We just got back from the most amazing and fun trip to Colombia! We really loved our tours in Bogotá with Aleja and Juani at Zebra Fisgona Tours. I would 100% recommend them to all travelers looking for a unique, friendly, informative, and fun experience.
We took 2 full day tours; the Best of Bogota: Monserrate, Candelaria & Museums tour and the Guatavita Lake and Salt Cathedral Tour. Both tours were awesome from start to finish, and super convenient to be picked up and dropped off at our hotel, with excellent meals, coffee, tea, and snacks as needed throughout the day.
Our first day with Aleja we fell in love with Bogotá from the beautiful views looking down from Monserrate. The lush green landscape, clean air, and plentiful birds and butterflies had us taking pictures non-stop. The weather was gorgeous to compliment the inviting cobble-stone streets and creative, thought-provoking, and inspiring murals and graffiti throughout Candelaria. We tried chicha (and liked it a lot) and had a delicious lunch of traditional Colombian dishes but vegan! We were surprised and really happy to find a lot of vegetarian and vegan options in every city we visited, but this one that Aleja recommended was soooo good! I tried a lot of traditional meat dishes during the trip too, but the vegan spots were favorites.
Since some museums/sites are closed Mondays (the Gold Museum, National Museum, and Fragmentos), Aleja helped customize our tour to do other things. We loved the Botero Museum and it was great going with a knowledgeable guide to explain some of the most significant pieces and the history behind the art. We walked around the Plaza de Bolivar and learned about the interesting history of the government buildings and architecture. We ended the day with an epic coffee tasting journey covering different regions of cultivation and a variety of brewing methods. It was divine and very caffeinating.
Day 2 we were met by Juani at the hotel and started our drive out of the city, through the countryside, to the beautiful and legendary Guatavita Lake. It was great chatting with Juani during the drive and learning so much about the local history, current events, and cultural elements. The hike to Guatavita was one of our favorite experiences. The unique flora and fauna was a major highlight. Before this trip we didn't know anything about the páramo and subpáramo ecosystems, but now it is an ecosystem we love and want to visit again! It was invaluable to have Juani as a great guide who could help explain the history or the Muisca people and their customs, and subsequent quest of the Spanish and British to find gold in the lake (city of El Dorado), and modern efforts to restore and preserve the ecology. Now the lake is an emerald jewel, glimmering green, very pristine. We loved taking in the view - and the fresh arepas after the hike were the perfect way to move on to our next destination.
On our way to the Salt Cathedral, we continued taking in the scenery and enjoyed discussion with Juani. We had a delicious lunch in Zipaquirá, walked around the main plaza, and headed to the salt mines. The salt mines and the Salt Cathedral are certainly a unique sight, we've never seen anything like it (because there is nothing like it)! The massive effort taken to build this Cathedral is amazing. I really enjoyed the artistic interpretation and symbolism used in the Stations of the Cross, including the colored lighting patterns which made the experience surreal. Overall, it was very memorable and I highly recommend visiting.
Overall, I can't say enough good things about Zebra Fisgona Tours. We took a lot of different tours throughout Colombia, and everyone was super nice and welcoming, but our time spent with Aleja and Juani was extra comfortable, like meeting up with old friends to help show us around a new place. We loved Bogotá and hope to visit again!
Esta es una experiencia que definitivamente no olvidaré. Tantos datos interesantes sobre historia, la cultura y el desenvolvimiento que se puede apreciar de la ciudad viéndola desde el punto donde inició, es simplemente mágico. Datos de arquitectura, políticas y arte fueron el centro de todo el tour mientras al mismo tiempo caminamos por todo el barrio. Muchas gracias! Lo repetiría de nuevo.