Sara is Sales Supervisor for See Colombia Travel and recently visited the captivating region of Nariño, Colombia. We asked her to bring us back photos and information, and that’s exactly what she did! Over to you, Sara:
When I found out that I would be traveling to this department located on the border of Ecuador, I didn’t know what to expect. I had heard of the Las Lajas cathedral that was built on a bridge, of the town of Pasto and it’s smaller and lesser-known Carnaval de Negros y Blancos, but nothing more than that. What I didn’t know was how charming the people are, how beautiful and varied the landscape is, or how different the food is from other parts of Colombia.
In order to get to Nariño you have to take a flight from Bogota to Pasto on either Avianca or LAN. Make sure to get a window seat so you can enjoy the beautiful trip across the Andes mountain range. The airport has one landing strip, and is located on the top of one of the smaller mountains in the area. The window seat would also allow you to appreciate the expertise of the pilots when it comes to landing — the airport has drop offs on all of its sides and was equated to being “like landing on an airplane carrier”. It didn’t feel quite that dramatic to me, but I can see why Colombia’s finest pilots fly this route! The airport is located about 45 minutes away from the town of Pasto, in an area that locals call ACHACHAI, meaning “Warm Waters”. This is the area outside of town where families come to spend their weekends.
The city of Pasto calls itself the “Surprising City” (Ciudad Sorpresa) because they have been hard at work modernizing the city in recent years. The local buses are all painted Orange and have specific routes that they take, making stops at designated bus stops only. They are working to widen the Pan-American Highway and main arteries in the city as well. Pasto, unfortunately, has been the butt of many jokes made by Colombians living in other cities…so now it seems they are taking charge to change the stereotypes that many have about the city and its people.
To be honest, I haven’t been this impressed with one department in Colombia as I am with Nariño. I am the kind of traveler that likes a little bit of everything for any traveler’s particular taste. The culture is very unique from other parts of Colombia due to its remote location and its resistance from the liberation of the country from Spain. The people are very friendly. Tourism is just starting to come back on the scene, so people seem thankful to have you visit and will always be quick to ask what you think of their town. For nature lovers, there is a wide variety of things that you can do within a relatively short distance from Pasto.
One of the most famous places to visit is Laguna de la Cocha. This high-elevation lake is cold but beautiful, and has more than 20 reserves surrounding it. It is 15km long by 5.6km wide, and at its deepest point it is 55meters deep. Surrounding the lake there are homes who grow onions, raspberries, potatoes, and other cold-weather crops. You can visit the home of a man who makes wine out of raspberries or from Motillon Trees. These trees were dwindling in numbers, but now the community is trying to bring them back. Staying out at the lake is an option, and it is a good option for an evening. You can take a tour to the island in the lake and visit different communities surrounding it, including a charming town called Puerto. All of its towns are built in the classic Swiss style. Its quite a charming place to spend a few hours before heading back to Pasto.
Heading toward the border with Ecuador is the town of Ipailes. This is where we stopped to observe the guinea pigs cooking over an open fire….which we got to taste a bit later. Outside of Ipiales is the famous Santuario de las Lajas – a very impressive church built into the side of the mountain because of an appearance of the Virgin Mary there. The church is quite literally built into the rock, too. Where arches end, rock begins. You can view the spot where the Virgin appeared in 1754 to a woman and her Deaf daughter. Originally a shrine was built here, but it was replaced by a larger one, and finally replaced with this church.
This region is famous for its artisan work as well. It is famous for its fine leather goods, is home to the (yes the) Panamanian hats (which are made here and shipped to Panama via the Pacific Ocean), woodwork, textiles, and other types of art. While being so close to the border of Ecuador, it is worth crossing the border for a little bit of shopping in the artisan market located in Tulcan before heading back to your hotel in the evening. It is also possible to visit some hot springs near the border as well.
For those very interested in artisan crafts, a trip up to Volcan Galeras and the towns surrounding it would be a very interesting way to spend a day. Here you can find workshops where bags, hats, blankets, clothes, and many more things are made. There is another volcano that can be visited where the brilliant Laguna Verde is. You can take a hike around the area and enjoy the very unique landscape up on the volcano.
It seems that everything grows in Nariño – you can find coffee, bananas, mangos, strawberries, plantains, potatoes, two types of onions, and raspberries within an hour or so of each other.
Pasto also boasts is own Carnival. This is the Carnaval de Negros y Blancos that happens in the beginning of January every year. The carnaval will be January 4-7 in 2013. This lesser-known festival started 100 years ago and has grown into a parade boasting many colorful floats and the party that comes along with it. If you happen to visit outside of these dates, you can always pay a visit to the Museum to see pieces from years’ past and learn about how this fun event came to be.
Honestly, just sitting down to write this makes me want to go back! I saw many things in the 4 days I was there, but I didn’t get to see nearly as much as I wanted to. These kinds of towns, and regions, remind me of how much I really do love traveling in Colombia. If you are looking to visit a place that isn’t visited often, and want to feel like the only gringo in town, this is the place to go. It won’t disappoint.
Sara
