Bucaramanga

Department: Santander Population: 600,000 Altitude: 960m Climate: warm (temp. 24ºC)

Bucaramanga possesses three strong reputations. Firstly it is known throughout Colombia as 'The City of Parks' owing to the myriad of green spaces throughout the city. The word 'park' in Colombia can be somewhat misleading to some foreigners whose idea of a park may be huge expanses of grass, trees, lakes even. There are many parks in Colombia, and Bucaramanga that barely contain a blade of grass and better resemble paved squares. That said, some of the parks in Bucaramanga do provide nice places to relax and some of these are listed in the section below.

Another of Bucaramanga's reputations is its distinctive food. Santander as a whole has a reputation for delicious sweets, including the famous 'oblea' (two large wafers filled with a variety of sauces). Possibly even more famous than the sweets, however, is another of the region's delicacies; the 'hormiga culona' (a large fried ant).

If you ask Colombians about the people from Bucaramanga and Santander, a large number will tell you that "las mujeres de alla son muy bravas!" (the women are fierce!) To be fair it is generally said more in jest than as a harsh criticism and most people will tell you that 'Santandereanos' are actually very friendly (as indeed they are).

Things to See and Do

A sensible place to start a walking tour of Bucaramanga is at Parque Santander, the city's attractive main square with a statue of the famous liberator at its centre. Sit down in the shade of the plaza, buy a newspaper from one of the vendors, sip a 'tinto' (black coffee) and watch as the shoe shiners ply their trade. When suitably relaxed turn your attention to the plaza's perimeters.

The plaza's most prominent landmark can be found on its southern side in the form of El Catedral de la Sagrada Familia.

Moving around anti-clockwise, on the eastern side of the plaza on Carrera 20 is the Club de Comercio housed in a beige colonial building.

Continuing around to the northern side on Calle 35 is Centro Comercial La Triada, the tallest building around the plaza. The vast majority of the floors are used as offices for various enterprises, but the in the open area in the middle of the ground floor is a lovely cafe. Take the elevator up to one of the top floors for decent-ish views out over the northern side of the city. There's no viewing platform but the windowed staircase permits you to look out over the urban sprawl interspersed with some of the city's numerous parks. Especially visible are Parque Centenario slightly to the left and Parque Antonia Santos diagonally to the right (both fairly average parks compared to Bucaramanga's other offerings).

The western side of the plaza contains a site of the Universidad Industrial de Santander on the northern corner and a an outdoor cafe called Terraza Café another good place to pitch yourself and watch the world go by.

On Calle 35 between Carreras 18 and 19 is a pretty pedestrianised walk. Along this short strip are several hotels (some of which are mentioned below in the accommodation section), cafes and restaurants, and some small shopping centres, the best of which is Centro Comercial Rosedal with a nice little cafe about halfway along the walkway. You can also find most banks in this area.

Continue down Calle 35 or cut one block to the left for the wider Calle 36. A couple of blocks down is Centro Comercial Pasaje Cadena (both streets have entrances) which is a good place for bootleg clothes, computer games and general nic-nacs. Note that, although not particularly dangerous, you'd be wise to pay a little more attention to your valuables in this part of town.

A block further down and you reach Carrera 15 one of the city's main arteries. Here, between Calle's 35 and 36 is the Plaza Central, a large food market. If you're living or self-catering in Bucaramanga, or if you just fancy having a gander at the local produce, this is a great place to come. The first floor is vegetables, the second floor is fruit and 'salpicons' (a kind of fruit salad), and the third floor is meat and fish.

Crossing the busy Carrera 15 brings you slightly out of the hustle and bustle and into the city's small colonial district. Stroll for two blocks and you'll see an open paved square to your right on which sits the Palacio de Justicia (Justice Palace). Just up from the Palacio de Justicia is a colonial building called Notaria Septima. This was Bucaramanga's first two-story building.

One block further is the pretty Parque Rovira which once marked the centre of Bucaramanga. The park's square's tall palm trees provide a nice place to relax while you get acquainted with your surroundings. The tall church on the eastern side of the park is Iglesia de San Laureano. Moving clockwise around the plaza you come to the Gobernacion de Santander, a yellow and beige buidling and on the opposite side of the plaza the Alcaldia (Mayor's Headquarters). The prettiest side of the plaza, the western side, contains the small Capilla de los Dolores, Bucaramanga's oldest church. However, probably the plaza's most interesting attraction is tucked away on the corner of the plaza between the Capilla de los Dolores and the Mayor's Headquarters. It is called La Casa del Libro Total.

