The Salt Cathedral of Colombia
1/12/2023
Zipaquira is a small town just an hour’s drive from Bogota and is home to a church unlike any I have visited before. The mountain here was mined by the Muisca people since pre-Colombian times and was a well-known source of salt. It would later be exploited on a larger scale to produce millions of tons of rock salt. After the mine had been abandoned, the development of the first church began around 1930. In the 90s, more miners and sculptors were brought in to create the cathedral that we can see today 200 meters below ground.
I booked a tour of the Salt Cathedral in February of last year through Viator. It was $55 USD and included round-trip transportation, tickets to the cathedral with an audio guide, and lunch at a local restaurant. I met my group outside of a Juan Valdez cafe in the Candelaria neighborhood of Bogota, and about an hour later, we were in Zipaquira. We stopped in the center of town, where our guide gave us a quick history of the area, and we stretched our legs a little and took some pictures. We then hopped back into the van and drove 15 minutes up the hill to the entrance of the mines. Our guide did a great job of organizing everything for us. He picked up our tickets and audio guides and explained how everything worked.
With my headphones on and the audio guide queued up, I descended into the mountain. The first thing you’ll see as you enter the tunnel is a light display on the ceiling of hundreds of tiny synchronized lights that change every couple of minutes and display the flag of a different country. There is also a subtle sulfur smell that will make you immediately aware that you are headed into a salt mine. Before getting to the cathedral, you get to view 14 chapels containing carved crosses representing the stations of the cross. The audio guide explains the symbolism and how each cross was created, some are more interesting than others. After the crosses are where it truly begins to get interesting, you arrive at a balcony, and looking over it will give you your first glimpse into the magnificent main chapel. There's an angel perched to the side of the balcony with a trumpet, this is an excellent spot for taking some pictures and/or selfies, although you might have to wait for others to finish taking theirs first. Following the path, I walked further down into the tunnels. There is a small chapel with beautiful chandeliers just before you get to the main chapel. I wasn’t sure what to expect before visiting, but I wasn’t expecting anything of this scale. The main chapel is very big, with rows of pews to sit on and a massive carved cross on the back wall. I got there just in time for an incredible light show choreographed to classical music. There were images projected onto the walls, the first of which were statues that then crumbled and fell to the floor, and looked incredibly impressive.
You'll find a movie theater following the tunnels past the main chapel. During my visit, a short documentary was playing that told some of the histories of the mines and the cathedral. I didn’t have time to see any of it, but some of the people that were part of my tour group had checked it out and enjoyed the information. Further along are gift shops filled with jewelry, religious items, and plenty of trinkets carved from salt. To exit the mines, there are two options. From what I could tell, the most popular option was to walk back through the mine the way we had come. Or take a train back to the surface. I opted for the latter. I can hardly resist a train ride. The train ride is quick and fun. It takes you through a tunnel that leads to the surface and then drops you off at the parking lot, not far from the entrance to the mines.
I met with the rest of my group at our pre-determined meeting spot, and we headed back into town for some lunch. Our guide brought us to a very kitcschy restaurant with Americana decor and plenty of references to Route 66 as their theme. The food was typical brasserie fare, and luckily for me, there was one vegetarian option on the menu, a baked and stuffed avocado. One of our group was a guy from Spain who ordered capybara for his meal. When it was brought out, it was a pile of meat served on a wooden cutting board and looked as if it could have been enough meat to have been from the entire animal. I was hoping to see one of these rodents of unusual size on this trip, but this wasn’t exactly what I had originally imagined.
I’m sometimes hesitant on guided tours. I like to do things at my own pace typically. But I am very glad I went on a tour for this visit. Everything was very streamlined and easy to understand, especially when it came to transportation.
Know Before You Go
How to get there:
There are Buses from Bogota Terminal del Norte to Zipaquira, ticket prices will cost about $2-3 USD, and you may need to transfer (https://www.terminaldetransporte.gov.co/terminales-de-transporte-de-bogota/terminal-del-norte/#). There is also a train that connects the two cities, but the schedule for the train is extremely limited.
Hiring a taxi is another option, and Uber is available to use in Colombia
Getting a tour, I recommend this option. I found my tour on Viator, but there are also tours available on Airbnb as well. The price is reasonable and includes transportation and tickets to the Salt Cathedral, plus the benefit of having a professional that can answer questions is hugely helpful.