Popayan is a beautiful, peaceful, white
washed colonial town in Southern Colombia. It's a tranquil place to
spend a night or two on your way south to either Equador or to the nearby
archaeological attractions at San
Agustin and Tierradentro.
As a university town, Popayan has a youthful feel to it, and there are
many plazas and churches to explore. Most of the sites can be seen in a
half day walking tour. Popayan really comes alive during Semana Santa
(Easter week), and sees the largest Semana Santa celebrations in
Colombia.
A tour from Popayan that one should consider
is to visit the picturesque mountain town of Silvia,
some 60km northeast of Popayan. This small town is best known for it's
Tuesday market, which is also full of Otavalo and Guambiano Indians who
come from their nearby villages (some as far away as Ecuador) on market
days. The colourful indigenous market is best early in the morning.
Always ask before taking photos here. There's various hotels in Silvia.
Small indigenous villages such as La Campana can be visited on
beautiful walks, and horseback riding is another possibility around
Silvia.
Purace National Park
There are plenty of other travel attractions
not far from Popayan, such as the very large San Francisco waterfall,
which is nearby the Parque Nacional Purace.
Day excursions can be made from Popayan, or you can travel
independently by bus to the Park. At Parque Nacional Purace one finds
various beautiful hot water sulphur baths in addition to Volcan Purace,
and the spectacularly scenic area is excellent for hiking and birdwatching. Both
Pilimbala and Purace can be used as bases to explore this National
Park.
The
adventurous might consider climbing Volcan Purace - this
tough but rewarding trek takes 7 hours from Pilimbala (avoid the fumes
from this active volcano, and don't stray off the main path as there's
plenty of mines). Around Purace there are also the hot springs at
Termales de San Juan and the cathedral town of Garzon. From June
to August the weather is too poor to make this trek - the best time to
do so is during December and January, when the weather is normally
fine.
All these travel
attractions are en route to the highlight of the area, San Agustin.
Popayan Hotels
Popayan has a range of excellent hotels,
many of them housed in very old colonial buildings. The best hotel in
Popayan is the Dann Carlton
Monasterio Hotel - an old monastery with lovely grounds and a
swimming pool. Other good hotels in Popayan include Campobello Hostal, La Plazuela and
Los Balcones Hotel. Backpackers should head for either Parklife
Hostel, Hostel Caracol or Casa Familiar
Turistica.
