10 Day Independence Trail Ride to Barichara, Santander

Day 1: Bogotá

Arrive in Bogotá and transfer from the airport to the hotel. No meals are included on this day.

Day 2: Bogotá - Oiba

• Temperatures during the day: 15 to 23 degrees Celsius
• Temperatures during the night: 12 to 18 degrees Celsius

Move by land through the beautiful roads of the departments of Cundinamarca, Boyacá, and Santander to the city of Oiba where you will spend the night.

Day 3: Oiba - Charalá

• Temperatures during the day: 18 to 25 degrees Celsius
• Temperatures during the night: 12 to 18 degrees Celsius

The horses await you, saddled in the hotel, and you will take the road that, from Oiba, leads to Charalá, through beautiful forests and mountains with a medium climate (approximately 25 degrees Celsius) and abundant vegetation and streams of crystal clear water. You will have the opportunity to visit the reforestation project of A Caballo por Colombia in the village of San Vicente.

You will arrive in the afternoon to the noble city of Charalá, the Cradle of Independence, where you will observe the Cathedral and the beautiful Saman of Arabia in its main square, planted in 1910 as a tribute to the martyrs of independence. In this square, more than 300 men and women were executed on August 4, 1819, just three days before the final battle of the Independence of Colombia, a fact that, undoubtedly, contributed to the victory achieved by Bolívar on the Boyacá bridge on August 7, 1819.

At dusk, you can walk through its beautiful cobbled streets and enjoy the pleasant weather, the architecture, and the friendliness of its people before having dinner and enjoying a well-deserved rest in a local hotel.

Day 4: Charalá - Páramo

• Temperatures during the day: 18 to 30 degrees Celsius
• Temperatures during the night: 12 to 18 degrees Celsius

You will leave around 10 a.m., bordering the majestic Fonce River, formed by the union of the Pienta and Táquiza rivers, under a natural arch of trees and shrubs. On the right, you will see mountains planted with cañaduzales and pastures. You will cross the Fonce River and go for lunch to the waterfalls of Juan Curi, where everyone will get to appreciate waterfalls of more than 80 meters that end in a natural well where you can cool off from the midday heat and enjoy a typical lunch prepared in the restaurant of the place.

Then, you will climb the mountain and cross the waterfalls of Juan Curi through the upper part to go to the town of Páramo, where you will be able to appreciate one of the most beautiful churches of the area made of stone and wood. You will spend the night in a coffee plantation and sugar cane plantation, enjoying a homemade meal and the company of its owners, a traditional family of the region.

Day 5: Páramo - El Palmar

• Temperatures during the day: 18 to 30 degrees Celsius
• Temperatures during the night: 15 to 20 degrees Celsius

You will leave for the town of El Socorro, another of the seedbeds of patriots and martyrs of independence at the end of the 18th century. On the way, you can appreciate coffee crops and spectacular mountains. In the municipality of El Socorro, you will have a brief city tour and a visit to the house of culture that offers a magnificent compendium of colonial life in the region.

You will then cross a suspension bridge over the Suárez river, where level IV and V rafting are practiced, and you will go to the town of El Palmar. In this tour, you can observe in all its splendor the basin of the Suárez River, a geographical formation carved for millennia by this river that rises in the Fúquene Lagoon and that serves as a preamble to the spectacular Chicamocha river canyon, which you will have the opportunity to appreciate later in your journey.

You will arrive in the afternoon to the beautiful town of El Palmar, where you will find a giant ceiba of around 10 meters in diameter in the main park, framed by its beautiful stone church and colonial houses. You will spend the night in a beautiful hacienda in the region.

Day 6: El Palmar - Barichara

• Temperatures during the day: 20 to 33 degrees Celsius
• Temperatures during the night: 18 to 22 degrees Celsius

After crossing the Suarez River again, you will take the road that leads to the town of Cabrera, a small village where colonial architecture is preserved in a few places. From there, you will go along the old royal road towards the Barichara plateau, entering through the royal bridge of this emblematic jewel of the architecture of the colony. You will pass through its beautiful cobbled streets, observing its parks and churches, to go to a spectacular country house on the outskirts of the town.

Day 7: Barichara - Canyon

The road to the Chicamocha Canyon, located about three hours on horseback, is undoubtedly a beautiful walk. The Canyon was nominated as part of the group of 261 destinations in the campaign to choose the seven natural wonders of the world. This paradisiacal place located in the department of Santander is a spectacle for your senses. Imposing, majestic, and fascinating are the adjectives used by those who have had the pleasure of knowing it. After lunch, you will return to Barichara to enjoy a delicious dinner and a well-deserved rest.

Day 8: Tour of Barichara

The real treasure of Barichara is its original colonial architecture. Many come to this town just to walk its paved streets and take pictures of its typical buildings, white houses with red tile roofs.

The place has a number of outstanding places worth visiting, such as the temple of the Immaculate Conception and San Lorenzo, located in the main square and built with stones carved by the local artisans of the town, the Chapel of San Juan de Dios, a beautiful church with a cemetery worth mentioning, the Chapel of San Antonio, an attractive and famous construction next to its small square, the Aquileo Parra house, which was the home of a former Colombian president (1876-1878) and currently functions as a museum, and the Chapel of Santa Bárbara, another of the must-see places, which is now used for cultural events.

Day 9: Barichara - Bogotá

Return to Bogotá and spend the night in a comfortable hotel. Please note that the meals for this day are not included.

Day 10: Bogotá

From the hotel, transfer to the airport for the end of this great adventure.

Barichara is a small town in Santander, Colombia that has been chosen several times as "The cutest little town in Colombia" and conserves its colonial architecture practically intact.

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Most meals, except for the meals on Day 1 and Day 9, are included in the package. The meals are all cooked homestyle and can be vegetarian. Alcohol is not included but guests can bring their own. Lunches will be taken on the trails while dinners will be in restaurants.

Rafting

• Daily horse riding program
• City tour in Barichara
• Spanish and English-speaking professional guide
• Use of horses with saddles and saddlebags
• Roundtrip airport transfers
• 9 nights accommodation
• Roundtrip Bogotá transfers
• Most meals and drinks during the riding program (lunch box and dinner in restaurants)
• Transport of luggage in private vehicles (1 suitcase per person)
• First aid kit and a satellite tracker monitored by an assistance company
• At Charala: Historic talk in the city, visit an artisanal cotton workshop.
• At Paramo: Visit Juan Curi´s falls
• At Socorro: Swimming at the Pool.
• At Barichara: City tour, gastronomic experience eating big but ants and arepas

• Alcoholic beverages
• Personal gears
• Food not stipulated in the program (On the first and ninth day)
• Personal expenses (phone calls, tips, laundry, etc.)
• Rescue expenses
• Medical assistance
• Insurance

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• A reservation requires a deposit of 100% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.