Bogotá: Coffee Brews & Mountain Views

There’s a word people associate with Colombia which begins with C. And it’s not coffee.

Some can’t get enough of the stuff, and others are disgusted by the idea.

Cheese + Chocolate = Chocolate Santafereño

That’s right. Colombians put cheese in their hot chocolate. Why? What were you thinking? 😇

I’m vegetarian, so I conveniently get out of trying many “strange” national dishes. 🤭 But this I had to try!

So let’s start there!

I arrived in Bogotá city centre about 06:00. I, of course, have heard of Colombia’s reputation, but figured I’d be fine to start wandering early morning while the locals were commuting. I was climbing out of the taxi when the driver suddenly called me back in. He didn’t speak English so he talked into Google Translate:

“Please be careful. I am concerned.”

Aw crap. That didn’t make me feel better at all… bless him. He’d dropped me off at the main square, Plaza de Bolívar, my idea. That’s where the cathedral is, and more space/less people. It was beginning to get crowded though, and nothing was open yet, so I decided the first place I’d go is up Bogotá’s mountain, Montserrate. I could relax up there, maybe with a cheesy cocoa.

Mount Monserrate

Monserrate is over 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) high, and it’s a steep hike up. If you’re coming up from the city centre, you can walk along Carrera Séptima and go up Calle 21 or 22 to reach Avenida Circunvalar.

The other option is to take the funicular. As of 2025, one way is $19,000 pesos (€4) or return $32,000 (€6.85). It’s well worth the money, because it’s steep, it’s humid, it’s hard. There’s a reason so many local women are selling Gatorade all the way up. 😂

There’s a church, a Bogotá sign to pose with, and, beautiful views. On the way down you’ll have the chance to look at a few market stalls, and little cafe spots. The views are unreal from some of these places. I found a really cute one which made me feel like I was in the middle of a rainforest, and sat there with my Chocolate Santafereño feeling very chuffed with myself. This was the start of my solo month around South America!

Plaza de Bolívar

I headed back to Bolívar Square, past all of the police with their dogs and guns – these guys are on most corners, and coming from Europe, it’s a bit uncomfortable and strange – but I did feel like I was less likely to be mugged, so that was nice. The place had come to life! There were llamas and tourist markets. I felt better knowing I wasn’t the only traveller in the city! 😅

One last thing I will say though, is I had a lot of hassle trying to get back to El Dorado Airport. I don’t speak any Spanish, and nobody could/would help me. I went to the bus station, asked the at the ticket office, asked the police, asked in hotels. I then decided I’d just hop in a taxi. I am not exaggerating when I said I asked 20 different cabs if they could take me to the airport. El Dorado. Aeropuerto. I mimed a plane taking off. Nobody seemed to understand me. I had the local currency, pesos. I had Visa. I was close to tears, how on EARTH was I gonna do this?! One driver took pity on me, or so I thought – turns out he didn’t understand either…

Until he asked if I had American Dollars, and I was on my way… 😑😑😑