Old, Colonial, beautiful, and quiet. That is what you’ll get if you head to Barichara, Colombia.
We arrived by taxi instead of the local bus. We figured it was going to cost us $4 USD more for a taxi ride, the benefits of travelling with a group of 5.
Itaca
We arrived at a house known as Itaca on Airbnb. Marco’s first reaction, “How much do you think this house costs? Do you think we could buy it?” I’m not in the market for another house right now, but if I were, I would want one like this.
To begin with, there are two bedrooms with double beds and two-day beds as well. We could easily sleep six people here. The first bedroom is in the main house, while the second bedroom is in a separate structure. Our goal was to have the kids sleep in the main house, while Charo and I slept in the other bedroom. If you’ve been following along in the blog you’ll know our sleeping arrangements usually don’t go as planned. A moth flew into the main house which caused Mateo to panic. The new sleeping arrangement, Mateo and I in the second bedroom, while Marco, Daniela and Charo slept in the main house.
The kitchen had everything we needed for a comfortable stay. We made use of the gas stovetop every day to brew fresh coffee using the french press, and to make most of our meals.
From the furniture to the gardens, everything here was tasteful, beautiful and functional.
Our Activities
Exploring Barichara
One of the first things we do when we go to a new town is to find the central square and hang out. Every town has one, and in Central and South America you usually can find a church.
When we first entered the church we noticed this bin with bread in it. Purchased by local families, the bread is distributed to those who cannot afford it in the local community.
Camino Real
After our first night in Barichara, we decided to go for a hike. The Camino Real is a 5-mile trail from Barichara to Guane. We took to the trail just after 7 am and it took us about 2 and a half hours to complete it. The trail itself is pretty easy, as it is paved throughout with stones.
The only difficulty with the trail is the uneven stone. With the exception of Charo, we all wore some sort of closed toe shoes. You just need something so you don’t stub your toe when you’re not looking down at the trail. However, when you do look down on the trail you can possibly find fossils in the rocks like Charo and the kids hunted for.
I, on the otherhand tried to keep my eyes up. Walking down this path gave us some spectacular views.
The only thing that kept us from completing the trip faster was a temper tantrum from Mateo. He slowed to a stop. Complained, and wouldn’t move for the better part of 30 minutes.
While Mateo slowed us down, Marco and Daniela picked up the pace. Often walking so far ahead I couldn’t see them. Lucky for us it was midweek and there were only a few people that passed along the way. As parents, I felt it was pretty safe, especially the two being together.
I highly recommend the walk, in fact, 4 out of 5 of us would. The views were spectacular, and the walk itself was easy. Oh, and I almost forgot, you get to see some animals on the way.
Mateo has a certain charm about him with animals. They seem to seek him out. This goat here wouldn’t let us pass, and then all of a sudden started hugging Mateo! We got Mateo passed him, and the goat was so distracted that we all were able to sneak by one by one.
Guane
Guane is a smaller town than Barichara, but just as beautiful. As we arrived, we crossed paths with a local woman. Charo took the opportunity to ask where the central plaza was. Not only did she give us instructions, but she dropped her bags at a neighbours’ house and gave us a tour of the town.
She walked us through to the central plaza where we stopped for some local frozen ice treats. While the kids were eating and stopping to use the bathroom, Charo and I snuck away to see the church.
I left quickly, in the background I could here Mateo screaming and crying since he couldn’t see us. Even with Marco, he needed the comfort of seeing us. Mateo was having a rough day.
After Charo finished her viewing of the church, our impromptu tour guide took us to an amazing viewpoint on the outskirts of the town.
Once we saw the view, our new friend walked us back to the town square, where we said our goodbyes and waited for the bus to return to Barichara. The bus runs every hour and costs about 1 USD each.
Our Meals
As stated before, whenever there is a kitchen we will make full use of it. Most of our meals were eaten at home. All the kids enjoy it, especially Mateo who is now always trying to help out in the kitchen while we are cooking. As you can tell we really have been enjoying the local fruit, always fresh and sweet. We are also enjoying the local eggs. It is amazing how bright yellow the yolks are when they are fresh.
La Brasa Misifu
We only ventured out to a restaurant once during our time there. It was recommended by locals and was called Misifu. The food was tasty, and it was plentiful. In fact, we only ordered two dishes and shared them amongst the five of us.
Why was this place recommended? They prepared a typical dish that included cabrito (baby goat), Carne ahereada (sun-dried beef), Pepitoria (rice with beef or goat organs). Before we ate this Charo asked if I wanted to know what we were eating. My rule of thumb is, if someone asks me this question before eating, I probably don’t want to know the answer. We both tried the plate and enjoyed everything except the pepitoria. Otherwise, everything was delicious. I’m glad we tried the food, but it wasn’t our thing and won’t be going back.
Raspaderia Barbara
For dessert, we went through town looking for something typical. We tried different bakeries and found most of the baked goods too dry for our liking. The one thing we did find and enjoy was the Raspados from a little cafe called Barbara.
While it was refreshing and tasty, I settled for a vanilla ice coffee and it really hit the spot.
We all recommend Barbara. In fact, we all wanted to order crepes there as well, but too many sweets in one sitting and we’d be paying for it.
We had a wonderful time in Barichara. If you want to go somewhere to just unwind with some peace and quiet, this would be the place.
Thanks for reading and happy adventuring.
Next stop: Sierra San Juan Ecolodge, Bonda
Last Stop: Two nights in Villa de Leyva
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