What to Do in Barichara: A Complete Travel Guide

Barichara is a small colonial town in the Santander department of northeastern Colombia, set on a plateau above the Chicamocha Canyon. Known for its cobblestone streets, whitewashed buildings, and calm, almost suspended-in-time atmosphere, it’s often described as one of the most beautiful villages in the country. Beyond its historic core, the surrounding area offers dry landscapes, deep canyons, and some of the region’s most rewarding hikes and day trips.

Steep cobblestone street in Barichara with whitewashed colonial houses, red-tile roofs, and valley views beyond — Barichara’s hillside streets open out to wide views over the surrounding countryside

We spent three days in Barichara, which felt like the right amount of time to explore the town itself while also venturing out into the wider region. In this guide, you’ll find an overview of what to see inside Barichara, the best hikes and nearby excursions, practical activity options, where to stay and eat, and some of my video and photo material for a more visual sense of the place.

Aerial view of Barichara’s red-tiled colonial houses on a ridge above a steep green canyon — Aerial view of Barichara

Contents

What to See inside Barichara
Hikes & Day Trips
Activities
Accommodation
Eat & Drink
Video
Photos

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What to See inside Barichara

Barichara was founded in the early 18th century and developed along a steep mountain ridge, climbing gradually from south to north above the Suárez Canyon. Its layout follows the terrain rather than a strict grid, with streets rising and falling sharply and opening onto wide views in multiple directions. The town’s architecture is defined by stone-built houses, whitewashed facades, clay-tile roofs, and a network of cobbled paths bordered by unusually high, narrow pavements—so tall in places that you often have to jump down to street level.

A man in a straw hat walks down a cobblestone street in Barichara, with colorful buildings and distant hills in the background. — Casual street in Barichara

Despite its preserved, almost museum-like appearance, Barichara feels lived-in and relaxed. Well-kept gardens filled with peculiar cacti and bursts of colorful flowers soften the stone-heavy setting, while the streets carry an easy mix of local life and international visitors. In the evenings, church facades are often lit with warm, festive lights, reinforcing the town’s calm, welcoming atmosphere rather than turning it into a spectacle.

Orange cat lounging on a stone wall with layered mountain views at sunset in Barichara, Colombia — Barichara’s best lookout had a very relaxed supervisor

Central Park – 📍map

Barichara’s Central Park (Parque Principal De Barichara) functions as the town’s social core and has done so since its colonial founding, following the Spanish model of organizing civic life around a main square. Lined with tall, mature trees that provide generous shade throughout the day, it’s one of the few places in town where the steep terrain briefly levels out. Benches circle the park and are almost always occupied, whether by locals chatting, elderly residents resting in the shade, or visitors taking a break between walks.

Shaded central park in Barichara with a stone fountain, tall trees, and people walking and sitting on benches — Barichara’s main square, a calm place to pause between walks

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception – 📍map

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Iglesia La Inmaculada Concepción) dominates the main square with its solid stone facade and restrained colonial lines, typical of Barichara’s sober religious architecture. Built in the 18th century, it anchors the town both visually and socially, drawing a steady flow of people throughout the day. One evening, we happened to pass by during a choir rehearsal, and it was worth lingering inside to listen.

Barichara's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception lit up at night in the main square, with visitors standing on the steps — The cathedral turns the main square into a glowing nighttime landmark

Inside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Barichara, people sit and stand along the aisle during a service or rehearsal — Listening to the cathedral choir

Jesus Chapel & Cemetery – 📍map

The Jesus Chapel (Capilla de Jesús) and its cemetery lie two blocks west of the main square. The small stone chapel is austere and compact, while the adjacent cemetery is laid out along the slope with tombs built from yellowish stone, many of them decorated with statues and simple sculptural details. The combination of muted colors, sparse ornamentation, and open views toward the surrounding countryside makes this one of Barichara’s most subdued and reflective spots.

Stone jesus chapel in Barichara with a bell tower, surrounded by trees and a small garden — Capilla de Jesús

Barichara cemetery with stone tombs, crosses, and a central path under tall trees and a blue sky — Barichara’s reflective cemetery

San Antonio Chapel – 📍map

San Antonio Chapel (Capilla de San Antonio) sits in the southern part of town. Built in the late 18th century, it combines whitewashed upper walls with a stone base and arched entrance, a restrained variation of the town’s colonial style.

