel is Bucaramanga's oldest surviving church; it was erected in stone from 1748 to 1750. Its simple…