Pamplona

Pamplona was founded in 1549 and was for a long period the most important town in the region, sending settlers out to found others - it sits at around 2,300 metres in a bowl in the mountains, which makes it cold and wet by Colombian standards and gives it a distinct feel from the hot lowlands nearby. An earthquake in 1875 destroyed much of the colonial fabric, so what stands is a mix of survivals and rebuilding. The university gives the town a large student population. Its Holy Week processions are long-established and among the more elaborate in the country. Several museums occupy colonial houses, including one for the sculptor Eduardo Ramirez Villamizar, who was from the town and whose geometric work is held there.

What you actually see

• A town founded in 1549 - which sent out settlers to found others.
• A cold wet bowl at 2,300 metres - unlike the lowlands nearby.
• Holy Week processions - among the more elaborate in Colombia.
• The Ramirez Villamizar museum - geometric sculpture by a local artist.

When to go

Year round; Holy Week is the peak. Half a day.

Honest expectations

It is genuinely cold and often wet - bring warm clothes. The 1875 earthquake removed much of the colonial fabric. Museums keep short and variable hours. Holy Week fills the town.

Nearby

Cucuta and the Venezuelan border are north-east; Bucaramanga is south-west.