Monserrate Bogota Hike

What is Monserrate Bogota?

Monserrate Bogota is a steep hill in Bogota that can be seen from all angles of the city. In Spanish it is called Cerro de Monserrate . You simply can’t miss the shining white statue of El Señor Caído or The Fallen Lord looking over the city at the top. It has a significant cultural and religious connotation with the city, but it is a very popular tourist destination too. Monserrate hike in Bogota was our favorite thing to do because it gives you the most stunning view of the city from the top. It turns out Bogota is massive, which we didn’t realize until we saw it from Monserrate. If you will travel to Bogota and do not do Monserrate then I think you will miss out on the city’s best activity.

How to Visit Monserrate Bogota?

There are three main ways of getting to the top of Monserrate Bogota. You can hike, take a cable car or the funicular railway.

Hike: You will find the start of the hiking trail through a parking lot on the corner of Carrera 1 and Carrera 3 Este. 

Cable Car: The cable car will give you a different view of the mountain and city. To buy tickets you can buy both at the top of Monserrate and at the bottom.

Funicular Railway: A small train that goes up the mountain which can also be purchased from the bottom and top of Monserrate.

What we recommend for reaching the top!

We hiked up to Monserrate Bogota and then bought tickets for the Cable car for the way down. This way we got to experience both ways and views and it was great!

What You Will Pay

If you choose to hike the hill then its a fun and free activity! If you want to take the cable car one way it will cost you around 16000 COP per person.

How High is Monserrate Bogota?

Monserrate in Bogotá, Colombia, has an elevation of approximately 3,152 meters (10,341 feet) above sea level. It is one of the highest points in the city and offers stunning panoramic views of Bogotá and the surrounding Andean mountains. On the walk up the mountain, you will see wooden boards showing you the altitude and where you are on the mountain. According to those boards, you will reach an elevation of 2350 meters. Also, it makes it a great starting point for those who plan on hiking around South America. The elevation took our breath away and we did have to stop a few times. We believe starting with this size mountain will help us when we hike much larger ones.

How to Hike Monserrate Bogota?

Just follow the link to the location at the top of this article and it will take you to the starting point of the hike. If you go in September like us then you will want to wear light clothing as it was super hot. Bring water and a good attitude and you’ll reach the top in no time! It took us 1 hour and we got to see great views of Bogota the higher we climbed. There are also little food stalls and shops as you go up, so if you do need a snack you can buy some. Furthermore, the hike is very touristy, with a well built pavement going the entire way to the top, so its not hardcore hiking.

How long does it take to walk up Monserrate?

If you start where we did, it will take around 1 hour, but if you stop a lot then maybe a little longer. It was difficult to breathe the higher you got, but it’s definitely manageable and worth the walk up. If you don’t have loads of time to spare then you could just take the cable car/ funicular up and down the mountain.

Is Monserrate Bogota safe?

We felt very safe doing the Monserrate Bogota Hike because there were guards all the way up the mountain and it wasn’t very busy when we went. I actually felt safer on the mountain than I did in the centre of the city. However, if you decided you wanted to do the hike for sunset, i’m thinking that maybe a guide would be a good idea because we were advised to be careful at night time.

What can you do at Cerro de Monserrate?

Other than admire the views of Bogota and its surrounding mountains, you can do few other things at the top! First off they have a restaurant near the tram and cable car if you fancy a sit down meal. Alternatively, if you walk past the church you will find a small market selling souvenirs where you can get some last minute gifts. Now, if you walk through that market you will come to a small corridor with small dining options. We decided to walk through and try the plantain and show our new American friends what Chicha is! If you wanted to try some local foods, that corridor has some great, authentic options! They even had the coco tea, which is cocaine leaf tea.

Top Tips for visiting Monserrate

One thing I think worth mentioning is the weather in Bogota. We visited in September and it was cold one minute and hot the next! the weather was extremely up and down and you will find that you take off layers to put them back on quite regularly. Bogota is the coldest part of Colombia, but we did experience the heat there too. When we hiked Monserrate it was super hot and sunny and then all of a sudden it rained so hard and got super cold! Basically, be prepared for all weather types as being wet on top of a mountain is no fun!

Should you do the Monserrate Bogota Hike?

Definitely! It was one of the best things we did in Bogota. Additionally, if you have a few days to spare then I highly recommend the many free city tours. There are walking, food and graffiti tours right in the city center and I’ve written a blog post all about it! Just click on Bogota Tours to read all about it.