Things to do in

Nemocón

Benefit from pickup at your hotel in Bogotá, and then travel to the salt mines of Nemocón 65 kilometers from the city center. Get stunning views of the beautiful landscape before arrival. Then, take a tour of the salt mine tunnels and discover what is felt like to work 60 meters below ground. Learn about the history of salt and how it is extracted as you marvel at the optical effects of the mirrors of brine. See where the movie Los 33 was filmed before lunch in the colonial city of Zipaquirá. Next, visit one of the most artistic achievements of Colombian architecture on a tour of the Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral, built within the tunnels of a salt mine.

Start with pickup at your hotel at 2:00 PM and travel to the town of Nemocón to visit its impressive salt mine. Join a local guide who will take you through the tunnels of the salt mine. Enjoy an educational tour to discover the history of the mines and their impressive brine mirrors. Inside the mine, see stalactites and stalagmites, complemented by colorful atmospheric lighting.  After discovering the mine, enjoy a hearty meal and dance to the music at the famous Andrés Carne de Res restaurant in Chía. Arrive at the restaurant around 6:00 PM and marvel at the unique decoration of this popular restaurant. Try Colombian cuisine and choose between different kinds of meat and fish dishes, salads and desserts, in a lively setting. After dinner, be returned to your accommodation in Bogotá.

Combine nature with industry on this 7-hour guided excursion from Bogotà to visit Lake Guatavita and the salt mine of Nemocón. Escape the hustle and bustle of the city with this relaxing small-group tour of up to 11 people. After pickup at around 8:00 AM at your hotel, start the 2-hour drive through the savanna towards Lake Guatavita, a lagoon that is part of a protected natural area. Likely formed by the impact of a crater, the lake is almost perfectly circular. A native park guide will join the group for a 75-minute tour, during which he’ll explain the culture of the Muisca Indians, the legend of El Dorado, and the biological importance of the lagoon. During the tour, you’ll also take a half hour walk along a path at the edge of the crater to admire different views of the lagoon.   Next, visit the town of Guatavita to explore its architecture and environment. Enjoy a lunch typical of the region before heading out for Nemocón. On the way there, see the beautiful Tominé reservoir, a 9-kilometer-long body of water. When you arrive at Nemocón, you’ll experience what it’s like to be a salt miner: walk 60 meters below the surface of the Earth into an authentic salt mine and discover the history of the Colombian salt industry.

Begin the day with hotel pickup from Bogotá. Set off toward Nemocón, the first salt mine exploited in Columbia. Drive for about two hours and then the real fun begins. Upon arrival, meet your guide and follow them 200 feet underground, where you'll feel like a real miner in a place where approximately eight million tons of salt was extracted between 1816 and 1968. Learn everything related to the world of salt and salt mining as you explore incredible attractions with multi-sensory effects, such as the Mirror of the Brine, the Salt Waterfall, and the famous salt heart of Columbia. See where the movie "The 33" was filmed, which depicts the well-known mining tragedy in Chile; in 2010, 33 people were trapped in a mine under more than 2,000 feet of rock for 69 days. Visit the set where stars like Antonio Banderas and Maria Casas worked, and see real letters that were sent to the trapped miners. Round off the experience with a typical Colombian lunch before returning to Bogotá for hotel drop-off.