Zipaquirá City - Cundinamarca

Distance from Bogotá: 49 Km.

Zipaquirá Cundinamarca municipality´s and capital of Sabana Centro is craddle of Salt Cathedral, one of the most imposing engineering works in the world. The municipality is not only known because of salt exploitation but also by one of the oldest human remains discoveries in El Abra valley.

How to arrive

There are two routes for arriving to Zipaquirá: The first one is departing from North highway, and then taking the detour by Puente del Común for taking the road that go along Chía and Cajicá municipalities. The other one consists on taking Puente del Común instead of the detour, after that taking the Central of North highway to Briceño and Jaime Duque Park. On the roundabout, you will take the right road and you will arrive after ten minutes.

Tourist attractions

The Salt Park

The Tematic Park includes the cathedral, is the entering to subterranean galleries of Sanctuary, and dominates a high relief that pays homage to salt miners who were responsibles of changing it into a religious and cultural space.

The Salt Park covers 32 hectares and constitute a natural reserve that most alterate the ecosistem. In the park, you will appreciate not only the art, the mine exploitation, but also the geology and the way to conservate the natural resources.
It is the national and international tourism objective, mainly for ecotourism, religious tourism and for geological sciences´lovers. The most important places to visit are:

1. The square where is located the cross, what is named “El Eje Sacro”
2. The Saline Dome
3. The Mine
4. The Brine´s Museum; it was built on the disuse tanks. It is one of the most importants of Salt Park, alter the catedral. Inside, the visitor will get an idea of salt exploitation, also the geologic studies and the constructions and engineering of the cathedral.
5. The Reservoir
6. The forest area
7. The Salt Cathedral

The Salt Catedral

It is located inside the salt mines of Zipaquirá in the Bogotá´s Savanahh. It is a religious center and one of the most famous catolic sanctuaries of the country. It is considered one of the most remarkable architectonic achievements of the Colombian architecture, obtained the title of Modernity´s Architectonic Jewell, is the first wonder of Colombia. Inside, there are rich artisitic collections, especially the salt and marble sculptures in a religious athmosphere. The subterranean church forms part of cultural complex.

Zipaquirá´s Salt Mines

Along the access gallery, the Stations of the Cross, in memory to the path of Jesus suffering a route, are located. In the olden days the Zipaquirá Salt Mines were referred by Alexander Von Humbolt (1769-1859) when he visited this place in 1801. Humbolt compared this site and with those which he had been saw in Europe in Sapin Suiza, Plonia and El Tirol. He emphasized the importance of exploitation in the economy. Later, he ruled out the idea that the salt mine was linked to other formation as Nemocón and Sequilé, recommending that the exploitation were done by galleries like how it was done in Europe.