Paso de Angel

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This vertigo-inducing mountain path running along a ridge on the way to the Guatoque waterfall is a popular attraction in its own right. At its narrowest point, the Angel's Step, it's only around 33cm wide for about a meter and a half, with vertical drops of over 100m on one side and 30m on the other. Views on both sides are amazing.

Visitors with a fear of heights will do best to admire it from a distance – there have been many cases of panic-stricken travelers getting stuck on the other side after having plucked up the courage to make the initial crossing. At the entrance you'll usually find the elderly landowner collecting an admission fee; it's not unheard of for his wife to collect another fee further down the path. (Bear in mind that it's a small amount and their main source of income.)

The path is accessible from the small village of Santa Sofía. From where the bus arrives, cross the plaza and take the road past the cemetery for 1.5km until you reach a signed turnoff by an orange house. Continue 3.5km past the sugar mill and school to the trailhead.

The Paso de Angel hike is offered as a one-day guided hike by Colombian Highlands in Villa de Leyva.


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