VILLA DE LEYVA

The climate is fresh, sometimes a little hot in the early afternoon sun and a bit chilly at night, so be sure to bring warm clothes for evening strolls. There are also some interesting spots in the countryside to be explored. The town and surrounding area is still relatively untouched by tourists at most times due to its distance from large urban centres.

Attractions

The heart of the Villa de Leyva is the huge Plaza Mayor (the largest plaza in Colombia). On the south-east of the plaza is the Iglesia Parroquial. The other buildings bordering the plaza include hotels, restaurants, bars and a couple of small banks with cash machines.

From the plaza simply walk off in any direction and allow yourself to be enchanted by the historic, charming feel of the town and its frienly people. As you pass along the quiet, cobbled streets keep an eye out for entrances to small courtyards of cafes and handicraft shops.

Another of the town's churches is the Iglesia del Carmen (photo, above) a block north-east of Plaza Mayor. It has a small park in front it. Continue one block further and then walk a block to the right to reach Parque Ricaurte with La Iglesia de San Agustin just behind it.

Around Villa de Leyva

To the north-west of Villa de Leyva lies a small desertous area. About 3km along the main road leading to Santa Sofia on the left are a series of small lakes of a striking sky blue colour (photo, left).

A couple more kms down the main road brings you to El Fosil (a museum dedicated to a dinosaur fossil) and a couple more to El Infiernito, an archaelogical site. All of these places can easily be visited on foot in a few hours, but bikes and horses can also be rented in the town. This area is quite exposed to the elements so be sure to slap on some sun cream if you're heading out in the middle of the day as the sun can be strong and catch you unawares.

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