Visiting Tequendama Falls, Bogota’s Closest Waterfall
Tequendama Falls is a great spot to visit if you're around Bogota. The city may have a lot to offer to its visitors, but this half-day trip is certainly something you'll want to visit if you're craving a bit of nature.
Even though you can't really get close to the waterfall itself, the views are incredible, and there's no hiking involved. Something to keep in mind is that the weather has huge influence in the overall views, but we'll get to that later. Let's start with how to get to Tequendama Falls.
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How to Get to Tequendama Falls
To get to Tequendama Falls you can get a ride for the 50 minutes it takes to get there. If you're traveling on a budget or just want to get to experience public transportation, the ride takes a little longer. If you have a car, you can skip the next four paragraphs.
The bus network called TransMilenio has exclusive lanes for their buses, as well as the chance of connecting from one to other without having to pay every time you hop on and off.
Head to the Transmilenio Station in Bogota.
You need to find, depending on where you are, the closest TransMilenio station and get a bus towards San Mateo. In our case, we traveled from La Candelaria so we took the bus F23 until Ricaurte station. From there, we walked along the platform (without leaving it!) and went under a tunnel that connects platforms. The first ride was 15 minutes long.
The Bus Towards San Mateo
Once here, we hopped on to the G43 towards San Mateo (it's the last stop). After you get there, you now have to get off the station, cross the bridge to your right and find any bus that goes to Mesitas. This second bus was 30 mins long.
There are only two buses, a blue one from the company TEQUENDAMA and a yellow one from VELOSIBA. Tell them you go to the zoo, as some drivers don't know the waterfall by its name.
Also, make sure you set the price beforehand to avoid getting ripped off. The real price is between 7,000 and 8,000 COP per person, and the ride takes around 30 minutes.
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Renting a Car in Bogota
If you don't want to go through the hassle of public transportation, a better option is to rent a car, which can be done either at the airport, or inside the city center.
Here is a site we use for most of our car rentals:
Taking a Tour to Tequendama Falls
Don't want to go on your own? There are also a few different tours that go there. Here are the options:
Tequendama Falls: Food & Beverage
All along the road you will also find simple restaurants to have a bite while enjoying the view of Tequendama Falls. Next to San Mateo station (where you wait for the last bus) there's a mall and a lot of small kiosks where you can get anything from hot dogs to empanadas.
The food, though, may not be the healthiest one out there. Our personal recommendation is to pack some sandwiches or snacks before going to Tequendama Falls. This way you will avoid unhealthy food, as well as to save some cash on the way.
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Things to Consider for Tequendama Falls
Here are a few other things to keep in mind when visiting Tequendama Falls.
The Clouds Here are Low
Once you get to your destination, there's one thing to wish for: that the clouds aren't low. As you go up in the mountain, you're more likely to find yourself surrounded by clouds that prevent you from enjoying the view of the waterfall. If you go on the weekends, you can visit the Tequendama museum, located next to the viewpoint.
The weather can make a huge difference on your visit.
Have patience, and you may find that the clouds will move out of the way!
The Museum Only Opens on the Weekends
There's a nice, small museum built in an abandoned hotel. The main focus of the hotel is to create consciousness about the ecosystem contamination. It's very nice, but it only opens during the weekends, so keep it in mind if you're visiting during the week.
The museum next to Tequendama Falls
There's Not a Lot of Infrastructure
The viewpoint is located just on the side of the road. To get closer to the fall you will have to walk down a little hill, and it can get very slippery. The restaurants are built next to it, but the infrastructure in general is quite basic as well. Nothing bad, but we feel like it's something to have in mind.
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Want to Use a Bathroom? That Will be 1000 COP
As mentioned above, there isn't a lot of infrastructure. therefore, no public bathrooms can be found. The only ones available are the ones the restaurants offer, so if you have an urgency you will be at their mercy. (Although 1,000 cop are something like 30 cents of a dollar).
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Coming Back to Bogota from Tequendama Falls
If you want to come back in a taxi/Uber, keep in mind that it's very hard to find cars around, so you may want to arrange with your driver in advance to make sure they pick you up.
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If you're coming back in a bus, we have good news! All the buses that pass on the road go back to the city, so hop on any one and relax for a ride of one full hour. The bus will arrive to a big bus terminal in the center of the city, from where you can take some other transportation back to your accommodation.
Disclaimer: The blue fence was photoshopped out in our Instagram photo to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
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Tequendama Falls is a great spot to visit from Bogota. If you're traveling by car, you will be able to do this as a quick trip. If you're traveling by bus, you will get a full experience of Colombia's public transportation!
There's so much more to do and see in this incredible country that we don't want to leave you craving. This is why you can access a lot more content about Colombia by checking out our other Colombia Travel Guides. Let us know if this guide was helpful to you!
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