Must-see attractions in Santander

Santander's answer to Caño Cristales, Las Gachas is a clear, shallow stream that emerges from a spring in lush countryside and runs along a red stone…

A lovely little park decorated with impressive water features (although they were out of service when we visited), statues carved by local sculptors and…

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.

Take a day trip to this spectacular 180m-high waterfall where you can swim in the natural pool at its base or relax on the rocks. Adventure junkies can…

Located just outside the town of Curití, La Vaca is the most attractive and adventurous cave in the are,a with numerous caverns filled with stalagmites…

The most impressive waterfall in the area, Los Caballeros is a thunderous high-volume wall of water tumbling off a spectacular 90m-high cliff in three…

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…

This 18th-century sandstone church is the most elaborate structure in Barichara, looking somewhat too big for the town’s needs. Its golden stonework …

San Gil's showpiece is the salubrious Parque El Gallineral, a 4-hectare park set on a triangular island between two arms of the Quebrada Curití and Río…

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…

While not the tallest or highest-volume waterfall in the area, La Llanera is worth a visit for its mystical remote setting surrounded by magnificent…

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…

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,…

Inside the courtyard of the Museo Aquileo Parra, this collective of 24 senior citizens weaves bags and other artisanal products from fique fibers using…

Atop a hill at the north end of town, Barichara's oldest church was carefully reconstructed in the 1990s (only the facade survived). The floor has quite a…

This humble pale-yellow chapel has a fine baroque mahogany altarpiece. The original bell tower was damaged by lightning but has since been restored. Do…

The tree-lined plaza of Parque La Libertad, also called Parque Principal, is San Gil's most visible landmark and the heart of its social life. The…

A popular large swimming hole fed by a small slanted waterfall. Surrounded by lush farmland, it gets up to almost 3m deep in places and is ideal for a…

In Parque García Rovira, this diminutive chapel is Bucaramanga's oldest surviving church; it was erected in stone from 1748 to 1750. Its simple…

Facing Parque Santander is Buca's most substantial piece of religious architecture. Constructed over nearly a century (1770–1865), it's a massive,…