Salt Cathedral
Salt Cathedral things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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Went there on a Wednesday, which was perfect as there weren't too many people. They charge different prices for Colombians, around $7, and foreigners $13, for the basic tickets. The tour leaves every 15mins or so. The tour is in Spanish but they provide guided headphones in English as well. I actually wandered off on my own after 5 mins, which gave me time and space to do things on my own. The Catholic symbols and church are very enjoyable, even though I'm nowhere near religious. After the Cathedral, you will enter the retail area. The Café 340 is worth stopping for a coffee and pastry. You probably want to skip actually buying an emerald here as they are well overpriced, like at any tourist attractions. However I do recommend going to the Desal Spa. Despite the price being higher than most places outside, it is still considerably cheaper than in USA or Europe. I paid $20 for a 20mins foot scrub and foot massage. Apart from getting to experience a real salt spa inside a salt mine, the setting/ambience was beautiful and the service was great, too. I will probably be back just for the spa alone, which I was told the entry fee will be about $4 if you booked a service at the spa. If you like spa, this is a must! Even if you don't, you will still enjoy the experience. Bottomline, you will spent aprx 2 hours here. Come early on a weekday. Charge your phone as you will be taking heaps of pix. For the sake of others, don't wear strong perfume as it is a confined space and eventhough it is pet friendly and they provide a trolley for your dog....a dog in my tour group barked for 5 mins straight. P.S. After the tour, stop for lunch at a nearby restaurant, can't remember the name but it has a big cow outside. The meat samlle platter is huge and tasty
SusanSusan
50
This was an interesting place to visit not far from the city of Bogota. The salt cathedral at Zipaquirá is one of the more unique attractions I have seen while in the country and for good reason; there is no other place like it in the world. To enter, you have to buy tickets which come in three separate packages. All of them include entry into the cathedral but the more expensive ones offer entry into museums and even rock climbing. After buying tickets, you wait at the entrance with everyone else and when enough people have amassed, you are taken into the cathedral. Be advised that the group gets very big for the tour. We had trouble listening to the tour guide because he was all the way up front and we were at the back of the crowd. It was very obnoxious at times because people make a lot of noise while the tour guide is speaking which makes it difficult to hear. Also there are large amounts of people all attempting to take photos at the same time and at the same places which makes it very difficult to get a photo. After a while we got tired of the tour and went ahead which was a lot better. There were not that many people as we walked further into the cathedral making it easier to see things and explore. The cathedral is massive and there is so much to see inside. It is all very impressive and there is great history behind it that is worth learning about. A small theater inside the mine provides a good history lesson on the mine and its inhabitants before it became a cathedral. There is also a number of shops down here ranging from gift shops to snack bars and even jewelry stores.
Gustavo Espinoza JrGustavo Espinoza Jr
00
Okay, buckle up, fellow salt miners! Just emerged from the depths of Zipaquirá, and let me tell you, the Salt Cathedral ain't just a fancy salt lick for statues (although, there might be some salty saints, who knows?). This place is seriously epic! First, the main event: the cathedral itself. Think Sistine Chapel, but carved outta literal SALT. Like, mind-blowing sculptures, shimmering walls, and enough chandeliers to make Liberace jealous. And the best part? Each station of the cross has a cool story behind it, all tied to the history of salt mining. I learned more about sodium chloride than I ever thought possible, and it was actually kinda fascinating! Now, some minor hiccups – the train out wasn't exactly on my "frequent flyer" schedule, and the museum felt like a quick stroll through a dusty attic. But hey, who needs museum trinkets when you've got a freaking cathedral made of SALT?! The entrance fee might be a tad salty, but let's be real, these folks need all the love (and pesos) they can get to keep this marvel shining. ✨ So, bottom line: visiting Bogota? Skip the overpriced avocados and ditch the trendy coffee shops. Get your butt down to the Salt Cathedral. It's a one-of-a-kind, mind-bending, salty blast of epicness. You won't regret it! 5 stars, with a big thumbs-up for the salty saints and epic carvings. P.S. Don't forget your sunglasses – things get pretty sparkly down there! 😜
Bong ArquizaBong Arquiza
00
Too expensive for what it really is. I believe many years ago it was a different story, with the Cathedral in it and truly exploring the salt mine, but nowadays they made it a city down there, full of cafes, shops and places to eat. It really losses the sense of what it really was. The price for foreigners is almost the double as it is for Colombians, ascending to almost 20 dollars. Inside it is really nice, there’s a via crucis which is the first part of the tour, then the church, and finally all the shops, cafes, etc I’d recommended going to the toilet before entering the mine, although inside there’s one is almost at the end of the mine, close to the exit. So you will have to cross it entirely. Also if you take the train to come here, consider that many people will come here so you either take a taxi, you walk really fast or my advice is to book tickets online so you avoid at least one of the queues. This place was packed, and got worse as we got closer to noon. The early you arrive the better. Another advise is not to wait for the tour and go at your own pace with the free audio guide. At least the tour guide I got was too religiously focused and bored me to hell so I just continue on my own with the audio guide, they also skip spots and places to make it more dynamic.
