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Tequendama Falls (Salto del Tequendama) is not too far outside Bogotá. It’s a popular tourist attraction and an important part of Muisca mythology.
About the Falls
Scenic Tequendama Falls, in the municipality of Soacha, is fed by the Bogotá River. It’s 132 meters (433 feet) high. Sadly, the waterfall is considered to be the most polluted in the world. The river contains untreated waste from the city.
According to the indigenous Muisca people, the waterfall was created during a major flood that covered the Bogotá savanna. The god Bochica, the founder of their civilization, created the falls by using his staff to break the rock and release the water.
We visited the falls on a busy holiday weekend and were shocked by the number of cars parked along the road. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stop for more than a few minutes because of the traffic and there were no safe places to park the car. We got a 30-second look at the falls and left. We couldn’t really see anything anyway because of the mist coming from the falls. Hopefully we’ll visit at a quieter time and actually get a good look.
Tequendama Falls House Museum
At a prime spot overlooking the falls, you’ll find the Tequendama Falls House Museum (Casa Museo del Salto del Tequendama). Architect Carlos Arturo Tapias originally built it as a mansion in 1923, and it was converted to a hotel in 1928. Pollution from the Bogotá River forced its abandonment in the early 1990s. The building sat empty for two decades until it opened as a museum in 2013.
The museum’s mission is to make people aware of the river’s pollution problem and work towards recovering the ecosystem. It’s only open on weekends and holiday Mondays. Admission is COP$14,000 and free for kids under 8 (as of February 2025). We couldn’t visit because of the parking situation, and of course I wasn’t able to get a picture.
