An enormous Roman Catholic sanctuary carved 180 m below ground inside a working halite mine, with fourteen stations of the cross hewn from rock salt and a nave lit in shifting blue and violet. Above ground, Zipaquira's whitewashed colonial centre and the Plaza de los Comuneros make an easy lunch stop, and the town is the terminus of the weekend heritage train.
| Distance | 49 km north of Bogota |
|---|---|
| Travel time | 60-90 minutes by bus from Portal del Norte; about 1 hour by car off-peak |
| Getting there | Mode: Bus; Detail: Intermunicipal buses from Portal del Norte or the Terminal del Norte to Zipaquira, then a 15-minute uphill walk or a short local taxi to the Parque de la Sal |
| Cost | Entry about COP 98,000 for foreign visitors (about USD 31.11); COP 70,000 for Colombian residents (about USD 22.22), plus COP 21,000 (about USD 6.67) round-trip bus fare |
| Address | Parque de la Sal, Calle 1 No. 12-50, Zipaquira, Cundinamarca, Colombia |
How to get there
- Bus: Portal del Norte to Zipaquira, COP 10,500-12,500 (about USD 3.33-3.97), 60-90 minutes
- Heritage train: Tren Turistico de la Sabana from Gran Estacion or Usaquen on weekends and holidays
- Car: Autopista Norte then the Via Zipaquira, about 1 hour with paid parking at the Parque de la Sal
- Organised tour: half- and full-day tours combining Zipaquira with Guatavita or Nemocon
Location
Parque de la Sal, Calle 1 No. 12-50, Zipaquira, Cundinamarca, Colombia
5.0197, -74.0135 View on map
Highlights
- The 180 m descent past the fourteen carved stations of the cross
- The main nave and its illuminated cross cut into the salt wall
- The salt-mining museum and the brine mirror pools
- Zipaquira's colonial plaza and the neoclassical cathedral above ground
Tips for visiting
- Buy tickets in advance at catedraldesal.gov.co to skip the ticket queue on weekends
- The last entry is at 16:00 even though the site closes at 17:40
- Temperatures underground hover around 14C, so a jacket is needed despite the Sabana sunshine
- Combining Zipaquira with Nemocon in one day is comfortable by car but tight by public bus