Lucas KovácsLucas Kovács
00
En este mundo, antes de la aparición de la humanidad, la naturaleza era como un niño jugando solo, haciendo todo el tiempo maravillas sin saber… sin ningún adulto por ahí que las descubriera: Todo transcurriendo simplemente… Una de estas maravillas ocurrió a unos 60 kilometros de lo que sería la ciudad de Bogotá, hoy municipio de Zipaquirá, Colombia. Y ahí permaneció oculta por más de 200 Millones de años, hasta que un día llegaron los naturales de esta región y la descubrieron: un enorme yacimiento de sal, resto de la evaporación de un gran océano. Y no solo eso, comenzaron ha extraerla para preservar la carne y los peces capturados -evitando así su descomposición. Al paso del tiempo y mediante tecnología minera se fueron creando socavones y arcos de sustentación. A mediados del Siglo XX, los trabajadores utilizaron uno de esos socavones para erigir en su interior un altar a Nuestra Señora del Rosario -patrona de los mineros-, en parte esculpido en los muros de sal. Con el tiempo, ese altar se fue ampliando hasta constituirse en la primera Catedral de Sal de la Mina de Zipaquira, la cual por razones de fallas estructurales fue clausurada . Sin embargo, la idea de su restauración continuó. En 1990 la Sociedad Colombiana de Arquitectos convocó a un Concurso para elegir una propuesta de diseño de la nueva Catedral, en niveles más profundos de la Mina (a 180 metros bajo la tierra). El proyecto ganador fue del Arquitecto Roswell Garabito Pearl, y fue realizado, bajo la supervisión del Ingeniero Jorge Enrique Castelblanco. de 1991 a 1995, año de su inauguración (Culto Católico, perteneciente a la Diócesis de Zipaquira, del Parque de la Sal, desarrollo de educación ambiental; Dep. de Cundinamarca) El diseño del Arq. Garavito se inspiró en resaltar las 14 estaciones del Vía Crucis de Jesús hacia su Crucifixión en el monte Calvario, con Cruces de diferente manufactura y dimensiones, todas ellas esculpidas en sal y en sobre o bajo relieves, iluminadas desde distintos ángulos y colores. El visitante va siendo guiado por expertos hasta llegar a la Cúpula que representa el Cielo y al cuerpo central de la catedral y al Altar principal, en donde existen esculturas en sal y mármol. El sitio posee todas las medidas de seguridad -cuenta con su propia planta e energía eléctrica- y estaciones donde se monitorea constantemente la calidad del aire (CO2 y Oxígeno, entre otros factores); cuenta con todos los servicios para la adecuada atención del público: sanitarios, tiendas de alimentos y souvenirs, cafetería, un cinema, esculturas (en sal y mármol) de gran valor artístico, museos y lugares para descansar. El recorrido tiene una duración aproximada de 2 horas, y después uno puede permanecer hasta las 17:00 hrs o al cierre de la mina; el regreso es des andando el camino o bien esperando un tren -andén al final del recorido, para 60 pasajeros sentados, sale cada 20 min. DATOS CURIOSOS: - Esta Catedral fue elegida 1ra. Maravilla de Colombia. - Para su construcción se extrajeron 250 mil toneladas de ROCA DE SAL. - La mina representa el mayor yacimiento de sal conocido del planeta. - La primera referencia 1801, por Humboldt: propuso calderos en lugar de gachas. - Luís Angel Arango, Director del Banco de la República (1932), tuvo la idea de construir una altar en el interior de la Mina. - Patrimonio Cultural e Histórico de Colombia. Zipaquira, Cundinamarca, altitud de 2.680 msnm A 48km -carretera- de la Ciudad de Bogotá. Acceso Ferreo Tren de la Sabana. Horario de visita: diario de 9:00 a 17:40 hrs Misa: domingos a las 12:00 del día Precio de entrada: paquete básico visita guiada y recorrido: Nacionales 66,000 cops; niños y 3er edad $54,000.00 cops extranjeros $110,000.00 cops; niños y 3er edad $97,000.00 cops 1USD = 3,000.00cops = $13.00 Mex pesos
