Club de Tejo La 76 – Cra. 24 #76-56 – Here’s a link to Google Maps where you can see the exact location…
Tejo might just be the greatest sport ever to be invented – it basically involves hurling heavy spherical chunks of metal at gunpowder, with the aim of creating a very loud and fiery explosion. And all of this is done whilst drinking (usually heavily). In fact you don’t, strictly speaking, pay to play tejo, you drink to play tejo! So, as I said, greatest sport ever! Still don’t believe me: check out all-round legend Anthony Bourdain playing tejo on one of his visits to Colombia:
Most travelers in Colombia end up discovering tejo in Salento: there’s a popular little ‘cancha de tejo’ (tejo court) in the town, and it’s recommend by many hostels (I even took my parents there for their first tejo experience). But tejo is popular throughout Colombia’s Andean regions, and can be played in small towns throughout the country…and even in the country’s capital…
Playing tejo in Bogota is incredibly popular among local people, and is becoming more and more popular with visitors, as people read about (or see videos of) this crazy game and realize that they have to experience it firsthand. But where to play tejo in Bogota? The city is full of tejo places, and a simple google search for ‘where to play tejo in Bogota‘ yields far too many results, with very little clue about where is the best place for tejo in Bogota. Never fear, the Colombia Travel Blog is here! For my money (and I play tejo a lot) the best place to experience tejo in Bogota has to be a fairly unassuming little tejo cancha in Barrios Unidos, not far from Chapinero and the Zona Rosa – Club de Tejo La 76.
Club de Tejo La 76 has become my regular tejo spot (it’s gotten to the point where I can be found there most Sundays when I’m in Bogota…), and for good reason. I’ve taken loads of groups of friends and visitors there, and they’ve all had a great time and left talking about how amazing tejo is (apart from the Canadian air stewardess who punched me in the stomach…long story!) Club de Tejo La 76 is a seriously authentic tejo court: nothing but hardcore local tejo players, a jukebox in the shape of a horse playing nothing but mournful ballads and vallenato music, a small kitchen offering giant meat platters and not much else, and 8 tejo lanes (four for full-length tejo, and four upstairs for mini-tejo – for beginners I’d strongly recommend mini-tejo…way more bangs!). The staff are…well, ‘friendly’ might be a stretch, but they’re efficient and organized (which is surprisingly necessary for such an anarchic fire-based sport!), and there’s one guy working there who’s always willing to teach foreigners how to play, and inexplicably wears a pair of wraparound sunglasses at all times…
But I digress…to organize a good game of tejo you really need at least 4 people (it’s just more fun with more players – although, be warned, once you get past 10 it can become a logistical nightmare as the beers get drunk and the playing order disintegrates!). To get yourself a lane to play in, you need to order some drinks to justify taking up a whole lane. This doesn’t necessarily have to be alcohol, but it certainly adds to the fun of the game! A petaco (or crate) of beers (you can mix and match between Aguila, Costena, Poker and Club Colombia) will set you back around 65.000 COP (that’s for 30 beers!). You can also throw in some soft drinks, or splash for a bottle of rum or aguardiente. Once your crate is finished, one of the staff will check if you want another – this is basically code for “are you done playing?” That’s it really – turn up, order some beers, grab a tejo, and let the fun commence! Oh, and don’t wear your best clothes…wet clay gets everywhere!
So when you’re searching for where to play tejo in Bogota, look no further: Club de Tejo La 76 – the best place to play tejo in Bogota! Check out the photos below for more shots of my friends and me playing tejo in Bogota…
Chris
