Before hitting the Caribbean coast, I took the bus ($20 r/t) for four or five hours outside of Bogota to a charming old Colonial town called Villa de Leyva. This small village overwhelms the senses as you make your way over cobble stone streets with the smell of flowers permeating through the air and soft yellow lights reflecting off of white one-story houses with terra-cotta roofs and dark green doors.
It was really refreshing to be in Villa de Leyva after five days in bustling Bogota. The bus ride also gave me my first look at Colombia’s beautiful countryside with rolling hills, rich green valleys, as well as indigenous Colombians wearing coarsely woven ponchos and bollo hats.
In de Leyva, the primary form of entertainment is found at Plaza Mayor, a huge square (one of the largest in the Americas according to Lonely Planet) where everyone gathers at night with beer and rum bought from small kiosks along the perimeter while locals strum on guitars and music blares from nearby restaurants.
We arrived in the evening at El Solar Hostel and Campesina, where friends had stayed a few weeks earlier and raved about the property, which sits on an acre of land, has an area for nightly bonfires and is run by a lovely French woman named Martha who showers you in hugs and sings “mi amor” as your arrive. While she had not received our reservation and didn’t have any room, she served us coffee and called a nearby friend, Luis Miguel, who agreed to put us up for the night. His house was perfect with a courtyard, an adorable kitten, and enough space that I got my own room (first time since being in Colombian hostels, dorm-style).
Fate seemed to be on our side that day since we barely made the bus from Bogota and then we arrive with no place to stay only to get the equivalent of an airline upgrade from coach to business class. With a roof over our heads secured, it was off to Plaza Mayor to join the laid-back party scene and later head over to El Solar for a bonfire that went until sunrise.
I recommend a visit to de Leyva to anyone who comes to Colombia. Compared to Bogota where walking around at night is discouraged, de Leyva is very safe and you can walk around at all hours of the day and night. For those looking to get out into nature, the area has a couple of waterfalls within hiking distance as well as mountain biking and horse-back riding for the more adventurous.
On Sunday afternoon, we sat across from the bus station contemplating the ride back to Bogota… a few minutes later, we found ourselves back along those cobble stone streets to the Square where we found a hostel to stay another night.
One of the lessons that I’m picking up about long-term travel is you gotta know when to stay and when to go – and the tranquil Villa de Leyva was a great place to wind down and rest up for Colombia’s crazy Caribbean coast and Carnivale!
