Monserrate

The ridge that closes off Bogota to the east rises to about 3,150 m, and the white church on its summit has drawn pilgrims since the seventeenth century. Inside is the shrine of the Senor Caido, a much-venerated image of the fallen Christ, and the stepped path up the hillside still fills with walkers on Sundays and through Holy Week. Most visitors, though, come for what is behind them: the whole plateau city laid out below, its grid running off into haze, with the savanna beyond. Stalls behind the church sell agua de panela with cheese, tamales and hot drinks against the cold.

What you actually see

• The sanctuary - the white church and the Senor Caido shrine at the summit.
• The city view - Bogota's grid filling the plateau, sharpest in late afternoon.
• The stepped path - the pilgrim climb from the base, busiest on Sunday mornings.
• The stalls behind the church - agua de panela, arepas and hot drinks in the cold.

When to go

Clear mornings give the sharpest view; afternoons often cloud over and the summit can sit inside the cloud with nothing to see. December to March is the driest stretch. Sunday is the pilgrimage day, when the path is open and busy from before dawn and the queues for the funicular are at their worst. Late afternoon suits photographers.

Honest expectations

Queues are the main complaint, and on a Sunday or public holiday the wait for the cable car can run past an hour in each direction. At 3,150 m the cold and thin air surprise people who flew in that morning. The summit is commercialised, with restaurants and souvenir stalls behind the church. On a cloudy day there is simply no view at all.

Nearby

La Candelaria lies directly at the foot of the hill.