The Tourist Train

Have you ever been on the Wilmington & Western Railroad in Delaware? Well today we went on the Colombian version of that train ride, from Bogota out to Zipaquira.

Called the Tren Turistico, this old-fashioned steam engine (today ours was diesel powered) makes the three-hour journey from Sabana station in Bogota (maxing out at about 17km per hour) on the weekends. Though called the tourist train, the majority of passengers on the train were Colombian families & couples out enjoying the leisurely Sunday morning ride.

The train ends up in Zipaquira, which is best known for its underground salt cathedral featuring the stations of the cross carved into the salt of the former mine. While the salt cathedral is pretty incredible, the journey getting there might be the highlight of the day trip.

The Salt Cathedral
From the tamales and hot chocolate sold on the train, to the live music from a five-piece band that moves from car to car, the Tren Turistico is more than just a means of transportation, but really is a case where getting there is more than half of the fun. Everyone outside stops and waves as the red train rattles through Bogota, also stopping in Usaquen, and then heads out into the country, winding past fields of cattle and horses with the mountains in the distance. Being about six-hours round trip, the train is definitely not the quickest way to get out to see the salt cathedral, but from our experience is guaranteed to be the most unique.

The band during Steve's ill-advised attempt at a nap
Tomorrow, we take a bike tour of the city in the morning and then fly out to Armenia for our stay in Salento in the Zona Cafeteria (or coffee region). As long as we have internet, we’ll post back soon!