Villa de Leyva Trips & Tours

Villa de Leyva Trips & Tours

A historic time capsule in the less-visited Colombian heartlands.

Colombia’s unspoilt interior is beautiful. Criss-crossed by rivers that carve valleys through the Andean mountains and studded with fertile farmland and verdant greenery, the area is renowned for its produce and traditional crafts. It’s also home to a string of colonial settlements that are both an architectural feast for the eyes and a taste of the tranquil Colombian lifestyle. Enter Villa de Leyva, a historic, white-washed town founded in 1572 by Hernán Suárez de Villalobos and perfectly-preserved in its own time capsule. Visit the spectacular (and largest) plaza in South America – the perfect setting for a spot of people-watching and perhaps an impromptu llama parade if you’re lucky – the pretty terracotta house, the largest piece of pottery in the world, and the Fossil Museum to gawk at a real-deal kronosaurus. The town is also an excellent base from which to visit the Iguaque National Sanctuary, a mystical, mist-shrouded landscape revered by the Muisca Indians.