Colombia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 509

ACCOMMODATION
Balmoral Corner C 21 & Cra 35 T 7 630 4663. Lacking in
style, but has very cheap double rooms which are clean,
secure and have private bath and TV. Many also have
fridges, and there's internet and a restaurant serving chea p
breakfasts and lunches on the ground floor. COP$40,000
Ì Kasa Guane C 49 No. 28-21 T 7 657 6960, W kasa
guane.com. The backpacker hostel that Bucaramanga
desperately needed, Kasa Guane has airy dorms, basic
doubles, a good communal kitchen, TV area, hammocks,
a pool table, free wi-fi and enthusiastic staff happy to share
with you the wonders of the surrounding area, including
hikes in the nearby mountains. The top-floor bar is great
if you want to socialize. Its sister hostel, Nest , perched on
a hilltop, is more expensive, but th ere's no bette r base if
paragliding is your passion. Dorms COP$21,000 , doubles
COP$50,000

eighteenth-century capilla de las Nieves
on the tiny namesake square.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By bus Buses from Bucaramanga drop you off on the corner
of Cra 26 and C 32 and pick you up from C 29 and Cra 26.
By taxi A taxi from Bucaramanga's bus terminal to Girón
costs COP$12,000; from the airport it's around COP$24,000.

5

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Girón Chill Out Cra 25 No. 32-06 T 7 646 1119, W www
.gironchillout .com. The Italian-run hotels offers cosy rooms.
COP$90,000
Restaurante Balcón Real de Girón Plazuela de Las
Nieves. A good place for people-watching over big portions
of local dishes (goat with yucca COP$20,000) or a cold beer.

PARQUE NACIONAL EL COCUY
Rising to a high point of 5330m above sea
level, and taking in 32 glacial lakes and
22 snowcapped peaks on the way,
PARQUE NACIONAL EL COCUY (entrance
for foreigners COP$34,000) is a hiker's
dream come true. Tourism is increasing
but, for now at least, you can hike for a
week surrounded by natural splendours
with little contact with other people. Be
prepared for any climatic conditions and
be aware that at night it gets bitterly cold,
so pack plenty of warm gear and a
four-season sleeping bag (you can rent
sleeping bags from tour companies, but
they may not be as warm as you need).
Pack reasonably light, as you'll be carrying
your own gear for much of the trek. By
far the best weather is from December to
February, when the park is at its busiest.
The starting points for any trip to the
park are the towns of El Cocuy and Güicán .

EATING AND DRINKING
Keep an eye out for regional specialities such as cabra (goat).
You'll find a proliferation of bars near Parque Las Palmas.
Govinda Cra 20 No. 51-95. Cheap-as-chips Hare Krishna
spot, offering good-value set vegetarian meals, with a
daily main and side dishes costing you no more than
COP$6500. Mon-Sat 8am-3pm.
Guru Food & Drink Cra 29 No. 42-44. Decor consists of
fairy lights and rock posters, the menu is a mishmash of
Tex-Mex, Thai and Colombian dishes, and the waiting
staff live on Zen time, but the food ain't bad. Steer clear
of anything that sounds too ambitious, though. Mains
COP$15,000. Mon-Sat 2.30-11pm.
Rio Palma Cra 29 at C 48. An extremely popular two-
storey bar with live music upstairs at weekends and
canned tunes the rest of the week. Full of lively groups
swigging beer from early in the evening. Open until 2am.
El Viejo Chiflas Cra 33 at C 34. Comida típica including
cabro en salsa (goat in sauce; COP$20,000) and nibbles
such as chorizo or papas criollos (COP$5500). Open 24hr,
so perfect for night owls.

GIRÓN
With its whitewashed colonial buildings,
leafy main square, stone bridges and
elegant churches, pretty GIRÓN makes
for a great day-trip from nearby
Bucaramanga, and is particularly
worthwhile for those who don't have time
to visit other colonial gems like Villa de
Leyva and Barichara. The pace of life here
is extremely relaxed, and the narrow
cobbled streets are perfect for a wander.
Keep an eye out for the main Catedral del
Señor de los Milagros and the attractive

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
You can do day-long forays into the park
from the gateway villages, or from a few
mountain cabañas inside the park itself
that can be used as bases for day walks,
or as a place to acclimatize to the altitude
before embarking on a longer hike.
Cabañas Sisuma ( T 311 557 7893;
COP$35,000 per person), near Las
Lagunillas at the south end of the park,
is a good base for walks to the beautiful
Laguna de la Plaza , a beautifully situated
glacial lake, and El Pulpito del Diablo