Barichara

Last weekend, I took a quick trip to Barichara, which is a small town (pueblo) a few hours from Bucaramanga. My host city is surrounded by pueblos that are just a short bus ride away, but Barichara is special. It is one of the most recommended places to visit in the Santander department because of its beautiful colonial architecture that has been maintained for generations and the views of nature surrounding the town.

The living room and garden area of the home that we stayed in, plus an example of a classic Barichara construction.

Barichara is one of the clearest examples of the colonial influence on architecture, with Andalusian-style homes, cobbled streets, and Spanish balconies everywhere you look. The number of churches in such a small town also show the colonial influence. I noticed at least three, all of which were unique and beautiful. I haven't seen many pueblos yet, but I understand how Barichara earned the title of most beautiful town. It's such a well preserved heritage town that apparently some historical tv shows or movies set in Colombia are filmed there!

The weekend I was in Barichara with my friends, there was a fair happening, and it was a holiday weekend! It was a national holiday on October 17th for el Día de la Raza, so the day off combined with las ferias de Barichara meant that the small town was packed. To get to the town, we had to take a bus from Bucaramanga to small city called San Gil (known for extreme sports like bungee jumping and rafting!), a journey that lasted about three hours. From there, we took another bus to Barichara. The town is located in the Chicamocha canyon, so the bus rides were through twisting mountain roads, which is less than ideal. Once in Barichara though, the town is small enough that we could walk everywhere we needed to go!

The weekend was spent exploring the town and appreciating the natural beauty of the surrounding area. I went to one look-out overseeing the canyon. There's also hikes to various small towns that you can take, but I didn't end up going on any of them. There are also a few different parks within Barichara, including a sculpture park and a biopark. At the sculpture park, we happened to meet a man and his wife from England who were visiting his Colombian family, siblings that he only found out existed within the past two years. It was cool to meet English-speakers with such an interesting reason for being in Colombia. The other park, el bioparque, is full of trails with signs labeling the important trees and other plants from the region.

Barichara has a distinct boho vibe, which can be seen in the way people dress and the huge artistic scene there. Many of the stores were selling handcrafted products, jewelry, and art pieces. There are also lots of opportunities to visit workshops. I went with my friend Leonor to see a workshop where a group of women make paper using plants from the region. All of us also did a painting workshop using paint made from mud from different areas. Each color of soil came from a different pueblo, and with it we created unique pieces of art tied to the land here in Colombia.

A garden attached to a shop, the paper workshop, and the mud painting activity!

Because of the fair in Barichara, there was a special market in the main plaza, full of vendors selling products. The handwoven baskets and bags were especially beautiful, as was the pottery made from clay from the area. There was also a parade on Sunday, which featured the high school marching band and many, many floats. Each of the floats represented a different group of people, and they highlighted the important products, clothes, and food for each group. It was very fun to sit and watch the parade for awhile!

While we enjoyed many different stores and restaurants in Barichara, I have to mention the bookstore there because I was so excited to find one! In my host city, there aren't very many bookstores, and most of them are chains or located within bigger stores. Finding such a unique bookstore was one of the highlights of the trip, and I loved spending an hour sitting on the bookstore's balcony overlooking the square.

Our weekend in Barichara was a relaxing and quiet trip out of the city. It's easy enough to get to by car or by bus, and I'm sure I'll be back during my time in Colombia!