Lake Guatavita is a small, round crater lake in the hills north-east of Bogotá, and the place where the El Dorado story began. It is a protected reserve, and you can only see it on foot with a park guide. This guide is for you if you are weighing up the day: which days it opens, what the park allows, and whether the walk suits everyone in your group.
Which days it opens
The park is closed on Mondays. When Monday is a public holiday, it opens that day and closes on the Tuesday instead. From Tuesday to Sunday it is listed as open from 09:00 to 16:00, with last entry at 15:00. Hours have changed over the years, so check the CAR's official site before you go.
Our tour reaches the entrance at about 09:30, soon after opening. That leaves room for the full walk, then lunch in the town before the drive back.
The park can also close for maintenance. In 2018 it shut for nearly a month while the CAR, the regional environmental authority that runs it, repaired the facilities. It is another reason to look at the official site in the days before your trip.
The weather at the rim
Expect it to be cool. The lake sits at around 3,100 metres, and the air there rarely goes above 14°C. It can be cold and wet, so bring a rain jacket. Dress in layers you can take off on the climb and put back on at the top.
The guided walk, and the park's rules
You cannot wander round the lake on your own. Groups leave with a CAR guide every 15 to 20 minutes, and the walk takes about two hours on average. You stay with your group, on the marked trails, for the whole visit. The entrance is not included in the tour; your ticket includes the guide.
The route is an interpretive trail. The guides talk about the plants and animals of the reserve and about Muisca traditions, and the walk passes the kusmuy, the Muisca ceremonial houses. The reserve covers more than 600 hectares of Andean forest, with frailejones among the native plants.
The rules are strict, and they are worth knowing before you set out:
- No food or drink can be taken into the park. Eat breakfast before you leave Bogotá.
- Cash only. There is no signal for card machines, so bring local cash for the entrance.
- No pets of any kind.
- No drones for photos or video.
- No picnics or camping.
The CAR keeps visitor numbers limited to protect the ecosystem, and part of the reason for that protection is to stop people trying to dig for the gold still believed to lie in the lake.
The legend you are walking into
The story goes that when a new Muisca chief took office, he was covered in gold dust and rowed out on a raft laden with gold and emeralds to make offerings to the gods. Another account says the Muisca hid their gold in the lake to keep it from the Spanish.
Either way, treasure hunters came. During the conquest, Captain Lázaro Fonte recovered fine gold pieces, and in the 16th century Antonio de Sepúlveda took out emeralds and pottery. If you have not yet seen the pre-Hispanic gold in Bogotá, the Gold Museum makes a good pairing with this day; it is on our Monserrate and La Candelaria half-day tour.
Guatavita town: a village built in the 1960s
The white town where you stop and have lunch looks colonial, but it is not old. The original Guatavita stood on the land now under the Tominé reservoir, built to supply Bogotá with water and power. Work on a new town began in 1964, and from 1967 its people started moving in; 1,264 were relocated. The new Guatavita was designed with tourism in mind, with uniform white houses in colonial and republican style.
The reservoir has boat trips, kayaks and paddleboards. They are not part of our day.
On your own or in a car
Intercity buses run from Bogotá to the area, and a confident traveller can do the trip that way, working out the connections to the park entrance and back. With the car, you are collected from your door at 07:00, taken to the gate and back, and the driver handles the roads, which take an hour and a half to two hours each way. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
The walk is about two hours on a trail with steps and a climb to the rim, at an altitude higher than Bogotá's. Think twice if you have heart or breathing problems, if you struggle with steps, or if you only arrived in Bogotá yesterday. A gentler day out is the Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral, where the route is wide and walked at an easy pace.
You can join the two in one long day of about eleven hours; ask us and we will price it. For all the options, see our guide to day trips from Bogotá.
Questions people ask
Can we swim in the lake?
No. The lake is protected, and you see it from the trail.
Does our driver come on the walk?
No. The walk is led by the park's own guides, and your driver waits for you at the entrance.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. See our cancellation page.
Booking the day
Choose any day from Tuesday to Sunday, bring cash and a rain jacket, and leave the picnic at home. The stops and what is included are on the Lake Guatavita private day trip page.
