{"id":15769,"date":"2014-08-11T11:01:22","date_gmt":"2014-08-11T16:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?p=15769"},"modified":"2016-03-19T06:48:31","modified_gmt":"2016-03-19T11:48:31","slug":"what-to-do-in-santander-colombia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2014\/08\/what-to-do-in-santander-colombia\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do in Santander, Colombia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday I will be visiting Santander department to explore some of Colombia&#8217;s most beautiful scenery and gorgeous colonial towns. Santander is not Colombia&#8217;s most visited region by a long way, yet remains popular due to it&#8217;s <strong>unique architecture, varied gastronomy<\/strong> and unrivaled opportunities for adventure sports. So, for anyone thinking of a visit, here are some ideas of how to <strong>make the most of a vacation in Santander:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3111\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3111\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/03\/official-colombia-bloggers-at-the-colombia-travel-mart-and-my-colombia-wishlist\/bucaramanga-general-view\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3111\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3111\" src=\"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/bucaramanga-general-view.jpg\" alt=\"View of Bucaramanga\" width=\"800\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/bucaramanga-general-view.jpg 800w, https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/bucaramanga-general-view-300x196.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3111\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">View of Bucaramanga<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where to go:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The capital of Santander is Bucaramanga, <strong>a green, attractive city<\/strong> of 1 million people, known as the &#8216;City of Parks.&#8217; It is not a major Colombian tourist attraction, but is worth visiting for it&#8217;s <strong>mild climate, colonial architecture and green spaces.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>San Gil is know as the <strong>&#8216;Adventure Sports Capital of Colombia,&#8217;<\/strong> and not without good reason: the town is famous for it&#8217;s varied adrenaline fueled activities, as well as it&#8217;s beautiful architecture.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5526\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5526\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/11\/guest-post-laura-pollard-on-adventure-and-travel-in-san-gil\/imagen-016\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-5526\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5526\" src=\"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Imagen-016-e1353424117671.jpg\" alt=\"A charming little river in San Gil\" width=\"600\" height=\"803\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5526\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A charming little river in San Gil<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For those of you with less desire to hurl yourself off cliffs or waterfalls, the <strong>pretty colonial towns of Barichara and Guane<\/strong> are considerably more laid-back. Wander their cobbled streets and imagine what life must have been like here 200 years ago&#8230;it;s not hard to do!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_553\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-553\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2011\/05\/q-a-fridays-marcela-advices-jack-and-jill-about-one-of-colombias-hidden-destinations-santander\/colombia-barichara-tours\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-553\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-553\" src=\"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Colombia-Barichara-Tours.jpg\" alt=\"Barichara Santander Colombia Travel\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Colombia-Barichara-Tours.jpg 960w, https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Colombia-Barichara-Tours-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-553\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">View of Barichara&#8217;s rooftops.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>What to do:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are many activities worth doing which make Santander a traveler&#8217;s dream, and chief among these is adventure sports. From Bucaramanga you can <strong>visit the Chicamocha Canyon<\/strong>, for a variety of activities, including paragliding, hiking and fishing. You can also ride the 6.3km cable-car, which is one of the longest in the world.<\/p>\n<p>San Gil is <strong>a mecca for adrenaline junkies, with white-water rafting being a particular favourite<\/strong> in the town. There are trips to suit every level, including some pretty hairt level 5 rapids. Canyoning, paragliding and caving are also popular.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5208\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5208\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/10\/adventure-travel-colombia-tobia\/tobia-rafting\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-5208\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5208\" src=\"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Tobia-rafting.jpg\" alt=\"White water rafting\" width=\"600\" height=\"316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Tobia-rafting.jpg 600w, https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Tobia-rafting-300x158.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5208\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">White water rafting<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In Barichara,<strong> the pace of life is a little slower<\/strong>, and the main draw is wandering around the town enjoying the peace and quiet. However, one activity which is increasingly popular is the day-hike from Barichara to Guane. This<strong> 2 hour hike is part of the &#8216;Camino Real&#8217;,<\/strong> and takes you to the lovely little colonial town of Guane through the Santander hills.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What to eat:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Santander is <strong>a bit of a foodies paradise<\/strong> for anyone travelling in Colombia; famous for it&#8217;s regional dishes and unusual delicacies, you&#8217;ll have no problem filling your stomach in Santander. <strong>Cabrito, or grilled baby goat,<\/strong> is a specialty in the north of the department, and is known for it&#8217;s melt-in-the-mouth tenderness.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13875\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13875\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2014\/08\/what-to-do-in-santander-colombia\/refajo-and-ants\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-13875\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13875\" src=\"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Refajo-and-Ants.jpg\" alt=\"Refajo and Ants\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Refajo-and-Ants.jpg 800w, https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Refajo-and-Ants-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13875\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Refajo and Ants<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Another meat specialty is <strong>carne oreada, a jerky-like sun-dried steak;<\/strong> it&#8217;s often served with pepitoria, a mash-up of blood, goat innards and rice. <strong>Not for the faint-hearted, that one!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The real culinary attraction in Santander is also the most unusual: <strong>hormigas culonas, or big-bottomed ants!<\/strong> These deep-fried delicacies are Santander most famous culinary export, and are <strong>surprisingly delicious!<\/strong> They are quite seasonal, and are best sampled in spring, after the rainy season, when they first emerge from the ground.<\/p>\n<p>Chris<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; On Wednesday I will be visiting Santander department to explore some of Colombia&#8217;s most beautiful scenery and gorgeous colonial towns. Santander is not Colombia&#8217;s most visited region by a long way, yet remains popular due to it&#8217;s unique architecture, varied gastronomy and unrivaled opportunities for adventure sports. So, for anyone thinking of a visit, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":15772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[1],"tags":[2972,791,2875,2735,2980,2426,2891],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v18.4 (Yoast SEO v18.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What to Do in Santander, Colombia - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2014\/08\/what-to-do-in-santander-colombia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What to Do in Santander, Colombia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&nbsp; On Wednesday I will be visiting Santander department to explore some of Colombia&#8217;s most beautiful scenery and gorgeous colonial towns. 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