Posted on March 20, 2020
By Remko Slootweg, intern at Pure! Colombia

In the beginning of March, I went on a biking tour to explore Bogota, together with colleagues of Pure! Colombia. I was very excited since I, as a European, most certainly love cycling! The great thing about a bike tour is that travelers see a lot of non-touristic places while they really feel part of the city. 

Of course, highlights are also part of this cycling experience, and we started the tour in the popular and colorful neighborhood La Candelaria where we visited ‘Plaza de Bolivar’, a square with a lot of museums. Entering these museums wasn’t part of the biking tour, but travelers have plenty of possibilities to visit them. Then, we headed to ‘Tercer Milenio’: a lively park where one can enjoy a variety of sports activities, such as skateboarding, football and basketball. It’s a great place to see locals in action with Monserrate Hill in the background. 

Biking Bogota Blog

Subsequently, we cycled to a real off-the-beaten-path site: the Bronx of Bogota. Many people don’t know that Bogota has its own Bronx, which is a pity, because this neighborhood has a lot of historical buildings, nice shops and – as you might have guessed – lots of street art. We tried some amazing chocolate in a small shop called ‘Chocolate Andino’ (highly recommended!) and then headed to a local market to continue our culinary journey by tasting delicious tropical fruits. Colombia is known for its wide variety of fruits and for that alone a local market is definitely worth a visit.

We then played a traditional Colombian game called ‘Tejo’ that is often played with several people enjoying a beer. Players have to throw a rock at a target, and as soon as you hit the target it will ‘explode’ – great fun! Afterwards, we cycled to a coffee place to learn about the history of the famous Colombian coffee and, of course, to taste it. We stayed here for a while to rest, before continuing to our last stop, where we took a group picture. Then it was time to return to our starting point in La Candelaria.

Biking Bogota Blog

On top of that the biking through the city was a lot of fun, I think it’s great that this excursion supports local initiatives, like the local market, the chocolate store and the coffee place. An active, outdoor excursion supporting community tourism: it’s the perfect way to explore Bogota!

If you would like to receive more information about biking experiences in Colombia, please do not hesitate to contact us!