Villa de Leyva

Villa de Leyva

The following morning, greeted by the rain, we had ourselves taken to a sort of flying bus station from where we could catch the bus to our new destination. By early afternoon we had already arrived in Villa de Leyva and, after finding accommodation at a posada not far from the bus drop-off point, we began gathering all the necessary information. This small mountain town, already famous at the time of Spanish rule, is a very popular tourist destination where many foreigners but also many Colombians come to relax, thanks to the particularly mild temperature of these places, in contrast with all the surrounding areas. In our plans, besides a visit to the town, there was the intention of renting a horse for a tour of the surrounding countryside strongly recommended by our friend Juan Carlos.

For this reason we immediately set about looking for a place where we could rent a horse and its respective guide, succeeding in the task with no small effort since the riding school we had been recommended was lost in the countryside. After agreeing on the price and time of our outing, the moment had come to get to know the city and that's why we headed towards the main square and from there towards the alleys surrounding it. Characteristic is the paving of the streets, devoid of asphalt but made with stone blocks that in some cases made transit uncomfortable despite their indisputable beauty. After a whole day of travel we had even forgotten to eat and so, having taken a shower, we went to stuff ourselves in the only open place (it was only 9:30 pm!) in the whole city: a sort of shack near the bus station that offered only hamburgers and slices of pizza.

All in all satisfied with the dinner we went to rest in view of the horseback ride of the following day.

Breakfast at the bakery and on our return, parked outside the posada, four horses and a young guide were waiting for us, ready to begin the excursion. Making our way down a narrow dirt road we quickly left the town behind to immerse ourselves in an unspoiled nature made of cacti, onion plantations and barren land. The first stop was an archaeological site, to tell the truth not too attractive due to poor maintenance. Also for this reason we lingered only a few minutes and continued towards the fossil museum where an immense primordial alligator was preserved that millions of years ago inhabited these areas. After the museum it was the turn of a very interesting ostrich farm; having watched an introductory video we went in to get to know our hosts: African ostriches of every size and age, curious and not at all frightened by our presence, who posed for some amusing photographs.

Last stop, perhaps the most exciting, a lake of crystal-clear water in the middle of the arid steppe; we stopped to water the horses and for a regenerating dip in the cold waters of the lake: it was freezing! Four hours had flown by and so our guide led us back to the posada where it had all begun. With our backsides a bit battered but truly very satisfied with the ride, we went to wash and stretch out a bit on our cot: the following day we would return to the capital.