The department of Santander is a great region to visit. We really enjoyed our short week there, and wanted to come back when we left.
Santander is one of those Colombian departments that offers a wide variety of possibilities and will delight both heritage lovers and nature enthusiasts!
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Santander General information
Santander Travel Guide in Colombia
Santander is Colombia’s fourth most developed department in terms of population and economy. Bucaramanga, one of Colombia’s largest cities, with a population of 600.000, is no small part of this.
- Founded: November 27, 1795
- Capital: Bucaramanga
- People: Santandereanos
- Natural region: Andes
- Population: 2.2 million
- Average altitude: 1.230 m
- General climate: tropical semi-arid to temperate
- Average minimum temperature: 28 °C
- Average maximum temperature: 20°C
- Dry season: December to February and June to August
- Rainy season: March to May and September to November
- When to go: all year round
Local travel agency to visit the Santander region
Santander Travel Guide
Best things to do in Santander
Santander Travel Guide
When it comes to heritage, there’s plenty to choose from: Barichara is certainly THE jewel of the region, a magnificent village perched on a mountainside. Other heritage villages are well worth a visit (Zapatoca, Socorro, Giron, etc.)
As for nature, Santander is a mid-mountain region, where the weather is warm and there are plenty of rivers and magnificent waterfalls to swim in. San Gil is the self-proclaimed adventure sports capital of Colombia. Its location is ideal for rafting, paragliding and trekking around the Chicamocha Canyon.
Las Gachas, near the village of Guadalupe, is a unique natural site that we absolutely loved! There are plenty of other sites to discover, but we’ll have to go back!
We also decided to add a bit of the Norte Santander department here, with the heritage village of Playa de Belen, where we also made a stopover. Los Estoraques is a particularly beautiful rock formation.
Best places to visit in Santander
- Barichara
- San Gil
- Chicamocha Canyon
- Juan Curi waterfall
- Las Gachas and Guadalupe
- Curiti
- Giron
- Socorro
- Zapatoca
- San Vicente de Chucuri
- La Playa de Belen
- Los Estoraques
- Ventanas de Tizquisoque
- Velez
All our posts about Santander region
Santander Travel Guide
Where to stay in the Santander region
Santander Travel Guide
Hotel
Casa Canela
A lovely hotel in a great location near Barichara’s main square. Guests appreciate the service, cleanliness and welcome. Their swimming pool is undoubtedly a plus!
San Gil
Hotel
Meraki Boutique Hotel
The Meraki boutique hotel is located 5 minutes from the town center, a little way up in San Gil, offering a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains. It’s a beautiful colonial house, beautifully decorated and full of color! You’ll feel right at home here, thanks in no small part to the warm welcome from Felipe and his family.
San Gil
Hostal
La Provincia Lodging House
La Provincia in San Gil is one of the least expensive hostels. Nevertheless, many budget travelers will find it to their liking: well located in the center of San Gil in a beautiful, bright house, with friendly staff… Although the rooms are basic and the decor classic, it’s still excellent value for money.
San Gil
Hostal
Traveler Hostel
The Traveler hosterl in San Gil has been recommended to us by blog readers. But we’ve noticed that it’s also been recommended by the Traveler community! Large rooms, a great atmosphere, and a beautiful terrace overlooking the city, all located right in the center of San Gil.
Finca
Artepolis
For those looking for peace and quiet, just outside the village of Barichara but relatively close to the center. Artepolis offers a really pretty setting at a very affordable price!
Giron
Hotel
Chill Out Hotel
During our stay in Giron, we stayed at the Chill out hotel. Superbly located in the historic center of Giron, the hotel offers beautifully decorated rooms in the colonial style.
Hotel
Oniri House
Hotel Casa Oniri is where we stayed during our visit to Barichara. It’s a superb boutique hotel located in the heart of the city, just a stone’s throw from Barichara’s main square. The little extra: a rooftop with a view of the cathedral!
