8 Best Sights in Boyacá, Colombia

A block north of Plaza Mayor is the small grassy park of the Convento de las Carmelitas, a cloistered convent with an impressive 17th-century church.

The Desierto de la Candelaria, 7 km (4 miles) east of Villa de Leyva, is covered with marine fossils left behind when the ancient sea that once covered the area receded. The most impressive is El Fósil, a 30-foot skeleton of a kronosaurus housed in a small museum. This ancient ancestor of the dolphin swam the seas in the Mesozoic era, long before the Andes pushed their way out of the ocean. In the middle of the Desierto de la Candelaria is El Infiernillo (literally "little hell"), a field of phallic statues dedicated to long-lost fertility rites. The best way to find these sights is by bicycle or on horseback; you can find horses and guides in a field three blocks north of the northwest corner of the Plaza Mayor. Several companies offer tours in air-conditioned vans and do a complete circuit of all the sights, and some itineraries even include the nearby winery.

Across from the Convento de las Carmelitas is the Museo de Arte Religioso de Las Carmelitas, better known simply as El Museo del Carmen. Here you'll find a large selection of religious art from the first centuries of Spanish rule.

The town of Ráquira, 25 km (16 miles) southwest of Villa de Leyva, is famous for its ceramics, sold in shops along the main square. In contrast with the whitewashed buildings of Villa de Leyva, Ráquira is bursting with color. A taxi from Villa de Layva will cost around 70,000 pesos.

This national wildlife sanctuary lies 15 km (9 miles) north of Villa de Leyva. There are seven glacial lakes, scattered at altitudes ranging between 7,500 feet and 12,000 feet, but the centerpiece is the Laguna de Iguaque, which the Muiscas believed was the source of all life; it's still a commonly held belief. Hiking the 8 km (5 mile) trail, which winds its way uphill through cloud forest, isn't easy. Wear practical boots, and be prepared for cold and rainy weather, as the temperature can fall to near freezing. It's worth it when you reach the páramo, a climatic zone with a unique plant system. Here you'll find unusual flora such as the ubiquitous frailejón (literally, "big friar"), a gray felt-leaf plant from the Espletia family. At the trailhead are cabins and a cafeteria.