San Antonio Chapel in Barichara, with whitewashed walls, a stone base, arched doorway, and bell tower against a blue sky — A restrained colonial chapel

Santa Barbara Chapel – 📍map

Santa Bárbara Chapel (Capilla de Santa Bárbara) sits at the upper edge of Barichara and is among the town’s oldest religious buildings, dating to the late 17th or early 18th century. Built from yellowish local stone, its simple, vertically proportioned facade remains largely original, while the restored interior contains a carved wooden altarpiece with symbolic details. Set beside a small park with a large ceiba tree, the chapel offers wide views and has long served as a quiet focal point for both religious and community life.

Santa Bárbara Chapel in Barichara, a stone colonial church with a bell tower and steps in front — Santa Bárbara Chapel, one of Barichara’s oldest stone landmarks

Jorge Delgado Sierra Arts Park – 📍map

Jorge Delgado Sierra Arts Park (Parque de las Artes Jorge Delgado Sierra) is a small cultural space dedicated to one of Barichara’s most influential local artists and promoters of the town’s artistic identity. Set among stone paths and greenery, the park features sculptures and installations that blend naturally with the surrounding landscape rather than standing apart from it. It’s a quiet, low-key stop that reflects Barichara’s long-standing connection to craftsmanship and the arts, and it works well as a brief pause while walking between the town’s historic landmarks.

Stone sculpture set in a circular planter at Barichara's Jorge Delgado Sierra Arts Park — Some sculptures invite… interpretation

Móncora Biopark – 📍map

Móncora Biopark (Bioparque Móncora) lies at the upper edge of Barichara and works primarily as a natural lookout rather than a traditional park. The area offers open space, native vegetation, and elevated viewpoints from which you can see much of the town spread out below along the ridge. It’s also a good spot for birdwatching, with various local species visible throughout the day, and works well as a quiet walk if you want views and fresh air away from the historic center.

Woman with a backpack looking out over a small wetland at Móncora Biopark near Barichara, Santander — Lily pond at Móncora Biopark

Simón Bolívar Monument – 📍map

The Simón Bolívar Monument (Monumento a Simón Bolívar) is a modest tribute rather than a grand landmark, consisting of a small statue set along Barichara’s cliffside street. It’s easy to miss at first glance, but an adjacent artwork depicting a man taking a siesta with a sombrero pulled over his face gives the spot a more playful, local character. The contrast between the formal historical reference and the informal artwork fits well with Barichara’s relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere.

Small Simón Bolívar monument on a stone pedestal, with a white colonial building and tiled roof behind it in Barichara — The most sculpted man in Colombia

A traveler leans in to inspect a playful siesta sculpture beside a white wall in Barichara, Santander, Colombia — Barichara’s siesta man

Calicanto Bridge – 📍map

Calicanto Bridge (Puente de Calicanto) is a historic stone bridge located at the south end of Barichara. Built during the colonial period using traditional calicanto construction—a mixture of stone and lime—it reflects the engineering techniques used to connect settlements across rugged terrain. Today, it functions more as a symbolic threshold than a destination in itself, signaling the transition from town streets to historic footpaths and countryside beyond.

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Hikes & Day Trips

Barichara is not only rewarding to explore on foot but also serves as an excellent base for hikes and short excursions into the surrounding countryside. From historic stone paths connecting neighboring villages to canyons, waterfalls, and high plateaus, the landscape around town is varied and surprisingly rugged. The options below range from easy half-day walks to longer outings that work better as full-day trips or overnight detours, depending on your pace and interests.

👉 View hiking tours in Barichara

Camino Real

The Camino Real is the most popular and historically significant hike starting from Barichara, forming part of a wider network of stone paths that once connected villages across the region. Originally built for colonial-era transport on foot and by mule, these routes linked Barichara with settlements such as Guane, Villanueva, and others further afield. Today, the best-known section leads downhill to Guane, following a well-preserved cobbled trail through dry countryside. We did this route as a longer day hike, continuing past Guane all the way to Villanueva, which gives a broader sense of how the Camino Real functioned as a connected system rather than a single isolated path.

Chicamocha Canyon

Chicamocha Canyon is one of Colombia’s largest and most dramatic natural landmarks, cutting deep through the arid landscape west of Barichara. While it’s often visited as a day trip from the town, we experienced it separately on a motorbike journey from Bucaramanga, which gave a better sense of its scale and changing scenery. The canyon stretches for hundreds of kilometers, with stark contrasts between dry slopes, riverbeds, and cultivated pockets along the way, making it less about a single viewpoint and more about the journey through it.

Juan Curi Waterfall

Juan Curi Waterfall is one of the region’s most popular nature stops, located near San Gil and reached via a short walk through cultivated countryside. The waterfall drops into a wide pool surrounded by greenery and is often combined with light adventure activities such as swimming or canyoning. If you’re not riding your own motorbike or car, it’s easiest to visit as part of an organized tour from Barichara or San Gil, which typically includes transport and access to the site, with minimal logistical hassle.