Accommodation

Budget:

Kasa Guane: Calle 49 No. 28-21 Tel. (7) 657 6960

Easily the best option for backpackers since it opened in mid 2008. Comfortable and friendly. Common area upstairs with cable TV and DVD. Kitchen, internet (including wi-fi), hot showers, and loads of tourist info. They also organise paragliding trips and courses. Dormitories and private rooms. Good location is wealthy part of city with lots of restaurants and nightlife nearby. Highly recommended.

Hotel La Mansion del Marquez: Calle 35 No. 18-84

An ok hotel on the pedestrianised strip of Calle 35 near Parque Santander. Rooms with air con or fan, cable TV. A standard hotel in the heart of the city. Decent option if you're looking for somewhere cheap and cheerful, but want to avoid hostels.

Hotel Morgan: Calle 35 No. 18-33 Tel. (7) 630 4226

Next to the Hotel La Mansion del Marquez is another cheap option. Slightly bigger than its neighbour it includes an internet cafe and restaurant. Rooms have cable TV and cold showers. A little bit grimy, but ok for the cheap price. Single rooms about $27,000 pesos, doubles about $35,000 pesos.

Mid Range:

Hotel Ruitoque: Carrera 19 No. 37-26 Tel. (7) 633 4567

Five floor hotel just off Parque Santander (around the back of the cathedral) and within walking distance of many of the city's tourist sites and central businesses. Rooms have air con, hot showers, wi-fi, cable TV. Plain, but comfortable. Single rooms around $80,000 pesos, doubles around $100,000 pesos. Includes an American breakfast.

Asturias: Carrera 22 No. 35-01 Tel. (7) 635 1914

An attractive, comfortable hotel two blocks east of Parque Santander. Rooms have air con. Singles about $60,000 pesos, doubles about $85,000 pesos. The hotel also has a restaurant. A good option.

Top End:

Dann Carlton: Calle 47 No. 28-83 Tel. (7) 643 1133

The ubiquitous Dann Carlton Hotel (photo, right), complete with all the usual luxury features, can be found a block from Parque Las Palmas.

Food and Drink

The Sotomayor district contains a number of good restaurants among them El Viejo Chiflas (Carrera 33 No. 34-10) which includes local speciality cabrita (goat).

Also popular in Bucaramanga and the department of Santander as a whole is the hormiga culona (a large ant). The idea of eating an ant might be offputting, but they're worth a try. They have a salty taste, something along the lines of a peanut.

Nightlife

Most of Bucaramanga's nightlife can be found in and around the area of Sotomayor close to wear calle 45 intersects carrera 33. Most bars are relatively small and cosy and cater to different tastes in music. Try Moe's Bar, a Simpsons tribute bar (on the corner of carrera 44 and calle 33) and Cafe Converso, an excellent place for a quiet evening drink (on calle 44 just off Parque Las Palmas).

Sport and Recreation

Atletico Bucaramanga suffered relegation to Division B at the end of 2008. Perhaps surprisingly for a city the size of Bucaramanga no star adorns their emblem as they are yet to win a league championship. The best they have ever managed is finishing runner up in 1997. While they may be currently languishing in the second tier of Colombian football, they are at least noted for being the only professional team in Colombian to have a stadium (Estadio Alfonso López) fitted with an artificial pitch. Bucaramanga's local rivals are Cúcuta (local is quite a relative term as Cúcuta is some 190 kilometers away to the east) and the two teams play each other on 'clasico' (derby) weekend. Or at least they will if and when Bucaramanga regain their top flight status. Atletico Bucaramanga play in a yellow strip.

Transport

Bucaramanga's bus terminal is located about 5km southwest from the city centre. Buses run regulalrly to Cucuta (6 hours), Bogota (9 hours) and Santa Marta (9 hours).

Palonegro airport is situated about 7km outside Bucaramanga on the road to Barrancabermeja. There are flights to all major domestic destinations.