Zipaquirá & Nemecón Salt Mines Day-Trip, Bogotá

A mere 50 minutes north of Bogotá lies the town of Zipaquirá, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. While certainly a charming colonial town, Zipaquirá is a must-visit Colombian destination for one single landmark: the Salt Cathedral, located just outside of town. This is indeed a church made out of salt, as it was constructed in the tunnels of a salt mine in the 1930s so the working miners had a place to worship. The salt mine has been shut down since 1992 and has been a tourist site ever since. 

A tour of the mine takes visitors some 200 meters (656 feet) into a rock-salt mountain. Here there are 14 "stations of the cross"—small chapels carved out of walls that signifies Christ's last journey. The cathedral also boasts a dome and three naves.

This day trip also includes a visit to the Nemocón Salt Mine, 30 minutes outside of Zipaquirá. There, 80 meters (262 feet) underground, are a collection of immaculately preserved tunnels where eight million tons of salt were extracted between 1816 and 1968. Atmospheric lighting effects with the help of mirrors turn these tunnels into an exciting subterranean excursion.