Tren de la Sabana

Colombia built a substantial rail network from the late 1800s, and almost all of it went - the terrain is difficult, road and air took the traffic, and by the late twentieth century passenger services had effectively ended. What runs now on the Bogota savanna is a heritage operation: steam locomotives and old carriages pulling out at weekends and holidays for Zipaquira and Cajica, with a papayera brass band playing through the cars, which is the part passengers remember most. The route crosses the flat high plateau north of the city. The line is the same one that once carried salt and freight from Zipaquira. It is slow, loud and social rather than a scenic mountain railway.

What you actually see

• Steam locomotives and old carriages - on the savanna line.
• A brass band playing through the cars - the trip's character.
• The flat high plateau - north of Bogota.
• What survives of a lost network - most of Colombia's railways are gone.

When to go

Weekends and public holidays only. A full day.

Honest expectations

It runs only at weekends and holidays and must be booked. The journey is slow and the scenery on the savanna is flat. The band is loud and constant, which delights some passengers and not others. Steam is not guaranteed on every service.

Nearby

Zipaquira's salt cathedral is at the northern end; Cajica is between.