Chicamocha Canyon
📍 Santander, Colombia
One of the world's great canyons — a vast, arid gorge carved by the Chicamocha River through the eastern Andes of Santander, plunging up to two kilometres deep and crossed by a spectacular cable car.
What makes it marvelous
The Chicamocha River has cut a colossal canyon through the folded rock of the eastern Colombian Andes, running some 227 kilometres and reaching around 2,000 metres from rim to river at its deepest — figures that place it among the largest canyons on the planet. Its dry, cactus-studded slopes glow ochre and rust in the sun, striped by the layered sediments of ancient seabeds lifted and tilted by the mountains' rise. Condors ride the thermals above, and the Panachi park on the rim frames the whole immensity.
Why visit
The Teleférico Chicamocha sails passengers on a 6.3-kilometre cable-car ride across the gorge, dropping into the canyon and rising to the far mesa — one of the longest such rides in the Americas and an unforgettable way to feel the scale of the land. The rim is also a hub for paragliding, and the nearby colonial towns of Barichara and San Gil make the region a highlight of Colombian travel.
More views of Chicamocha Canyon
Additional photographs of the actual site — each freely licensed, with its photographer and licence credited.
What to know before you go
🗓️ Best time
The area is warm and dry much of the year; December to March and July to August are the most reliable, with clearer skies for the cable car and paragliding.
🧭 Getting there & access
Reached by road from Bucaramanga or San Gil to the Panachi park on the canyon rim, where the cable car departs; the drive winds along the canyon's edge.
Good to know
- The rim is hot and exposed — bring sun protection, a hat and water.
- Cable-car and park hours vary by season and day; check before you go and allow queue time.
- Combine the canyon with the colonial towns of Barichara and San Gil for a fuller trip.
Plan your visit
Easy🧭 Getting there
From Bucaramanga (airport BGA)
- From Bucaramanga drive south toward San Gil, about 1h to the Panachi park on the canyon rim
- Ride the Chicamocha cable car across the gorge and back, or paraglide from the rim
- Total travel
- A full-day trip from Bucaramanga or San Gil
- Time at site
- Half a day for the park and cable car
- Access
- Park entry and cable-car tickets required; opening days and hours are seasonal, so confirm ahead.
🎒 What to bring & consider
- Sun hat, sunscreen and water for the exposed, hot rim
- Cash and card for park and cable-car tickets
- A light layer for breezy cable-car cabins
- A head for heights on the long crossing
👁️ What to expect
- Crowds
- Busiest on weekends and Colombian holidays; weekdays are quieter with shorter cable-car queues.
- Conditions
- Hot and dry on the rim; the cable car does the descending, so little walking is required.
- Facilities
- Restaurants, viewpoints and rides at the Panachi park; full visitor services.
- The view
- The cable-car cabin suspended over the canyon with the river far below.
Times and requirements are approximate and change with season, weather, and local rules — confirm permits, fares, and schedules with operators before you travel.
Natural riches of the area
- A two-kilometre-deep river canyon in the Andes
- Arid, cactus-covered slopes in ochre and rust
- Layered sedimentary rock from ancient seabeds
- Andean condors and raptors riding the thermals
Local food
- Cabrito
- Roast kid goat, the signature dish of Santander.
- Hormigas culonas
- Toasted big-bottomed ants, a crunchy regional delicacy eaten in season.
- Arepa santandereana
- A thin corn arepa made with cracklings, typical of the region.
The Chicamocha Canyon is one of the largest gorges on Earth, and the pride of Colombia’s Santander department. The Chicamocha River has spent millions of years sawing through the folded rock of the eastern Andes, opening a canyon roughly 227 kilometres long that plunges as much as 2,000 metres from rim to river. Its arid flanks, dotted with cactus and scrub, glow in ochre, rust and gold, striped by the tilted layers of ancient seabeds that the rise of the mountains lifted into the sky.
What makes Chicamocha so accessible is the way you can meet it. On the rim sits the Panachi park, and from it the Teleférico Chicamocha carries visitors on a 6.3-kilometre cable-car journey that drops into the gorge and climbs to the mesa on the far side — one of the longest cable-car rides in the Americas. The same updraughts that lift the gondolas also make the canyon a renowned spot for paragliding, and Andean condors patrol the heights.
Beyond the spectacle, the canyon anchors one of Colombia’s most rewarding regions. The whitewashed colonial town of Barichara, often called the country’s prettiest, sits nearby, and the adventure hub of San Gil offers rafting and caving. Together they turn a visit to the canyon into a journey through the heart of Santander — arid, dramatic and deeply Colombian.
Chicamocha Canyon: common questions
How do you get to Chicamocha Canyon?
From Bucaramanga (airport BGA): From Bucaramanga drive south toward San Gil, about 1h to the Panachi park on the canyon rim; Ride the Chicamocha cable car across the gorge and back, or paraglide from the rim. Total travel time: A full-day trip from Bucaramanga or San Gil.
When is the best time to visit Chicamocha Canyon?
The area is warm and dry much of the year; December to March and July to August are the most reliable, with clearer skies for the cable car and paragliding.
How long should you spend at Chicamocha Canyon?
Half a day for the park and cable car. Total travel time: A full-day trip from Bucaramanga or San Gil.
What should you bring to Chicamocha Canyon?
Sun hat, sunscreen and water for the exposed, hot rim Cash and card for park and cable-car tickets A light layer for breezy cable-car cabins A head for heights on the long crossing
Do you need a permit or guide for Chicamocha Canyon?
Park entry and cable-car tickets required; opening days and hours are seasonal, so confirm ahead.
Is Chicamocha Canyon crowded, and what are conditions like?
Busiest on weekends and Colombian holidays; weekdays are quieter with shorter cable-car queues. Hot and dry on the rim; the cable car does the descending, so little walking is required. Facilities: Restaurants, viewpoints and rides at the Panachi park; full visitor services.
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