Visit the Laguna de Guatavita Travel Guide

“The 16th century. From the four corners of Europe, gigantic sailing ships set out to conquer the New World. Aboard these ships, men eager for dreams, adventure and space, in search of fortune.

Who hasn’t dreamed of subterranean worlds, distant seas populated by legends, or of sudden riches to be found at the bend of a path in the Andes?

Who hasn’t wished to see the sovereign sun guiding their steps towards the wealth and history of the Mysterious Cities of Gold?”

So spoke Zarathustra. MMMMmmm No. So spoke the voice-over from the credits of my childhood cartoon “The Mysterious Cities of Gold”. El Dorado, the myth of a place even greener than the neighbor’s garden. El Dorado, a myth born here in the Laguna de Guatavita.

The myth of El Dorado

Laguna de Guatavita

It all began a long, long time ago. In Colombia. Before us. Before other people. We spoke Chibcha and called ourselves Muiscas, “the men”. Weaving, carving, singing, worshipping, ceremonializing… Communion with gods, ancestors, nature… offerings, rituals, sacrifices, legends… the Muiscas had sacralized the lagoons perched in the mountains around present-day Bogotá.

During exceptional ceremonies, all the Muisca tribes and other indigenous tribes from neighbouring countries would gather around the lagoon. Multiple offerings were thrown in from the bottom, gold, emeralds, to celebrate the gods, to call for a good harvest, to make something important happen… The tribal chief, the cacique, was coated in gold dust to go and impregnate the lagoon, emerging washed and purified by its beneficent water.

This legend, of ceremonies where gold flowed in abundance, made its way around the world, only to fall on the ears of the conquistadores of the time, helping to create the myth of El Dorado and provoking the invasions and massacres we know so well.

For decades, the colonists searched for this El Dorado, these “cities of gold” that everyone was talking about. The indigenous populations did everything they could to prevent the settlers from finding what they were looking for, giving them false information, diverting them to other lands, all this not to protect their supposed treasure, but rather to protect their sacred site, their lagoon.

Many of the lagoons around Bogotá were sacred ritual sites for the Muisca(such as the iguaque lagoon, not far from Villa de leyva, or the Laguna de Siecha in the Chingaza Natural Park). But it was here, at the Laguna de Guatavita, that one of mankind’s greatest myths was born.

There are so many atrocious stories to be told about what happened here when the conquistadores arrived, but the gash in the Guatavita lagoon is evocative enough to imagine how far the colonists were prepared to go to check whether the legend was true… they tried to empty the lagoon completely of its treasures, but to no avail..

So, let’s talk about Muisca philosophy, which is now highlighted when visiting the recently protected Guatavita lagoon.

Responsible tourism

Laguna de Guatavita

We really enjoyed this walk, the mystique of the place and the energy we felt. It’s also worth highlighting the conservation work that has been carried out over the last few years to protect this park.

As mentioned above, since the dawn of time, this place has been ransacked to extract the treasures buried in its waters. In 1912, foreign gold miners went so far as to completely dry out the lagoon to extract the remains of the gold: a huge gash in the mountain still bears the scars (you can see it in some of our photos). All in vain, as the treasures were buried in the mud of the lake..

More recently, irresponsible tourists have taken their toll on the ecosystem, leading to an awareness that has resulted in the site being closed to the public. Under the aegis of the Car (regional environmental protection agency), the Guatavita lagoon was closed to the public for almost 10 years to allow the ecosystem, its flora and fauna, to regenerate. Reopened in 2006, the number of visitors is now regulated and no visit is possible without the park’s official guides, who work year-round to preserve the local ecosystem.

Today, a real educational effort is underway to help visitors understand the historical, natural and philosophical significance of the Guatavita lagoon. We learn a great deal about the geological formation of the lagoon, the biotope and the importance of water, but also about the history of the Muiscas… The promotion of Muisca culture is now at the heart of the local development process. Sometimes, members of the Musicas community come to raise public awareness of their culture and tradition.

What to do around Laguna Guatavita

Best places to visit near Bogotá

To round off your day on the paseo, take the opportunity to visit Guatavita, a small white village that was rebuilt after being flooded to build the huge Tomine dam you’ll have seen on your way to the lagoon. You can have lunch there, wander the narrow streets and admire (or buy?) the handicrafts. (Although Angélica feels that the quality has changed and prefers the handicrafts found in other Boyaca villages).

Otherwise, if you want to continue in the spirit of nature, you can spend the afternoon by the dam, take a horse ride, go sailing, kayaking or water skiing… You’ll have plenty of options.

A visit to the Tomine dam is a plan in itself, and it’s not uncommon for families or groups of friends to come and spend a weekend day at this lovely spot (Angélica used to come here from time to time as a child). So it’s another option if you want to “live the life of a Bogotano”.