Barichara is a lovely town that many have called “the prettiest town in Colombia”. Yes, the streets are picturesque and the surrounding mountains are beautiful, but there’s also a fantastic hike that leads straight from the city of Barichara. This hike, known as the Camino Real, takes you on an ancient path from the town of Barichara to Guane, which is an even smaller town in the Colombian mountains.
In this guide, I’ll cover everything you need to know for your hike from Barichara to Guane.
About the Camino Real
The path from Barichara to Guane is an ancient path that connected the two cities. The path continues in both directions and connects nearly a dozen towns in the Santander Department of Colombia. However since you’re in Barichara, it just makes sense to do the section to Guane, which is what most visitors choose.
The trail is well marked and quite honestly, I think it’s impossible to get lost. Just keep walking straight and following the path. After about 3.5 miles, you’ll reach the town of Guane.
The path is technically paved, but not in the way you might be expecting. It’s paved with rocks, so while the trail is more stable than some other hikes throughout Colombia, don’t expect a perfectly smooth trail. Particularly in the beginning section as you leave Barichara, I found the trail to be rougher than other, much flatter and smoother sections of the trail.
Which Direction Should You Hike
The Camino Real from Barichara to Guane is a point to point hike. You can choose to hike from Barichara to Guane, Guane to Barichara, or turn the trip into an out and back hike. So which should you do?
Most travelers choose to hike from Barichara to Guane. Why? Because if you start in Barichara, the hike is almost all downhill and you’ll have an overall elevation loss of nearly 1000 feet (300 meters). So if you hike from Guane to Barichara, you’ll be hiking uphill and gaining that 1000 feet.
Additionally, I found the trail more difficult in Barichara. It felt more uneven and rocky at the start, but as soon as I crossed the road, it evened out and I felt like I was able to sustain a faster pace because I didn’t have to watch every step. If you start in Guane, what I considered the hardest part of the hike (although still completely doable for the average person), will be at the end.
So what about hiking both ways? You absolutely can hike from Barichara to Guane and then take the trail back to Barichara. However, the bus from Guane to Barichara is cheap so most travelers choose this option.
Trail Stats
I logged exactly 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) when I hiked from Barichara to Guane. I had 217 feet (66 meters) of elevation gain, but had an overall elevation loss of 961 feet (292 meters). The hike took me an hour and a half and that included plenty of time to stop for photos.
While other parts of Colombia are high in the mountains, this trail is not. If you start in Barichara, you’ll start at about 4,400 feet (1,300 meters) of elevation. As you enter Guane, you’ll be at about 3,400 feet (1000 meters) of elevation.
Starting the Hike in Barichara
The trail starts in Barichara at Carrera 10 and Calle 4 (listed as “Camino Real – Barichara – Guane” on Google Maps).
If you’re day tripping from San Gil and have just arrived in Barichara by bus, head northwest past the church. The start of the trail is just a few blocks from where you got off the bus.
Camino Real – Barichara to Guane
Start your hike by walking through the two stone markers in Barichara. The trail starts off with switchbacks as you immediately start your descent toward Guane.
I will be the first to admit that there were a few sketchy areas of the trail in the beginning. I’m not sure if it’s just because I was here during rainy season and rains had washed away part of the trail or if it’s always like this, but I can say that the half mile was the worst. I moved the slowest during this section as
I felt I had to be very cautious of where I put my feet. After giving up on another hike in Villa de Leyva, I started to wonder if this hike would be a good idea. I knew the trail was just over three miles and if it was going to be like this for the entire trail, it wasn’t going to be fun—even if the views of the surrounding mountains were beautiful.
But here’s what really happened. After about a half mile, you’ll cross street (your first street crossing of the day). After this point, the trail leveled out and it became a much more enjoyable hiking experience. I didn’t have to watch every step and I could hike at a more normal pace. Plus, there were still some great views. Check out the photos below to see the difference between sections of the trail before I crossed the road versus after.
Over the first mile of the trail, you’ll descend about 500 feet (150 meters), nearly half of your total descent for the trail. The the trail levels out after this point. There’s a little bit of incline and decline, but compared to other sections of the trail, it’s not really noticeable.
At about mile 1.25 (kilometer 2), you’ll pass Restaurante el Pasianto. Other blogs that I had read stated that you’ll find people selling waters and places to stop along the trail. Presumably this is one of those places, but when I came through in November 2024 at about 10:00 am, it was closed.
