El Colegio: Highlands and Cultural History
Accommodation in El Colegio
El Colegio in Cundinamarca can be considered for travel planning through its landscape, cultural history, and nearby destinations. This distinction can be helpful when choosing a hotel. The nature reserve extends beyond the municipality, while the festival history is closely tied to El Colegio’s cultural identity.
A Nature Reserve Spanning Several Municipalities
The Distrito de Manejo Integrado Cuchilla de Peñas Blancas y del Subia is located in the Department of Cundinamarca, in the eastern highlands of the municipalities of San Antonio del Tequendama, El Colegio, and Viotá. El Colegio is therefore part of a nature reserve whose geographic scope encompasses three municipalities. This scale distinguishes the landscape from a single destination in town: the protected highlands span multiple municipalities.
A Lagoon and Petroglyphs Nearby
Laguna La Junça is near El Colegio and is a destination to visit. A petroglyph site is located in the Vereda Santa Isabel, about three kilometers from El Colegio. The depictions include spiral figures, which legend attributes the meaning “Evolution” to. Thus, a nearby lagoon destination and a site with a traditional interpretation represent different points of interest in the surrounding area.
Festival History in Context
The Festival Internacional de Teatro Callejero was founded in 1999 and became an important part of the cultural identity of the municipality of El Colegio. The last edition took place in 2022; the festival was suspended. Its cultural role and this timeline go together if you are interested in the history of the place.
Cundinamarca in a Wider Context
If you consider Cundinamarca as a broader travel destination beyond El Colegio, Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza offers a distinct regional natural attraction. The park is a refuge for Andean flora and fauna. Páramos are most commonly found in its western part, followed by Andean and high Andean forests. The park has seven hiking trails: De los Sentidos, Suasie, Laguna Seca, Plantas del Camino-Laguna de Chingaza, Lagunas de Siecha, Cuchillas de Siecha, and Lagunas de Buitrago. De los Sentidos is accessible. There is no public transportation to the park; access is only possible in a private or rental vehicle, such as a car, bus, minibus, or van. Check the latest visitor information and directions to the park before traveling.
Another natural attraction in Cundinamarca is the Sistema Lacustre de Chingaza: 4,058 hectares are protected under the Ramsar Convention and listed as wetlands of international importance. Its importance as a habitat for waterbirds is particularly emphasized. The designation was made by Decree No. 233 of 2008.
Catedral de Sal de Zipaquirá is also part of the broader travel destination of Cundinamarca. It is known as “Primera Maravilla de Colombia.” This regional cultural attraction differs from the Festival Internacional de Teatro Callejero, whose cultural identity is tied to the municipality of El Colegio.
Discover more destinations: Cumaca, Guayabal de SĂquima, Tobia, San Francisco, Quebradanegra, La Florida, Briceño, Villeta
For the broader travel overview: Cundinamarca.
