Tabio - El pueblo de torbellino

 Escape Travel

A favorite topic of mine is on escape travel. According to me, the easiest definition is the following: A travel that allows me to escape from my routine, typically a short one. This escape travel does not have to be a long drive in a rented car, it does not have to be a flight trip, it does not have to be an overnight bus journey. It can be as simple as a 45 minute bus trip to an entirely different world. A world that struggles to maintain its identity amidst urban invasion from an ever growing Bogota.

Welcome to the world of life in the Bogota Savanna.

Tabio - The town of the Torbellino

My love affair with Tabio began in 2016 during one of those safe explorations as I would like to call them - Look for a destination not too far away and find about buses to travel and to come back the same day, if needed to find a place to stay where I go.  

The journey

Buses to Tabio used to be from the Portal Norte, however have since been moved to the Terminal Satelite. There is a separate entrance to take the buses that head out to the savanna towns - Cajicá, Tabio, Tenjo, Zipaquirá, Sesquilé, Tocancipá, Guatavita etc. Buses to Tabio are very frequent and normally are not crowded. 

I know I have repeated this before, I would love to do it any time - The happiness that comes to my soul once I cross El Peaje Andes is unrivalled. The traffic though, moves bumper to bumper at this time, and if I get lucky I will cross the toll in about 20 minutes from the terminal. It has also taken me over an hour to cross the toll, but it depends on the time of the day. 

The buses to Tabio do not enter Chía, and bypass Chía once after crossing the Centro Chía mall. Chía is extremely urbanized and for all practical purposes is an extension of Bogota. After crossing Chía however, the real fun begins. Cajicá is the next town and this is the town of San Jernonimo ice creams.

Once we cross Cajicá, the suburban appearance goes away. The landscape becomes more and more rural with farms, farm houses, rural veredas giving way in sharp contrast to Chía and Cajicá. Though there are a lot of real estate developments happening, it still retains an air of rural unspoilt Cundinamarca.

Tabio - The watering hole

Shortly after a bit of travel, we enter Tabio - The watering hole. It receives its name from the Río Frío (literally cold river) that flows here. In Chibcha language, Tabio means a hole. Rio Frio is a right side tributary of Bogota river that eventually flows into the Magdalena.

The historical center

The historical center of Tabio has its typical colonial style which according to me is as elegant as Cucunubá. The church though is not as old, as this was constructed in the 20th century. The old one was destroyed in a fire. 

The center has a typical set up, restaurants, offices, shops, etc on the sides. The plaza has a park with a lot of seating. There are a series of photo expositions that captures the history of the town during the various years here. Do not miss it.

There are sellers all around and especially during the weekends selling a wide range of goods from honey to fresh fruits and mango biches. 

The principal attraction in the center is the monument of the Torbellino dance in a corner of the plaza. The town is actually considered to be the origin of this andean colombian dance form.

The cobblestone streets, the well maintained architecture, the minimal influence of urban invasion is typical to Tabio. People are friendly and helpful. Be ready for friendly stares if you are a foreigner.

Where to eat

The restaurants of Tabio offer a wide range of gastronomy. Every restaurant will offer at least one vegetarian option, even if it is not in the menu. People go the extra mile to make you comfortable.

One of my favorite must recommended places in Tabio is the restaurant of Machay Artesanal. Perfect vegetarian lunches and amazing vegan products are their hallmark. This place offers the best vegetarian options in Tabio.

Coffee after lunch is a must for me and there are some interesting options in the center as well. Cafe nomy is one of my favorites and their coffee options are top notch.

There are quite a few to-dos when in Tabio - 

• The new and beautiful Jardin Botanico (botanical garden)

• Termales El Zipa (Tabio’s own hot water springs)

• Capilla de Santa Barbara (Saint Barbara Chapel)

• Capilla de Lourdes (Lourdes Chapel)

• Juaica mountain climb

Covering all of them in one blog is going to be impossible, hence I will cover just a couple of them now and the remaining in the upcoming posts.

Capilla de Santa Barbara

This has to be the oldest colonial structure in Tabio. This is a delightful little chapel on a little hill, just a few blocks away from the center. This chapel was built in 1604. The beautifully laid cobble stone path leads to this chapel. The chapel is an excellent example of colonial architecture. The view from the chapel towards the town is one not to be missed. This hill top also offers excellent views towards the rural veredas of Tabio. From the center, it hardly takes about 10 minutes by walk to this beautiful chapel.

Capilla de Lourdes

A slightly longer, but a delightful walk of about 40 minutes from the center (Maps show the accurate way, along the route to Chía leads to the slightly newer Capilla de Lourdes. This was built in 1884. The route to this chapel takes us through some of the delightful farms growing potatoes and carrots. There are hills filled with eucalyptus plants which offer delightful company. The chapel is on a little hill that is easy to climb. The architecture itself is simple yet elegant. There is a wonderful little garden with a lot of flowers. This place, unlike the Santa Barbara chapel, gets lesser visitors, possibly due to the distance. This place has the second best view point in Tabio, according to me. The plains of Tabio with the majestic Juaica as the backdrop, the little houses and the big farms, the mountains all around, offer an excellent view point from the hilltop.

Where to stay

There are buses available to Bogota very frequently as mentioned above. Tabio also offers quite a few hotels and hostels to stay. They are mostly colonial houses converted to hotels and hostels.