With cobblestone streets and pretty white houses, the small colonial town of Barichara is often referred to as Colombia’s most beautiful town.
You can visit Barichara on a day trip from San Gil or stay a few nights. I stayed one night and here’s what I got up to…
Walk El Camino Real from Barichara to Guane
After an early morning bus from San Gil to Barichara, I met up with Becky and Marie, two fellow Brits I’d met the previous day paragliding, and we walked the Camino Real to Guane (an even smaller town). It’s a 9km walk along a cobbled path and has beautiful views. The trail starts from the top of town, at the west end of Carrera 10 and there’s a stone sign.
Tip: Do the walk in the morning, it gets hot! We started at 9.30am and finished at 11am and were still sweaty! Walking at midday wouldn’t be fun in the sun! It’s why we got an early bus!
It took us an hour and a half to reach Guane. We had a brief wander around the streets and a juice before hopping on the bus back to Barichara.
Note: Buses from Guane to Barichara leave every quarter past the hour from the main square (impossible to miss!). It costs 2400COP and takes 20 minutes. The last one is at 6.15pm.
Tip: The path from Barichara to Guane is mostly downhill or flat. If you’re only walking one way, I recommend walking to Guane and getting the bus back to Barichara.
Lunch at Shanti
Back in Barichara, we went for lunch at Shanti. It was incredible: delicious food and wonderful service. The atmosphere was lovely. Every dish there would be amazing! Next door is Shambala, another place to eat I’ve heard good things about!
In the afternoon
After lunch we walked to one of Barichara’s viewpoints on the western edge of town. The views over the green hills with the moody dark sky were beautiful.
After Marie and Becky had left (they’d only come for the day), I wandered and explored the streets and town. It’s extremely photogenic!!
In the evening, I tried to find a waterfall (to no success!) with a German backpacker from my hostel. We ended up watching the sunset and a distant lightning storm from the viewpoint I’d been to earlier.
How to get to Barichara
San Gil is the closest town to Barichara. There are frequent buses, leaving between 6am-8.30pm, every half an hour from the local bus terminal (several blocks from the main square). The journey takes 40 minutes and costs 5200COP (just over £1).
Final thoughts
Barichara is a charming peaceful town well worth the visit from San Gil. It’s easy to see why it’s called Colombia’s most beautiful town. Wandering Barichara’s pretty streets and walking the Camino Real to Guane was great and a lovely way to spend the day.
