Zipaquira Salt Cathedral: Explore Underground Catholic Church and Colombian Ancestral History
4.9
26 Ratings
Zipaquira
Discover the underground Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira, the world's only underground Catholic church. Explore Colombian ancestral history and enjoy a day trip away from the city rush.
Duration:
7 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Catedral de Sal de Zipaquira - Explore the depth of an amazing cathedral carved out of an enormous salt mine!
- Estacion de Zipaquira - A salt temple which is also a bridge for our roots and history. That’s what you’ll find when visiting the popular Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá.
- Zipaquira - Zipaquira Town is home to the Salt Cathedral where our adventure takes place
What's Included
- Entry to the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá
- Guidance by Gran Colombia Tours
- All-risk insurance included
- Optional lunch with menu of the day
- Convenient hotel pick-up and drop-off
What's Not Included
- Extra purchases
- Breakfast
Additional Information
Embark on a journey to witness a fantastical fusion of heritage and architecture at the renowned Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá. Set out from the bustling city of Bogotá for a day trip to this unique underground Catholic church, an exclusive symbol of Colombian ingenuity. Engage in understanding the salt mining processes and their importance. Follow it up with a relaxing afternoon in the town of Zipaquirá, enjoying a delightful lunch (included if selected) and a leisurely stroll through its central square.
• A day-long retreat away from urban chaos
• A guided expedition through the chief chambers of the salt mine
• Historical insights on the conception and religious symbolism of this sacred site
• An impactful seminar on the ancestral Colombian history related to the Zipa empire
• A pleasant amble around the town of Zipaquirá
- If you have a layover in Bogotá please select the airport as a pick-up point for the layover tour.
- The Tour Guide will contact you the day before in case you have any questions or assist you with any requirements
Location
Catedral de Sal de Zipaquira
Carrera 6 Calle 1, Parque De La Sal
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(26 Ratings)
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Vivienne
Mar 27, 2024
Religious Experience with an Awesome Guide - With the 1 1/2 ride to the cathedral we didn’t know what to expect. Our guide Nataly was so enthusiastic. We told her our previous guide knew nothing about our previous tour. She spent the hour doing what he should have done. She is so knowledgeable about the history, culture and people of Columbia. The salt cathedral is an experience that is hard to describe. One descends at least 800’ into the bowels of the salt mountain. There is no fear as there is so much to see and learn. The most important part of the walk is the stations of the cross. They are artistically done and represents the pain and suffering that Jesus endured. One can almost feel the pain on the way to Golgotha. The crosses decend as he falls. At the end there are images of Jesus speaking his last words while in the cross. The cross itself changes colors and has different illumination. This happens only during Easter week. How fortunate we were to share this, not only with our family, but with our guide and friend, Nataly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rose_m
Mar 27, 2024
A Religious Experience with an Amazing Guide - We really didn’t know what to expect. Our guide, Nataly arrived and was so bubbly and happy we knew it would be a wonderful experience. On the way she explained what our guide the previous day hadn’t. It was an educational 1 1/2 hours. We arrived at the cathedral and with the great knowledge given by Nataly we shared in an amazing adventure. To relax the person moving into the heart of the salt mountain we followed the stations of the cross. They are exquisitely done. All was carefully explained as we proceeded downward. It is so creative. As Jesus fell, the crosses descended indicting the fall. At the end we had images of Jesus, his cross and his last words displayed on the salt wall. It was magical as the cross changed colors. This happens only at Easter. We were fortunate. We were most fortunate to have Nataly as a guide. What a loving person, not only for her country, the people; but also for her clients. She was actually more part of our family than our guide.
Review provided by Viator
Avin_f
Feb 16, 2024
Nataly was so... - Nataly was so enthusiastic and cheerful that we had a delightful time for the entire round trip, not just at the Cathedral itself. We learned a lot!
Review provided by Viator
Katherine_c
Sep 25, 2023
Wonderful experience! - I was most impressed with the massive scale of this architectural wonder and by the display of indigenous art., it was great to have a private tour, I could spend the time exactly as I wanted, with the expert knowledge of Nataly. The only thing I would caution is the very uneven ground and low lighting, making it easy to trip.
Review provided by Viator
71janey71
Aug 17, 2023
Go!! It’s amazing and not like anything we’ve seen on our travels!! Fantastic! - Incredible to see the Cathedral de Sal- nothing like I imagined- absolutely hibsmacked when I went in there! Go!! fabulous experience!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yec496
Aug 8, 2023
nice tour guide - Leslie, the tour guide, is very nice and knowledgeable. She told me a lot of history background of the site.
It is a very fantastic trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nicolemarie05
May 6, 2023
Amazing!!! - We loved our tour to the Salt Cathedral. First of all, our driver Carlos was very punctual, he was very nice with us and very careful while driving which made us feel very safe. Next, our tour guide was Diego and let me tell we just have good thing to say about him. Diego was knowledgeable, kind, respectful, patient, we really felt like so comfortable with him like we already knew him.
Now, the Salt Cathedral… WOW!! When you arrive there you never think what a beautiful place you will found underground. This place is amazing, mind blowing, it’s really breathtaking. The tour it’s so worth it, don’t think it twice.
Review provided by Viator
Nadinz2023
Apr 25, 2023
Tailored Tour according to our needs - It was a nice 5 1/2 hours tour, tailored just for us on the last day of our trip before we had to go to the airport for our return flight to Europe.
Both, the driver and our guide Leslie did a wonderful job. If we come back we‘ll certainly use the services of Grand Colombia Tours again.
We can highly recommend the company.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
S1507ommadisong
Mar 13, 2023
Day trip to Colombia's Wonder of the World - We had a great time. They picked us up on time and were in communication beforehand to confirm everything. The drive was easy, the salt cathedral was certainly unique, our guide was amazing, and the food afterwards was superb.
Highly recommend.
We also did a walking tour with this company, which was also great. Highly recommend this company.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
James_k
Feb 27, 2024
Tour company failed miserably - The cathedral itself is not to be missed. Unfortunately the tour company performed poorly. We booked a private tour as we are slow walkers. Our guide turned out to be unauthorized to guide us. So they tried to have us go with a group. The group was a Spanish speaking group and we speak English and booked accordingly. After some back and forth we were given a staff guide. The staff guide did an excellent job. With the delays we decided to forgo the lunch as it would have gotten us back late. The reason to book with a company like Viator is to avoid this. The tour company fully knew the situation before they got there I am guessing the policy is lax and they get away with it most of the time. That we were the center of attention by attraction staff was embarrassing. They ended up being fine and worked to resolve the issue. This unfortunately overshadowed an excellent destination. If you have the opportunity to go I highly recommend going. You just might want to use a different company.
Review provided by Viator
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