Barichara: the stone borgo where Colombia learned the art of slowness

Barichara is a village of 7,000 inhabitants in the department of Santander, in northeastern Colombia. The houses are built in tapia pisada — rammed earth — and the streets are paved with stones from the Chicamocha canyon. There are no chain shops, no nightclubs, no tower blocks. There is only stone, silence and a light that turns orange at sunset.

The Camino Real

The Camino Real is a pre-Columbian stone path connecting Barichara to Guane, a village of a hundred inhabitants 5.5 kilometres away. It takes just over an hour to walk, descending among cacti, tropical plants and goats grazing on the edge of the trail. Guane has a square, a church, a fossil museum and a tavern where you eat fresh cheese and hormigas culonas (large-bottomed ants, fried and salted — the local speciality).

The workshops and crafts

Barichara is a city of artisans. The Fundación Escuela Taller works stone and fique (plant fibre) using traditional techniques. The Papel Artesanal papermill produces sheets embedded with flowers and local fibres. Pottery workshops along the calle principal display one-of-a-kind pieces. This is a place where buying something makes sense — because the objects carry a story.

The Chicamocha canyon

45 minutes from Barichara, the Chicamocha Canyon plunges 2,000 metres deep — twice the depth of the Grand Canyon. The cable car crossing it (6.3 km, 25 minutes) is one of the longest in Colombia. But the most authentic way to experience it is from the edge of the path descending toward the Suárez river, where eagles soar below you.

Practical information

From Bucaramanga (airport): 3.5 hours by bus via San Gil. From Bogotá: flight to Bucaramanga (1 hour) + bus. Colonial guesthouses in the centre cost 20–40 euros a night. Ideal period: December–March and June–August (dry). Local cuisine is simple and flavourful: carne oreada (sun-dried meat), mute (grain soup), cabro (kid goat).