This small but beautiful and emblematic town is located in the Norte de Santander province, on the Andes mountain range and has been listed as a National Cultural Interest Property and Monument of Colombia since 2005. La Playa de Belén deserves special recognition for its colonial architecture and cobbled streets.
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How to get to La Playa de Belén, Santander?
To go to La Playa de Belén, the first thing you should do is to go to Ocaña. In Ocaña you must take a taxi, which will take between 30 and 40 minutes. The ticket for this taxi is $ 8,000 COP per person.
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Fun fact about La Playa de Belén
All the facades of the houses must be painted the same color: white on the walls and brown on the doors, with red baseboards; likewise, each house must have 1 to 2 small planters hanging on its front wall. It is extremely important that all meet these parameters.
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The best seasons to get to know La Playa de Belén.
Easter week
It is celebrated with elaborate and beautiful parades or religious processions. They start from the main church, taking from it the busts of religious figures such as the Virgin Mary and Jesus of Nazareth. As they walk through the alleys of the town, people leave their homes to join the procession that ends again in the church, and then begin the religious mass.
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The feast of the Virgen Del Carmen
It is celebrated every July 16th with a mass, followed by a caravan of cars. The virgin is placed in a large truck, decorated with flowers and fireworks. It should be noted that the Virgen Del Carmen is the patron saint of the drivers, that is why taxi and bus drivers venerate her every year.
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The festivities of La Playa de Belén
They are celebrated on September 24th in honor to the Virgen de las Mercedes who is the patron saint of the town. For this date music platforms are organized, representative dance shows in the main park and gastronomic and craft fairs are held.
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Christmas holidays
On December 7th begins the holiday season. The whole town meets up in the main square, where with Christmas music and with the order of the current Mayor, the lights and decoration of the whole town are turned on; the most typical are lanterns and candles.
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Sports and adventure on La Playa de Belén
In La Playa de Belén you can find many fun options:
Extreme or zip line cable
Fill yourself with adrenaline with a 400-meter flight, where you can observe the enormous beauty of landscapes and mountains that the town has. You can also see the rocky formations of the Parque de los Estoraques.
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Paint Ball in La Playa de Belén
It is a high performance sport. First you are guided by connoisseurs of the subject, who give you some safety instructions, so that later you enter the play area. It is a very fun plan to make with friends.
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Tibetan Bridge
It is a suspension bridge with a height of 40 meters and a length of 85 meters where you test your fears and balancing skills.
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Target shooting
In La Playa de Belén there are special courts where this sport is trained. Visitors are also taught about gun handling.
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Ecological walk
If you like the most relaxed plans, an ecological walk through the fields of the beautiful Playa de Belén is the best option. You will enjoy beautiful green paths surrounded by fauna and flora that are only found in that place; In addition, the climate of the area is a delight, from 17 to 20 degrees Celsius, which will make you enjoy the ride more.
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The Estoraques
Another tourist spot that has the Playa de Belén are “Los Estoraques” which are gigantic figures in eroded stones that have existed for thousands of years and have formed caves and secret passages. Some tourists say that there are formations very similar to the silhouettes of people or animals.
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Typical food of La Playa de Belén
What you will find most in its restaurants is the rice tamale, stuffed with pork or chicken. It is also very common guava candy and panelas (sweets made with milk and sugar). In addition, you will get the famous Ocañeras onions everywhere (small onions pickled in vinegar and hot sauce), widely used in stews and roasts.
As for drinks, being a cold-weather town, what they consume most is the peto (corn hot drink). However, they also have cold drinks like horchata (a fermented drink of water, cinnamon and pineapple peels – all smoothie and sweetened).
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Where to stay at La Playa de Belén?
To decide where to stay in this fantastic town, you only have to choose between the only 3 options it offers. The three hotels are comfortable and cheap, one with elegant and luxurious room options, and the other with more country options.
Here are the options for you to compare, decide and book in advance:
– Yaraguá Natural Park
– Finca Hotel Casa Real
– Hotel Orquídeas Plaza
Remember that for the special dates of the town, everything increases in price and it becomes more difficult to get available rooms, be cautious and reserve your room in one of the hotels in La Playa de Belén.
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The cover photo of this blog was taken from blog.redbus.co
