Chicha Tasting Walk in La Candelaria

The Chicha Tasting Walk in La Candelaria is a three to four hour drink-focused walk through the oldest streets of Bogotá, Colombia, centred on chicha, the lightly fermented maize drink of the Andes. The operators are local La Candelaria chicha walk guides, including La Bendita Chichería on Calle del Embudo, so the exact company can vary by departure and should be confirmed at booking. The route covers Calle del Embudo and Chorro de Quevedo, the small plaza at the heart of the historic district, and links indigenous and colonial sites in La Candelaria. Chicha was banned for decades in Colombia and has returned to Calle del Embudo, where around twenty chicherías trade within a few blocks. The tour includes tastings of maize chicha in several flavours, and the versions poured today are closer to a low-alcohol tropical cocktail than to beer, often blended with fruit. Entry to a working chichería is included, giving visitors a place to sit and compare flavours. Snacks are served alongside the drinks, so the tasting is not entirely liquid, though the emphasis is on drinks rather than a full meal, and savoury bites outnumber sweet ones. The price starts from about COP 45,000 per person (roughly $14), making it one of the cheapest structured experiences in the centre, though additional drinks and food are usually paid for separately. Groups are informal and the pace is leisurely, with time seated at each stop. Language depends on the guide, and English is common on tourist-oriented walks. Because chicha is alcoholic, though mild, the walk is for adults, and non-drinkers should ask about non-alcoholic fruit or maize drinks. Those with gluten or maize sensitivities should raise them early, as maize is the base of the drink. Afternoons and weekends are liveliest, and the streets can be crowded and slightly noisy at night. Visitors should keep belongings secure and pace their drinking at Bogotá's altitude of about 2,600 metres, where alcohol tends to hit harder.