An afternoon in Monserrate

One of the visits we made during our days in Bogotá was to Monserrate hill. It is one of the hills located to the east of the city and the most emblematic. To go up, we went to the station to take the cable car. There is also a funicular to go up, but it only operates on weekdays in the mornings, and our visit was after noon.

The cost of the round trip is 23,500 Colombian pesos, which at the exchange rate is a little more than 5 dollars. You can also walk up at certain times, as there is a pedestrian path, but considering the altitude of the city, you have to be well trained to venture on foot. Bogotá is at 2640 meters, and Cerro Monserrate is at 3152 meters.

That day there were not many people, so we did not queue, and in a few minutes, we were waiting to get on the cable car.

Through the windows of the cable car, we saw how the immensity of the city was revealed to us as we went up.

And once at the top, the view of the city is breathtaking.

At the top of the hill, there is a small church, a place of pilgrimage and very important for Colombians since there it is the image of el Señor Caído de Monserrat, a Christ to whom his devotees attribute several miracles.

Climbing the steps to the Sanctuary, the view is stunning.

The church inside is simple but beautiful.

Inside the church, it is a small chapel in devotion to the Virgen Morena de Monserrat, known as La Morenata by her devotees.

So after we visited the inside of the sanctuary, we headed out to explore the outside.

Leaving the sanctuary and walking along one side of it, there is the entrance to a market area.

Many spots are selling Colombian handicrafts, although everything is cheaper in the city.

There is an area with many food stalls, and some of the small stalls have a nice view. But the market was almost empty. Surely on weekends, it is more crowded. It was a weekday afternoon, the day we visited it.

Almost every stall sells coca tea, some to take away and some to drink on the spot. Coca tea is widely consumed in some of the Andean regions since it is said to help to mitigate the symptoms of altitude sickness, called soroche in some places.

The end of this route of food stalls leads to the pedestrian path that gives access to Monserrate. The more adventurous who want to walk up reach this point.

We retraced our steps to the viewpoint area and noticed one of the typical milestones that indicate the Camino de Santiago, a gift from the Galician people as a symbol of the pilgrimage.

The view towards the hill where a couple of restaurants are located is beautiful, and in the distance, it can be seen the hill where another sanctuary, Guadalupe, is located.

We continued to the restaurants, where the husband was waiting for us. He had not wanted to go for a walk because of altitude sickness.

There are two restaurants, a fancy, upscale one called Casa San Isidro and another one serving typical Colombian food called Casa Santa Clara.

We headed for the latter.

We ate empanaditas bogotanas. The husband ordered an ajiaco, and the three of us shared a dish called puchero, which brought beef, pork, chicken, and sausages with potatoes, all with a delicious sauce, and served with white rice and avocado. We had coconut lemonade which was so delicious. And we had a memorable meal.

We were almost the last ones to leave the restaurant, and it was already past 5 pm.

Down from the restaurant, there was a cozy cafe that looked very nice and perfect if you wanted to have a coffee or a hot chocolate instead of lunch. But we were full from our meal and wanted to come back to watch the sunset on the cable car ride down.

So we set off back to the cable car station, and even though everything was very close, the return was uphill, and the food and the altitude made us short of breath as we walked. So we went slowly.

And from time to time, we stopped to take a breath of air and enjoy the view.

By the time we reached the platform of the cable car station, it had already started to sunset.

As we descended on the cable car, we had a gorgeous view of the illuminated city as it was getting dark.

And in a few minutes, we were back in bustling Bogotá.

On arriving at the station, we called an app taxi. It took us almost two hours in traffic to get back to where we were staying. But it was a worthwhile afternoon and a must-visit place if you travel to Bogotá.

Thank you for reading!

_{All images and writing are my own unless otherwise stated.}

© CoquiCoin

October 2, 2022