Cundinamarca is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful areas of Colombia, mainly because of its landscapes, biodiversity, its climate and the kindness of its inhabitants.
The territory accounts for some 2% of the entire surface of Colombia with nearly 8,5 million inhabitants, that is to say nearly 25% of the population. One finds there 115 municipalities disseminated on a mountainous territory furrowed by the Eastern cordillera, whose certain peaks culminate with more 4000m, inter alia El Nevado a height of 4560m. The sabana, for its part, is located on average at some 2600m above the sea level.
The sabana is regarded as the garden of Santafé de Bogotá if not all Colombia. In addition to the flowers, one cultivates there the coffee, corn, the bananas plantains, the cane with sugar, potatoes, the barley, corn, the manioc, cotton, broad beans, tomatos, beans, etc One finds salt and zinc, lead, emerald, iron, coal mines there, suffers of.

SANTAFE OF BOGOTA
The capital of Colombia, Bogotá, account nearly 7 million inhabitants. Perched with some 2680m of altitude in the center of an immense fertile plate - the savanna (sabana) of the Eastern Cordillera - Santafé de Bogotá is surrounded by high mountains, Monserrate (3200m of altitude) and Guadalupe (3320m).
Bogotá is moreover the seat of the executive power, legislative and legal of government of Colombia.
Located in high-altitude, Santafé de Bogotá presents an average climate of 12°C to 14°C, with points of 22°C with 24°C the day under the sun, and the radical falls with 6°C or 4°C the evening, which is relatively cold. For a better comfort, it is thus necessary to choose hotels which offer the central heating.
To visit:
The downtown area and Candelaria are the districts most interesting for the tourist attractions. As these two districts are adjacent, one can go easily to foot of one site to the other.
Candelaria is a tourist attraction of importance. It is historical quarters located in full centre town which was preserved destruction at the time of Violencia. Today it is more the beautiful quarters of Bogotá with its houses with balconies often renovated by artists and its colonial buildings converted into museums.
Planted in full mountain on the sides of Monserrate, Candelaria is an oasis of peace with its narrow streets.
The plaza Bolívar is the ones of the most known plazas of the city and even of the country because of its historical past. As of the first times of the conquest, one celebrated there masses as much as one organized there sumptuous festivals, bullfights, markets. One held lawsuit to with it. One hung there and one whipped the criminals there.
Avenida Jiménez is an attraction in oneself, the esmeralderos. emerald tradesmen discuss with possible purchasers and even with the passers by as of 8:00 the morning and until 17:00 or 18:00 to run out their goods, of the rough stones of all not yet cut dimensions and a green to make dream. All this commercial in full street is completely legal, the police force is omnipresent.
Santafé de Bogotá is a city turned towards tourism and, in addition to Candelaria, which is presented in the form of a museum in the open air, one can visit about fifty museums there.
of which in other, Museo del Oro, which gathers more than 36000 vestiges, of the thousands of objects out of gold of all kinds: jewels, masks, statuettes, crockery and other parts just as of the potteries and textiles presented and classified according to the various indigenous cultures.

AROUND BOGOTA

If several excursions are proposed in the surroundings of Santafé de Bogotá, it would be unforgivable to miss a visit with the salt cathedral of Zipaquirá, without question the eighth wonder of the world. One could not either speak about Bogotá without to have seen Laguna de Guatavita, where was born the legend from El Dorado, which gave the first impulses to the conquistadores to leave to the conquest the Colombian territory.

The colonial small town of Zipaquirá, to some 50 km of Bogotá, is one of the oldest agglomerations of Colombia. It was founded on July 18, 1600.
The city is also a center of recognized craft industry, it is necessary to visit its Plaza de Mercado to admire its production of it. One can buy there, inter alia things, of the wool fabrics, the religious figurines, the ashtrays, the vases and the candelabra out of ceramics, bronze and other materials, as well as sculptures out of marble or block of salt coming from the mine. But it is especially the visit of the catedral of Sal which is essential.

The catedral of Sal is a wonder. A first cathedral had been set up with the centre even of the salt mine by the minors since 1954. Threatened to crumble, it was closed in 1992 for safety reason, one decided to build some another, work was entrusted to the architect Roswell Garavito Pearl.
Inaugurated on December 16, 1995, it is the quintessence even of engineering and art putting in opposition sculptures, sets of shades and lights. Even if the religion is not your cup of tea, it should be been appropriate that this majestic cathedral, immense, built with very the walls of the mine to some 200m under ground époustoufler blasés what.
The cathedral can receive some 800 faithful. One can attend the mass every Sunday and feastdays.

It is in the laguna of Guatavita, with more 3200m of altitude which was born the legend from Guatavita. Cacic Muisca went by boat in the middle of gold the covered powder lake and threw in its water of emeralds and the gold coins to alleviate the anger of the demon. It is mainly the search for this fabulous treasure which justified the conquistadores to be penetrated inside an inhospitable country with the climate and the populations. An attractive place by its legend and its history. A single excursion in nature and time. A Pilgrimage in the Andes cordillera.