Stone streets
White houses.
Kamilokardona — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kamilokardona — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Racso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · TatiMile — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Petruss — CC BY-SA 4.0
A small colonial town on a plateau above the Suárez River valley, often called «the most beautiful town in Colombia» and protected as a national monument. Its streets are paved with local yellow stone, and its houses are bright white adobe with green and blue wooden doors and windows and tiled roofs. You wander among quiet houses, small gardens and workshops where craftsmen carve the local sandstone, to the «Mirador» lookout on the plateau's edge, where the deep valley and mountains stretch to the horizon and sunsets are magical. The classic thing to do is walk the «Camino Real», an old stone path from Spanish times that descends from Barichara through hills and pastures about nine kilometres to the little village of Guane, in two to three hours, returning by bus. The town is calm and sunny, and the sun is strong on the trail, so start walking in the morning and carry water. A night here lets you enjoy its evening quiet.
White houses.
To Guane.
Valley sunset.
About 22 km north-west of San Gil, Santander department
The stone path starts at the town's edge and descends about nine kilometres to Guane in two to three hours, returning by bus. Start in the morning and carry water.