Colombia 2025 – Barichara

Barichara

Barichara is a breathtaking colonial town in Colombia’s Santander department, often hailed as one of the most beautiful towns in the country. Its name means “Place of Rest” in the indigenous Guane language—a fitting tribute to its tranquil atmosphere and timeless charm.

Founded in 1705, Barichara is a designated Pueblo Patrimonio (heritage town), known for its impeccably preserved Andalusian-style architecture, cobblestone streets, and golden-hued stone buildings. The town’s serene vibe, scenic viewpoints, and historic churches make it a favorite for artists, romantics, and travelers seeking a slower pace.

Highlights include the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the Camino Real hike to the nearby village of Guane, and the Mirador offering sweeping views of the surrounding canyon landscape. It’s a place where time seems to pause, and every corner invites reflection and wonder. It’s really safe and relaxing, so we had an excellent start, staying at a place at the corner of the town, with a green garden and superb views of the landscape. It’s basically a square kilometre of gorgeous white washed houses with colourful details along stone paved streets, so everything is near. Sometimes it was sunny, sometimes rainy, and sometimes covered in mist, but it was all good. The best place to hang around is the main square, or the veranda of our hotel with its green garden, or some of the excellent restaurants, where we found one that was really delicious, NAKUS Gastro bar. The beef with chocolate sauce was a highlight.

Apart from looking at the beautiful streets and having good food, Barichara is also a great base for a very beautiful walk in the countryside. The Camino Real is a historic stone-paved, originally built by the Guane people, an indigenous group native to the region. Later expanded by Spanish colonizers, it became a vital trade and communication route connecting remote villages across the rugged Andean landscape. The most popular section runs from Barichara to Guane, a scenic less than two hour downhill hike through rolling hills, farmland, and stunning canyon views. The path is lined with large flat stones and offers a peaceful way to experience Colombia’s natural beauty and cultural heritage. We ended up in Guane, a very small town with whitewashed buildings, a peaceful central plaza, and a small museum showcasing fossils, indigenous artifacts, and archaeological finds. By the town we found a great cafe by the surrounding Chicamocha Canyon with great views of the green mountains.

What we did there

We used Barichara as our starting point for Colombia, a good choice with its super relaxed atmosphere with good walks, restaurants and cafés.

We spent four nights there, which gave us three full days, but two full days would be enough. We arrived in the early morning to Bogota after a thirty hour long trip from home, and just kept going. From the airport we took an Uber to the busterminal, buying a ticket there was super easy, and then we rolled through the mountains and hills for more than eight hours to San Gil, where we had to find another bus terminal, and finally take one more bus for the final 45 minutes up to Barichara. We were so tired, but it was definitely worth it.

Day 1

The first day we spent walking around the town.

Day 2

The second day was spent hiking down the countryside along the Camino Real to the smaller town of Guane, go around there, and then walk all the way back up to finally use some more time in Barichara.

Day 3

The third full day we used Barichara as our base to go down to the Juan Curi waterfalls. It would be better to use San Gil as a base for that, as we had to pass the town anyway, but it was very good to stay in Barichara anyway.

The falls are among the region’s most stunning natural attractions. Cascading nearly 200 meters through lush forest, the falls are part of the Juan Curi Ecological Park, where visitors can hike scenic trails, swim in natural pools, or even try abseiling down the waterfall for an adrenaline rush. We had a very good day there, swimming and relaxing. Outside the forest there is a decent lunch restaurant, and buses stop by the road every 30 minutes or so.

Transport to and from Barichara

See the chapter about transport to and from San Gil.