From Bogotá to Villa de Leyva by Bus

After three eventful days in Bogotá, it was time to launch our Colombian journey. Our first destination was the historic town of Villa de Leyva, located about 170 km north of the capital. Based on the distance, I’d expected a quicker trip. But in the end, it took a solid four hours.

The buses from Villa de Leyva to Bogotá depart from either of two stations:

The Salitre Terminal (📍map)
or Terminal Satélite del Norte (📍map)

Bustling interior of Bogotá's Salitre Bus Terminal — In the Salitre Terminal of Bogotá

If you’re staying anywhere in central Bogotá, you should go to the first one. From our homey, economical guesthouse in La Candelaria, we paid 17,000 COP for an inDrive taxi to reach the terminal. Ubers were coming in at 27,000.

Multiple companies run routes from Bogotá to Villa de Leyva, with tickets typically ranging from 40,000 to 55,000 COP. You can buy them on the spot at the terminal or online through various aggregator sites. Prices may be slightly lower if you buy in person, but for peace of mind and a guaranteed seat, we booked one at 11:00 a.m. for 49,000 COP with Valle de Tenza through this site.

Valle de Tenza buses depart from section 3 (marked in red) at Salitre Terminal. The signage left much to be desired—there was no departure board at all, and the gates were tucked away behind the ticket counters. Once we found the right one, we were made to wait in a tiny, cell-like pre-departure hall, not allowed out onto the platform. Eventually, we boarded and set off with a short delay.

Once out of Bogotá, the bus followed the northern highway through the sprawling outskirts of the capital before climbing into greener, more rural terrain. The urban sprawl gradually gave way to farmland, small towns, and rolling hills, with occasional slowdowns as traffic funneled through narrower sections of road. After Tunja, the landscape became noticeably more open and pastoral, signaling the approach to Boyacá’s high plateau. The final stretch wound gently through countryside dotted with fields and low mountains before dropping into Villa de Leyva.

We arrived at 15:40 and checked straight into our lovely vacation rental before heading out to explore this timeless town.

Two glasses of beer and a bottle of Águila on a wooden table, with twinkling lights of Villa de Leyva in the background. — Enjoying an águila over Plaza Mayor

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Accommodation & Activities in Villa de Leyva

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