Guadalupe
Finca
Finca La colina de los azulejos
A finca located just 10 minutes’ walk from the village, but with some very nice little houses in the middle of nature.
Guadalupe
Hostal
Atrapasuenos Hostal
A clean, functional hostal, also a little outside the village but within 5 minutes’ walk of the center. The owners have a bakery where you can have breakfast. A mirador near the hostal offers a beautiful view of the surrounding area.
Guadalupe
Camping, Hostal
Portal de Don Luis Hotel
El Portal de Don Luis is a finca ideally located just a stone’s throw from Guadalupe’s central square, yet right in the middle of nature. The view over the valley is sublime and Rafael, the owner, is a darling! The facilities are simple, everything is very clean and it was perfect for us! You can pitch your own tent or rent one.
How to get to the Santander region
Santander Travel Guide
Bucaramanga, the capital of Santander, is one of Colombia’s largest cities. It has an airport serving the whole country and road connections from Medellín, Santa Marta and Bogota.
Getting to Bucaramanga by bus
Bucaramanga bus terminal
- Address: Tv. Metropolitana #73, Bucaramanga
- Tel: 57 (7) 637 1000
- Mail: cmercadeo@terminalbucaramanga.com
- Website: terminalbucaramanga.com
BUS | Cartagena – Bucaramanga
- Duration: approx. 11h
- Fare: approx. $80.000 COP
- Companies: Expreso Brasilia, Berlinas
BUS | Santa Marta – Bucaramanga
- Duration: approx. 10h
- Fare: approximately $70.000 COP
- Companies: Copetran, Expreso Brasilia, Berlinas
BUS | Bogota – Bucaramanga
- Duration: approx. 10h
- Fare: approx. $70.000 COP
- Companies: Omega, Copetran, Berlinas, Concorde
BUS | Medellín – Bucaramanga
- Duration: approx. 10h
- Fare: approx. $70.000 COP
- Companies: Omega, Copetran, Berlinas, Concorde
BUS | San Gil – Bucaramanga
- Duration: approx. 3h
- Fare: about $20.000 COP
- Companies: Copetran, Cotrasangil, Cotrasaravita, Trasander
BUS | Tunja – Bucaramanga
- Duration: approx. 7h
- Fare: approx. $70.000 COP
- Company: Copetran, Concorde
Getting to Bucaramanga by plane
Bucaramanga airport
- Name : Palo Negro
- Code : BGA
- Address: Km 25 vía Lebrija
- Tel: 57 (7) 691 0140
- Mail : contact form
- Website: bga.aerooriente.com.co
Airport transfer to/from Bucaramanga
- Duration: approx. 30 min
- Bus fare: $3.000 COP
- Yellow cab fare: $34.500 COP
PLANE | Bogota – Bucaramanga
- Duration: 1h30
- Fare: from $130.000 COP
- Companies : Avianca, Latam
PLANE | Medellin – Bucaramanga
- Duration: 1h30
- Fare: from $130.000 COP
- Airlines : Latam, Avianca
Plane | Cali – Bucaramanga
- Duration: 3h (with stopover)
- Fare: from $ 160.000
- Companies : Avianca, Latam
FLIGHT | Pereira – Bucaramanga
- Duration: 3h20 (with stopover)
- Fare: from $230.000 COP
- Companies : Avianca, Latam
PLANE | Cartagena – Bucaramanga
- Duration: 1h30
- Fare: from $150.000 COP
- Companies: Clicair
Getting to Bucaramanga by car
- To Bogotá: 425 km and approx. 8h30 travel time
- To Tunja: 280 km and approx. 6h travel time
- To Mompox: 350 km and approx. 7h travel time
- To Santa Marta: 540 km and approx. 8h30 travel time
- To San Gil: 100 km and approx. 2h30 travel time
- To Medellin: 400 km and approx. 8h travel time
Rent a car In Colombia
To rent a car, we advise you to use the Rental Cars comparator, which gives you a complete overview of the different rental companies in Colombia.