The hike to Monserrate is one of the truly unique things to do in Bogotá – and it’s easy to do solo. From the top of the Monserrate mountain (3152 m) you can enjoy amazing views of Bogotá, its skyline and its surrounding Andean landscape. The beautiful hiking trail is flanked by lush green vegetation and provides stunning views all along the way.
The trail up to mount Monserrate is 2,35km long and well maintained, ascending over 500m in elevation from the starting point. The Monserrate hike takes about 1,5h uphill and 1h downhill, if you take it slowly. If you don’t want to go both up and down by foot, you may choose to use the cable car or teleferic instead.
Monserrate is an ideal solo hike, also because you won’t be able to talk much on your way up anyway, unless you are extremely fit. It’s really steep! The effort is totally worth it but I wouldn’t recommend to do the hike directly after arriving to Colombia when your body is still getting used to Bogota’s height (and is maybe recovering from the jet lag). Just give yourself a bit of time.
Photo by Travelhapp: View of Bogotá from Monserrate
Entrance to the mount Monserrate trail is free and opening hours are usually from 5:00 am to 1:00 pm each day. It gets quite crowded on weekends and during public holidays, though!
A good moment to hike up to Monserrate is around 8 AM on weekdays. There are enough people around to feel comfortable but now crowds.
Please check opening hours before you go, as the trail can get closed during times of extreme weather conditions (extreme heat and dryness or heavy rain). Read more about the weather and climate in Bogotá in my article about Things do to in Bogotá (towards the end of the article).
Photo by Travelhapp: Hike to Monserrate in Bogota. early morning views
The hike to Monserrate starts at the northeastern edge of Bogota’s historical center, La Candelaria, close to the museum Quinta de Bolívar. View on Google Maps
The starting point for the Monserrate hike, as well as the cable car and teleferic station, is very easy to reach by public Transport. Check how to get to Ac20 – Kr1 and the starting point of Sendero a Monserrate with your preferred app/website (for example Google Maps, Moovit).
Cost per kilometer in taxi is around 1.000 COP with a minimum fare of around 6.000 COP. There is usually not a huge price difference between taxi and other services (Uber, Didi, etc.)
Monserrate is a great destination for a solo hike. In the mornings you won’t feel alone on the trail. There are lots of locals and visitors enjoying the views or exercising. The entrance is controlled by security staff and there are several food and drink stalls along the way.
Photo by Travelhapp: Monserrate Hiking Trail – close to the summit
Photo by Travelhapp: Monserrate Hiking Trail
While being a Christian pilgrimage site since the 17th century, when the monastery was built, Monserrate was already an important astronomical and spiritual site during pre-Columbian times.
The native Muisca people of the Bogotá savannah called it “Cerro de Las Nieves” (Hill of Snow) due to the frequent cloud cover. They used Monserrate as a marker in their solar calendar, which heavily influenced Bogotá’s urban design. During the summer solstice and equinoxes, rays from Monserrate align with key points in Bogotá’s Plaza de Bolívar. The sun’s beams form a path from the Plaza’s northeastern corner to the Archbishop’s Palace and Palacio de Liévano, creating an elliptical shape.
A popular legend in Bogotá says that couples who visit Monserrate together end up breaking up or never marrying. Some claim that if a couple is meant to be together, a visit to Monserrate will strengthen their bond, but if they’re not the right match, the relationship will end.
So, if you met someone nice while traveling solo, think twice before hiking to Monserrate together, at least if you believe in legends! (I visited before getting married – we are still married after 2 years…)
Monserrate is definitely the most popular view point in Bogotá and the safest and easiest to reach by hiking.
If you are interested in lesser-known and off-the-beaten-path view points, Cerro de Guadalupe and the Miradores of Via La Calera are great alternatives. However they are both not very suitable for hiking, Guadalupe because of safety reasons (thefts on the road uphill) and Via La Calera because of the traffic since there is no dedicated pedestrian path. Actually, I did walk from the second Mirador in Via La Calera towards La Septima in Chapinero several times, and the best moment for this is during a traffic jam: you can overtake the cars by foot (earning some envy from the drivers) and enjoy the peace and the views.
The hill of Guadalupe hosts a sanctuary at 3,317 meters above sea level and offers equally stunning views of Bogota as does Monserrate, yet from a different angle. You can spot the sanctuary of Guadalupe from the Monserrate hill.
The most comfortable way to get to Guadalupe hill is convincing a taxi or Uber (and similar) driver to take you there and wait for you until you are ready to go back. On Sundays, you could also take public transport to the Tercer Milenio Transmilenio station and catch a nearby collective taxi. However you have to be very careful with your belongings around Tercer Milenio. (Have a look at my Colombia Safety Tips). Guadalupe is less busy on Sundays compared to Monserrate – except for the first Sunday of the month.
Photo by Travelhapp: View of Guadalupe from Monserrate
The view points of Via la Calera are very easy to access by public transport. You can catch a bus in Calle 72 # Carrera 11, opposite of the Avenida Chile shopping mall (see Google Maps), including the SITP city lines T06 (La Sureña) and A002 (San Luis). More comfortable and equally cheap are the small buses headed to the villages of La Calera or Guasca. You can hail them on the street and let the driver know that you want to get off at the “Segundo Mirador” (view on Google Maps).
I used to live in Via La Calera and the views from there are simply amazing, especially at sunset. The only downside is that the road can be quite jammed when you want to get back to downtown Bogotá after the sunset. Take it easy and admire the lights of Bogota while drifting downhill by bus.
Photo by Travelhapp: Via La Calera at Sunset Time
Last Update: November 26, 2024
