Barichara

Barichara is the get-away of choice for better-heeled Colombian vacationers seeking to escape metropolitan hassles. This pueblo perches on a plateau overlooking the Río Suárez, 20 kilometers (14 miles) from San Gil, 118 kilometers (80 miles) from Bucaramanga and 307 kilometers (200 miles) from Bogotá. Its well-preserved colonial architecture, made of tapia pisada or rammed earth, earns Barichara a place on the national register of historical sites. Traditionally this is a village of stone carvers, but in recent years artists of other media have come, inspired by its tranquility and beauty. Whereas neighboring San Gil is for the adventure sports enthusiast, Barichara is for the cultural tourist. From the immemorial buildings to the Parque para las Artes, from the workshops of talladores de piedra to those of Colombia’s premier painters, you can pass days here soaking in Barichara’s bohemian atmosphere. Its inhabitants are called patiamarillas, for the golden-rust colored soil of their land.

(Altitude: 1336 m / 4382 ft., Population: 10,000, City Code: 7)