Keep hiking. Enjoy the views and the tranquility that comes with this trail. I’m sure that it’s busier in high tourist season, but when I hiked, there were very few people on the trail. I passed two women right when I started hiking who came from the opposite direction and were finishing their walk. I passed a group of tourists at one of the road crossings. Then I had a runner pass me in the last half mile of the trail. Other than that, I was alone and it was so peaceful.
At mile three, the trail starts descending again. You’re just about to Guane and just need to complete the last half mile which includes another 300 feet (91 meters) of elevation loss.
You’ll enter Guane at the corner of Carrera 5 and Calle 5. You made it!
Arriving in Guane
The trail takes you into Guane, but you’ll want to turn right on Carrera 6 to reach the main square (which is where the bus leaves from). The town of Guane is very small. Barichara is a small town, but Guane is even smaller. There’s only a few streets and if you really wanted to, you could walk all of them in a short time.
I recommend heading to the main square, since this is where your bus back to Barichara will leave from. You can pop into the church and take a few pictures, but in general there’s not much to see here.
Guane to Barichara
Buses connect Guane to Barichara throughout the day, but trying to find an actual schedule is impossible. My advice is to wait in the park in front of the church and wait for a bus to show up. If you don’t feel like waiting, there will be taxis waiting and willing to take you back to Barichara.
When I was waiting for my bus in Barichara to return to San Gil, I actually found a schedule for buses from Guane to Barichara. The schedule said the buses left every 60 to 90 minutes and that a bus would leave Guane at 11:30. That’s good information, but my bus from Guane had left at 11:20, so take bus schedules with a grain of salt. That said, there will be a bus from Guane to Barichara, you just may have to ask a local or be patient.
The bus from Guane to Barichara costs 4000 COP (as of November 2024).
Tips for Your Hike
Try to hike in the morning. This area of Colombia can get hot and it will be more enjoyable if you don’t hike during the hottest part of the day. Also, the trail is almost completely exposed so if you wait until the hottest part of the day, it will be very hot.
Use sunscreen. There is little shade and the sun is strong in Colombia. You don’t want to get sunburnt after a beautiful hike on the Camino Real.
Carry enough water. While I did pass a restaurant, it was closed during my visit. Other blogs have mentioned locals selling water and sports drinks, but I didn’t see that on my hike. So rather than rely on that, prepare as if you won’t pass anything. If you do, that’s a pleasant surprise and you could treat yourself.
Pop into the Contrasangil ticket office in Barichara before you leave the city. This can give you an idea of when buses might leave Guane, but it’s no guarantee that that schedule will be followed.
Getting to Barichara from San Gil
Buses from San Gil to Barichara depart frequently (about every 20 to 30 minutes) from Terminalito in San Gil. The bus costs 8000 COP as of November 2024. I bought my ticket from the ticket counter (be prepared to show your passport if you choose this option), but plenty of people just boarded the bus and paid the driver when they got off.
More in Barichara
Barichara is a beautiful colonial town with some going as far to say that it’s the prettiest town in Colombia. For me, the highlight of my day trip was hiking from Barichara to Guane. But beyond the hike, there’s several viewpoints for great mountain views, picturesque streets, delicious food, and a lively main square.
While you could spend the night in Barichara, most travelers will just visit on a day trip from nearby San Gil.
When to Visit Colombia
Colombia can be visited all year round. While many countries have weather that can change drastically throughout the year, Colombia has just two seasons: dry season and rainy season.
Dry season is more popular because rain is less likely. Dry season typically runs from December through February or March. Then there is another dry season from June through August.
Rainy season comprises of the other months of the year. April and May and September through November. While it is rainy season, it may not rain every day, but you need to be prepared that it could rain at any time.
While dry season, particularly December through February, is the most popular time to travel, I chose to visit in November. It was rainy season and it did rain every day of my visit. However, the rain typically did not occur until the late afternoon or evening, meaning on most days my mornings were dry and I was able to explore in the dry sunshine.
Final Thoughts
The hike from Barichara to Guane along the Camino Real was my favorite part of my day trip to Barichara. The trail was not too challenging, the views were great, and at least when I hiked, there weren’t many people and it was a peaceful journey. If you are able, I highly recommend the hike from Barichara to Guane.
Continue Your Adventure
San Gil: San Gil is Colombia’s adventure capital and is full of great things to do. Check out my two day San Gil itinerary which also includes a day trip to the charming town of Barichara.
More in Colombia: Start planning your trip with my Colombia Travel Guide. Don’t miss my nine day itinerary, my advice for creating a reasonable travel budget, plenty of safety information, and my top travel tips. And don’t miss other destinations in Colombia like the capital of Bogotá and the colonial town of Villa de Leyva.