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Ten powerful reasons to go to Paipa

This city is celebrating 422 years of history and it is worth mentioning the aspects that make it unique. The attractions of the 'tourist capital' range from its varied gastronomy to its transcendental role in the history of Colombia. These are the ten factors that make visitors fall in love with the city.

Just as Colombia has a strategic location in the American continent, Paipa could not be better located for those who want to visit it.

Located in northwestern Boyacá, 180 kilometers from Bogotá and 40 from Tunja, it can be said that all roads lead to Paipa.
Paipa is known for the monument to the 14 Lanceros del Pantano de Vargas, the Sochagota Lake, the almojábanas and pandeyucas, its Music Band Festival, the Hacienda El Salitre, its thermal-mineral waters, its handicrafts...

These are ten powerful reasons to visit and get to know Paipa:

  1. Monument to the 14 Lancers. It is located on the site where the battle of Pantano de Vargas took place, in the jurisdiction of the municipality of Paipa. The work built in 1969 by sculptor Rodrigo Arenas Betancur is considered the largest in Colombia. Guillermo González Zuleta was in charge of the structural design. It highlights the charge of the 14 lancers commanded by Colonel Juan José Rondón. The monument of 33 meters high was erected on the occasion of the sesquicentennial (150 years) of independence in 1969.
    He was declared a National Monument by decree 1744 of September 1, 1975.2 His figure was featured on the back of a series of 1,000 Colombian peso banknotes launched in 1987.
  2. Gastronomy for exquisite palates. Paipa is renowned for gastronomic products such as almojábana, yucca bread, masato and cheese. In fact, this municipality, along with Turmequé and Arcabuco, is part of the 'almojábana route', an effort by producers in the region to demonstrate why Colombia has the best almojábana in the world. Eating in Paipa is a unique experience that will allow you to explore the diversity and authenticity of Boyaca's cuisine. Fresh, local ingredients are the soul of each dish, and the traditional flavors will transport you to the very essence of Colombian culture. From the streets to the coziest restaurants, every corner of Paipa offers a variety of gastronomic options that will satisfy all tastes. Paipa's gastronomy is a tribute to tradition and culinary techniques passed down from generation to generation.
  3. The Sochagota and water sports. In 1955, when Colonel Olivo Torres was governor of Boyacá and Gustavo Rojas Pinilla was president of Colombia, Emiro Fonseca Franky had the idea of building a lake in Paipa, today known as Sochagota. It occupies an area of 1.6 kilometers with a stored water volume of 4'500,000 cubic meters and three meters deep, and is supplied by the El Salitre stream and other minor tributaries. It is an increasingly recognized site among Colombians in the center of the country, suitable for water sports and boat rides.
  4. Hot springs. Therapeutic benefits are attributed to them, because by increasing the body temperature, circulation increases and thus toxins are expelled from the body. And there are several of these waters in Paipa. In fact, the municipality is nationally and internationally recognized for them, as it has a wide range of public and private pools, among which are Pozo Azul, El Delfín Thermal Pool and La Playa Thermal Pool, ITP Aquatic Park and the Hydrotherapy Center. In its surroundings there is a wide range of hotels.
  5. The calendar of events. In the agenda of festivities of the Paipanos are the National Band Contest or Festival, the Festival of the Lake, the Aguinaldo Paipano and the Festival of the Ruana and the Pañolón. Regarding this last event, it is worth mentioning that for the last 20 years two of the most characteristic garments of this region have been celebrated: the ruana and the pañolón. Homage is also paid to the almojábana and the amasijo (a kind of thick masato), which are indispensable in the daily life of the Boyacenses. The celebration is carried out with musical samples and cultural events in the National Festival of the Ruana and the Pañolón, the Almojábana and the Amasijo.
  6. The Festival and Band Contest. In the Valentín García acoustic shell, near Lake Sochagota, in the main park, in the hotels and in the streets, in the open air, the National Band Contest has been held since 1975, the main band event in the country and therefore the ideal space to discover new talents. Groups from all departments of the country gather annually for a party that is considered one of the biggest in Colombia, next to the Carnival of Barranquilla, the Festival de Negros y Blancos, the Vallenato Festival or the Flower Fair.
  7. The Cathedral of Paipa. Built between 1906 and 1920 in the Spanish style. It was consecrated as a cathedral on December 8, 1951. Today it has become the center of great Eucharistic celebrations and the main site of faith of the people of Paipan.
  8. Palermo. It is a township located in the municipality of Paipa, in the coordinates 5.º 53′ 52″ north latitude and 73º 11′ 31″ longitude: west, with a temperate climate at an altitude of 2000 m s. n. m. and average temperature 24 °C. Thus embedded between the departments of Boyacá and Santander. It is bordered by five municipalities: Charalá (Santander), Gámbita (Santander), Paipa, Duitama and Sotaquirá, a municipality to which it belonged in civil and ecclesiastical matters for more than three centuries. To reach the village of Palermo you pass through the regional reserve of flora and fauna of Rancheria 30 km from the municipality of Paipa of which are paved approximately 14 to 15 km from the center of Paipa.
  9. Casona El Salitre. It is an immense colonial construction, a jewel of 17th century architecture. During 1819 the house served as headquarters after the Battle of Pantano de Vargas, when the Liberator Simón Bolívar spent the night there with his army.
  10. Liberty Ship. It is the first of this size, design and structure to reach the city of Paipa in its history. Located on the water mirror of Lake Sochagota. During every weekend of the year, Barco Libertad opens its doors for people who are interested in living an experience on a real boat, a cruise at 2,526 meters above sea level, with a maximum capacity of 100 people. Social, family and business events are made unforgettable sailing on the peaceful waters of the Sochagota. The Libertad is named after the cry that came out of that swamp where America sealed its own history and untied the chains of oppression. Its bow sails swiftly through the imposing mirror of water and in its course the stars are drawn in the grayish blue of its skin.
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