Chivor

Colombia produces a large share of the world's emeralds and the finest of them, and Chivor is one of the three historic districts along with Muzo and Coscuez. The Muisca worked these deposits before the conquest and traded the stones widely; the Spanish took the mines over and Chivor was lost for a period before being relocated in the early twentieth century using colonial documents. Mining here is from tunnels driven into the hillside, with material brought out and sorted, and guaqueros - independent washers - work the tailings and the riverbed below the mines by hand, sifting gravel in the water for stones that were missed. Some mines take visitors with local arrangement. The setting is steep green mountain above a reservoir.

What you actually see

• Tunnel mines in the hillside - the working method here.
• Guaqueros washing tailings - sifting the river by hand.
• One of three historic emerald districts - with Muzo and Coscuez.
• A steep green setting - above the Chivor reservoir.

When to go

December to March, the drier months. A full day.

Honest expectations

Mine visits are informal and arranged locally, not organised tours. Buying stones without expertise is a good way to be sold badly. Roads are rough. The emerald trade has a hard history and the region has been contested at times.

Nearby

Guateque and the Valle de Tenza are west; Garagoa is south-west.