Things to Do Near Bogotá for a Weekend (Without a Marathon Drive)

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Almost every Friday the same thing happens: cars start coming down from Bogotá full of people with one thing on their mind, escaping the cold. And honestly, we get it. That's why we moved here too.

We're a couple of hours from Bogotá. Close enough to come down on a Saturday morning, and far enough to feel like you changed worlds.

The first thing you notice is the climate

In Bogotá you wake up cold. Here, an hour and a half later, you're in a t-shirt. That's why La Mesa, Anapoima and Cachipay fill up on weekends: pleasant weather all year, without the heavy heat of the lowlands. Warm enough for the pool by day, a light blanket at night. The sweet spot.

Only have one day? A day pass and you're set

Not everyone can stay the night, and that's fine. That's what the day pass is for: you arrive in the morning, spend the day between the pool and the jacuzzi with the mountains as a backdrop, and drive back to Bogotá while there's still sun. If you want lunch, there's a restaurant on the farm.

It's the plan couples and groups of friends ask us for the most. Fair warning though: spots are limited each day (this is a farm, not a water park), so book before you get in the car.

If you stay: a bed or a tent, your call

Staying over changes everything. Morning here is a different story: mist rolling down through the coffee plants, a fresh cup of coffee and sounds of nature the city just doesn't have.

You can do it two ways. The rooms are for people who want real comfort: a balcony with a view, a big bathtub, breakfast included. And camping is for people who want to sleep outdoors without hauling gear: the tent is included (you pitch it, we lend it), with hot showers and the same pool and jacuzzi as everyone else.

Hike to the Salto de las Monjas waterfall

This is our open secret. The Salto de las Monjas, a waterfall about 30 meters tall, sits between Cachipay and La Mesa, around 40 minutes on foot from the farm. Yes, you can walk there. It's the gentle version of a hike, easy terrain most of the way, and only the last stretch gets a bit steep and muddy, so wear boots and not your brand-new white sneakers.

The name has a story. They say President López Pumarejo, who lived nearby for a while, called the dark-feathered, white-headed birds that circled the waterfall "monjas" (nuns). His house is still there, fifteen minutes from the falls. A hike with a little history thrown in: hard to beat.

For the binocular crowd

You don't need to be an expert. More than 50 bird species have been recorded on the farm (hummingbirds, tanagers, all sorts) and they come out between the coffee and the forest right at dawn. Plenty of people arrive with no idea this was a birdwatching area and leave hooked. Get up early with a coffee in hand, stay still for a while, and you'll see more than you expect.

Into adrenaline? Parque Makute

About 35 minutes from the farm, also in La Mesa, is Parque Makute, an adventure park with ziplines, rappelling, hanging bridges, a climbing wall and water activities. The perfect complement if you're coming with kids, with a big group, or if your idea of a weekend is more "do things" than "do nothing". A good combo: adventure at Makute on Saturday, rest at the farm on Sunday.

More adventure: Macadamia Bosque Aventura

If you want another adventure option, right at the entrance to the town of La Mesa (about 40 minutes from the farm, on the road coming from Bogotá) is Macadamia Bosque Aventura: 10 hectares of native forest with ziplines, rappelling, Tibetan bridges, canyoning, tree-top courses and even a bat cave. They have a restaurant, and on your way out you can buy the macadamia sweets they make right there (hence the name). If you're coming by bus from Bogotá, the intercity bus drops you practically at the door, so it even works as a stop before reaching the farm.

A quieter plan: Cactus Cachipay

And to slow things down, in Cachipay (about 30 minutes from the farm) there's Cactus Cachipay, a cactus and succulent nursery that's been at it since the 1980s, with more than 3,800 varieties and hybrid species they've created themselves. Heads up: it's a working nursery, not a theme park. The plan is to wander greenhouses full of the strangest shapes and leave with a little plant (or five) for home. If you're a plant person, this place is a gem; message them before going to confirm the hours.

A morning in the town of La Mesa

If you have a spare morning, the town of La Mesa (about 40 minutes from the farm) holds more history than you'd expect. The main square still has its 1848 stone fountain and an Indian laurel planted in 1935, and Calle 8, once the royal road from Bogotá to Guataquí, saw Bolívar pass through nine times between 1821 and 1830.

On the same square stands the Santa Bárbara church (Republican style, built between 1900 and 1910, consecrated in 1917), on the spot where José Celestino Mutis launched the Royal Botanical Expedition in 1783. That's right: the expedition that catalogued the flora of New Granada started here in La Mesa before moving to Mariquita later the same year. Next to it survives the Capilla Antigua, from 1777, far humbler and far older.

To finish, head up to the El Picacho lookout (Carrera 21a at Calle 1a, 1,250 m): from there you see the whole Bogotá river basin and, on a clear day, the hydroelectric plant. The other lookout, Los Naranjos, faces the Tequendama Falls. And if you come in April or August, the ocobo tree at Parque Mutis, in the El Recreo neighbourhood, is in bloom and the town turns pink.

For the curious: Guayabal and Pedro Palo lagoon

Two more from the municipality's own list of sites of interest, for anyone who's already done the basics. The Guayabal ruins, at the foot of Cerro Macute, are what's left of La Mesa's original parish, founded on 16 December 1649. The whole settlement (some 98 houses) was relocated in 1778 for lack of water, and the only thing still standing is what used to be an inn.

And between La Mesa and Tena lies the Pedro Palo lagoon: 2,000 metres up, 27 metres deep, 14 °C, a site the Muisca held sacred. It's cloud forest, a different world from the climate down here. One thing worth knowing if it appeals to you: the lagoon sits inside a protected forest reserve and access is restricted, so it isn't a matter of turning up and walking in. Check before you build a day around it.

How to get here

We're at Campo Santo-La Esperanza, La Mesa, a couple of hours from Bogotá. Once you're in the area, it's 40 minutes from the town of La Mesa (via Cachipay) or 30 minutes from Cachipay (via La Mesa). The last 3 kilometers are a rural road in good shape, part paved strips and part gravel (fine by car or motorcycle).