Zipaquira and en route to Villa de Leyva

We drive to Zipaquira to visit the Salt Cathedral, an underground Roman Catholic church built within the tunnels of a salt mine 200 metres (660 ft) underground in a rock salt (halite) mountain. It was created by salt miners whose Catholic beliefs meant they needed a place to pray and ask for protection during work in the active mine.

Note that the halite mines were exploited already by the pre-Columbian Muisca culture since the 5th century BC, with it being one of their most important economic activities.

The new cathedral, which we visited, was inaugarated in Dec 1995. We walk along the Stations of the Cross, which illustrate the events of Jesus' last journey, before visiting the Dome and the three naves.

We leave the amazing Salt Cathedral and go to the town of Zipaquira; after a quick lunch, we spend a short time looking around the town.

En route to Villa de Leyva in the Eastern Andes, we stop off at the Puente de Boyacá (Boyacá Bridge) is a historic national monument in Colombia where Simón Bolívar's patriot army defeated Spanish Royalist forces on August 7, 1819, securing the independence of New Granada (Colombia).

We arrive at our hotel and go out for a meal. Another great day.Read more