Blissful beauty in Barichara
Barichara is a small (i mean the really, really tiny kind of small) colonial town in the heart of Colombia. The village is surrounded by beautiful nature, mountains and canyons. The landscape reminds of Tuscany in Italy, which you can glance at from almost every spot in the city. The town has a charming and sweet atmosphere. Literally every inhabitant greets you like a long lost family member. All houses are in their best shape and yet preserved their colonial charme.
How to get to Barichara?
The village is a 45 minutes bus drive from the next large city, which is San Gil. San Gil itself is known for outdoor adventures, such as rafting, canyoning or paragliding. We did not stay in San Gil ourselves, but it made an authentic and nice impression. When you come to San Gil by bus you will most likely arrive at the larger one of the two bus terminals. From the smaller one you can catch the bus to Barichara, which leaves every 20-30 minutes for only x EUR.
What to do in Barichara?
Chill and relax
Due to the small size of the town you will soon find yourself in a calm and relaxed state of mind. There are several places offering Yoga or massages if you need some extra support to find relaxation. Barichara is the perfect spot to read that book you always wanted to read or simply enjoy life in a hammock. The best hostel to do so is the Artepolis Hostel. It is at the edge of the town, hence overlooking the beautiful landscape. The owning ladies are very welcoming and helpful with any kind of information. The open-air bathrooms are just gorgeous – just be careful to not get sunburned while taking a shower. Breakfast is not included but cheaply available if you want to enjoy homemade arepas on the terrace.
Stroll and wander around
You can explore the entire town by foot within an hour or so. There is a nice path along the edge of Barichara with numerous look-out points. There is also an option for a two hours hike, leading further out of town. Coffee shops, vegetable markets, restaurants, souvenir shops and galleries are waiting behind the corners of Barichara. And every place – be it the playground, hospital, cemetery, main square, church – is adorably beautiful. You just have to feel like home from the very first second.
Have delicious meals at “Shanti”
Shanti is the name of a cute restaurant, which is run by a lovely lady and located just around the corner of Barichara’s main square. The food is honestly and by far THE BEST we had on our entire trip. We went there like 4 times and got to try almost every single meal of the menu. And I could not tell you which one was the best, as each and every one was simply delicious. The meals are prepared freshly in the open kitchen just right next to you. Therefore you can witness with how much love it is prepared. A place you cannot miss! It would even be worth to simply make a day trip to Barichara in order to have lunch or dinner there!
Go rafting down river Suarez
Rafting is offered in San Gil, but can also be booked when in Barichara. We were in Colombia during dry season and therefore our guide convinced us to sign up for the more advanced and adventurous tour. First we were a little sceptic as we would not consider ourselves as very experienced in Rafting. I only did it once before and this is ages ago. But we could absolutely trust our guide and had great fun during the entire trip, which was more than 2 hours on the water. It was totally worth the 36 EUR per person and an adventure I would not like to miss.
You see, even though Barichara is tiny it offers a great deal of activities. No matter if you search for outdoor fun or inner calmness – Barichara has it all.