Zipaquira Salt Cathedral Tour: Is It Really Worth It?
Okay, so you’re thinking about visiting the Salt Cathedral in Zipaquira, Colombia? Lots of people who come to Colombia make it a point to see this place. It’s almost like it’s on everyone’s list when they’re visiting Bogota. And probably you have seen lots of pictures online too it’s almost like you can’t miss this particular tourist spot, you know? So, before you decide to book that tour, let me share my experience. This way, hopefully, you get to determine whether it is a must-see or you can maybe skip it for something a bit different.
What’s the Zipaquira Salt Cathedral? A Quick Overview
So, this Salt Cathedral it’s basically a Roman Catholic church built within the tunnels of a salt mine. Seems kind of odd when you first hear that, you know? They’re not kidding either, you descend way down into the earth, more or less to about 180 meters (that’s like, nearly 600 feet!), and there you will discover this unbelievable place of worship and wonder. It did start out, in a way, as something practical, since miners would pray there even back in the day before their shifts for safety. What’s really cool is that they later on converted the old, small space into what is now this absolutely gigantic cathedral, carved directly out of the salt rock.
I tell you, the scale of this whole thing? It is fairly mind-blowing. The cathedral is split into three sections, you know representing the birth, life, and death of Jesus. These sections are linked by tunnels and they boast incredibly tall ceilings, large crosses, plus the carvings and sculptures that are all made of salt. Because, well you are several stories beneath the Earth, it’s not necessarily the place if you feel a little uneasy in closed quarters. Yet, it’s amazing that people built something so unbelievably amazing that deep down in the earth!
Booking the “Small Group Salt Cathedral and Town with Pickup” Tour
Alright, so now let’s discuss the tour I went on: the “Small Group Salt Cathedral and Town with Pickup.” There’s all kinds of different operators selling pretty similar tours, so I will tell you about what my experience looked. It starts super early, you know, like they typically pick you up from your hotel or your lodging in Bogota. I am kind of that person that shows up early to things so that I don’t miss my ride. My pickup happened pretty close to on time. But the lesson I think I can share is make sure you have eaten a little something already, you know, because the drive to Zipaquira can be lengthy depending upon where in the city that you start from, right.
The benefits of choosing a “small group” tour it seems it means fewer people jam packed into a smaller van, so it’s a little easier than it might have otherwise been. It’s worth it, you know? It just helps create a little friendlier feel and just enables you to, may be get a little more attention from your tour guide. At least it has to be better than the huge tour bus. Plus you get to talk with some new faces on the tour too, I would suggest to maybe ask if they have taken any cool other trips.
One possible downside is that, depending upon who books for the tour you can end up driving all over the place when you pick folks up. Now, as I reflect on that part, it’s arguably not the best system if they are trying to maximize people’s experiences. As soon as everybody is ready, in a way, you will be off to Zipaquira, which is about an hour and half or two hours outside of Bogota. You just never know too whether or not traffic may influence the trip duration.
Inside the Salt Cathedral: What to Expect
Alright, now let us talk about actually going inside the Salt Cathedral. You come inside and you will right away be struck by the shear grandness of the whole place. That first huge chamber? Oh my goodness. When you see it the lights create a little bit of a supernatural environment, it will feel unlike anywhere else. Just have a gander up to the high ceilings, you know, and take in all that went into it to build. It took a fair bit of engineering, imagination, to build something so wonderfully amazing.
Your tour guide can, in general, provide some history. Then, the details of how the cathedral was carved and then what each section really represents. Now, I will speak from my specific point of view, sometimes the tour guides go so speedy it will feel almost that they have set a personal record to see if they can speak super quickly or not. It feels a little stressful if you are into slowing down a bit and you enjoy things at your own tempo. So what you may want to do? Stick kind of close but possibly just behind or beside the rest of the folks on the tour, you know? So that when it comes time to stop somewhere that is particularly amazing you do so. And if you prefer a guided trip and being up close with someone in particular, maybe this will make all of the difference for you.
There are several spots, very impressive spots too, to just stop for a quick pause. The carvings of the Stations of the Cross they feel extra spiritual, so in that case it’s cool if you stop there. Very impressive in any event that someone was able to get something that beautifully from raw salt. And so do be sure you take time at each and every section you view so that you get a sense for its significance, but just also the effort. There’s even a section that shows you some of the geologic processes involved, which is interesting.
Oh, I can’t forget there is like a gift store when you’re near the bottom! I kid you not, so there are some emerald shops, you can buy all of your little momentos. The sales folks can get aggressive at times in that area, right!
Exploring the Town of Zipaquira
Okay, now let’s chat on the other half of that particular trip, Zipaquira proper. The trip that you sign up for it typically has a walk thru of the downtown core and has lunch that way too, so that’s a great way to kind of see this cool city. That downtown location? Arguably pretty typical with cobblestone paths and lots of amazing structures all around it. My suggestion for a small tip, take your camera out to capture what you see there.
This primary town square it’s a pretty chill atmosphere too it’s almost great for grabbing an empanada at the nearby vendor. Possibly just relaxing watching other locals going through their routine lives, so if that’s your jam. My tour? Honestly they allotted us with only about an hour to just stroll thru the square and then to grab your afternoon meal. So maybe just go in aware and that will enable you to enjoy what is in fact just a little bit of free time in any other location.
The Good, the Bad, and the Salty: My Overall Opinion
The Salt Cathedral without a doubt it is visually and also artistically cool, right. Just an unreal experience, mostly because it’s so large down under. The “Small Group Tour” can potentially feel less like riding cattle than those buses, you will experience the local flavor of the nearby town.
Okay, here are a few items though for some consideration. It has the chance of feeling like a super quick race from spot to spot for several reasons. This is very likely because the operator that sold you that tour needs you to visit, and then come back, by dinner time. Possibly it might just feel touristy to you. So much of being inside has the ability to feel contrived in that, it’s almost set up only so they can take your dollar!
Would I suggest this trip to any of my compadres? Actually, sure! The one point I want to pass on, do understand what you will most likely experience there and make up your own brain about your perspective of such. In case that you may very well be claustrophobic or don’t enjoy tons of people very close by I am not sure you want to take this trip. But if you want to get out from Bogota proper and get a feel for what Colombia offers then make this spot on the bucket list!
- Awesome Uniqueness: How often can you just say you took your visit underground deep down in a salt mine-church?
- Good Organization: Small group operations are fairly effective if your expectation is to ride somewhere comfortably without getting packed inside of something with hundreds of other folks.
- Remember the time: Just recognize how short the visit really is so that when you are onsite you can be more thoughtful about slowing everything down.
So that about sums things up. Hopefully you now have a sense of whether visiting Zipaquira and it’s popular Salt Cathedral is perfect for you! #Zipaquira #SaltCathedral #ColombiaTravel #DayTrips #TravelReview