Fernando Amilpa TrujilloFernando Amilpa Trujillo
00
This is one of the more interesting places in the world. Colombia's wonder of the world. Very impressive how this was built and the history behind it. Underground there is a cool 3D movie theater, another 3D show, church, a cafe (closed Thursday during my visit) places to buy ice cream, churros, hotdogs, TOO many souvenir shops and a train to escort you at the exit. More drink or coffee options would be nice! Bring water. You can purchase tickets online to avoid the line at the gates. They come in 3 different price ranges. I opened for the cheap one because I'm cheap. You can take a bus or 2 to Terminal Norte. Than take another bus to Zopiquira. Super cheap! Reverse the process on the way back and you skip the expensive tour guide prices. This place is magical. You can do a guided tour line a large group inside but I quickly realized it was more fun going at my own pace without waiting in line to take pictures. Gets super busy and try to avoid the weekend at all costs. Leave Bogota by 8 am at the latest. Please follow @bouncingplaces on YOUTUBE as It helps support the channel so I can continue sharing amazing places like this to eat and fun adventures as I travel the world full time 🌎 🙏 See you in the next one! Keep on Bouncing Baby 😎❤️👍💯
Jay BouncingPlaces (BOUNCINGPLACES)Jay BouncingPlaces (BOUNCINGPLACES)
00
Nearby Attractions Of Salt Cathedral
Independence Square
Independence Square
Principal Park
Principal Park
Villaveces Park
Diocesan Cathedral of Zipaquira
Museo Arqueológico Zipaquirá
Museo de Zipaquirà Casa Quevedo Zornoza
Plaza De Los Comuneros - Zipaquira Cundinamarca
Plaza Ceremonial del Minero
Independence Square
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Independence Square
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Principal Park
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Nearby Restaurants Of Salt Cathedral
Restaurante La Carreta
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Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
Parque De La Sal, Zipaquirá, Cundinamarca, Colombia
Map
Phone
+57 601 8519502
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Website
catedraldesal.gov.co
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Reviews
Overview
4.7
(7.7K reviews)
Ratings & Description
cultural
adventure
family friendly
Description
The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá is an underground Roman Catholic church built within the tunnels of a salt mine 200 metres underground in a halite mountain near the city of Zipaquirá, in Cundinamarca, Colombia. It is a tourist destination and place of pilgrimage in the country.
attractions: Independence Square, Independence Square, Principal Park, Principal Park, Villaveces Park, Diocesan Cathedral of Zipaquira, Museo Arqueológico Zipaquirá, Museo de Zipaquirà Casa Quevedo Zornoza, Plaza De Los Comuneros - Zipaquira Cundinamarca, Plaza Ceremonial del Minero, restaurants: Restaurante La Carreta, Juan Valdez Cafe, Il capriccio Cucina Italiana
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