Los Santos Plateau

Los Santos Plateau is a high, open landscape overlooking Chicamocha Canyon, characterized by dry terrain, scattered farms, and long, exposed viewpoints. We visited it as part of the same motorbike trip from Bucaramanga that included the canyon, which made sense geographically and gave a good sense of how the plateau and canyon relate to each other. Rather than a single highlight, the appeal here lies in the ride itself, the wide horizons, and the gradual transition from cultivated land to dramatic drop-offs.

Street view in Los Santos, Santander, with whitewashed buildings, a bakery storefront, and people sitting along the sidewalk — The town of Los Santos

Zapatoca

Zapatoca is a small mountain town north of Barichara, known for its cooler climate and more subdued, local feel. Set at a higher elevation and surrounded by pine-covered hills, it offers a clear contrast to Barichara’s drier landscape and stone-heavy architecture. It works best as a relaxed overnight stop rather than a rushed day trip, especially if you want a quieter base, short walks in the surrounding countryside, and a break from the busier tourist circuit.

Activities

While Barichara itself is slow-paced, the surrounding area offers several activity-based experiences that go beyond walking and sightseeing. Most of these are easiest to arrange through local operators or as half-day tours from Barichara or nearby San Gil, especially if you don’t have your own transport.

Paragliding

The cliffs and open terrain around Barichara and the Chicamocha region make this one of the most scenic places in Santander to paraglide. Flights usually take off from launch points outside town and depend heavily on weather conditions, with clear days offering wide views over canyons and plateaus. Most visitors experience this as a tandem flight with a certified pilot, which can be arranged in advance through local operators.

ATV Tours

ATV tours are a practical way to explore the rural surroundings of Barichara without committing to long hikes. Routes typically follow dirt roads and farm tracks, passing through dry landscapes and occasional viewpoints that are otherwise hard to reach on foot. These outings run on fixed circuits and are guided, and you can get an overview of options by checking available ATV tours around Barichara. It’s also possible to rent an ATV and drive on your own—we tried—but their prices for that were outright ludicrous at €30 per hour.

Coffee & Tobacco Tours

The countryside around Barichara has a long tradition of small-scale coffee and tobacco production, and visiting a local finca offers insight into both processes. Tours usually cover cultivation and processing methods and often include tastings, making them more educational than activity-driven. These visits are easy to organize either locally or through pre-arranged coffee and tobacco tours in the Barichara area.

Arts & Crafts Workshops

Barichara has a strong tradition of craftsmanship, particularly in stone carving, ceramics, and handmade paper. Short workshops and studio visits allow you to see these techniques up close and, in some cases, take part yourself. These experiences are usually small-scale and locally run, but some can also be booked in advance through arts and crafts workshops in Barichara.

Accommodation

Barichara has a good range of small guesthouses and boutique-style stays, most of them set in restored colonial houses rather than large hotels. We stayed at a lovely traditional house at the quiet southern end of town, well away from traffic and crowds. The rooms were neat and comfortable, some with small balconies, and the house itself featured a pleasant inner garden and a well-equipped shared kitchen. The staff were friendly and helpful, and a good breakfast was available on request. Overall, it was an excellent choice if you’re budget-conscious but still want character and comfort.

A cozy guesthouse courtyard in Barichara with green cushioned seating, potted plants, and whitewashed walls — Cozy courtyard of our guesthouse

If you want a deeper breakdown, check out my in-depth guide on where to stay in Barichara, or explore current options directly using the accommodation widget below.

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Eat & Drink

Barichara’s food scene is small but varied, with most places clustered around the main square or along the ridge. Options lean toward casual dining, cafés, and scenic spots for drinks rather than formal restaurants. Below are a few places we tried and liked, each for different reasons.

Drinks on a terrace in Independencia restaurant in Barichara at sunset, with beer and a mountain view over the canyon — Sunset beer at Independencia

Terraza Lengerke Gastrobar — German beers and sausage-based dishes right by the main square; welcoming atmosphere, with Philip—a friendly German guy working there—often around for a chat.
Casa Grande — Delicious ice cream spot next door to Terraza Lengerke.
Independencia — Best timed for sunset drinks or dinner, with open views over the gorge.
Restaurante La Esquina — Simple French-style crêpes and waffles, sweet and savory.
Café Forestal — Coffee and brunch in a quiet, stylish inner courtyard away from the busiest streets.

What to Do in Barichara: A Complete Travel Guide