The Salt Cathedral is unlike any other church I have visited in the 23 countries I have been to. At once you are greeted with a sense of history and spirituality – there is something truly awesome about being 40 meters below the surface and the silence that comes with that.  I visited the Salt Cathedral with Hansa tours on 30 July 2009.  We began the tour at our hotel with some information packages from the tour guide, Juan Camilo.  He even made a map of the Salt Cathedral so we could study it a bit before we went in and get a better idea of the layout, he recommended looking at it before because there is very little light in the Salt Cathedral itself – which was true.

We were told the history of the Salt Cathedral and the town around it, Zipaquirá.  When we finally arrived at Zipaquirá, I was stunned by the beauty of the small town.  It was clean and the air seemed a little fresher than Bogotá. 

The entrance to the park around the Cathedral is very impressive with beautiful Eucalyptus trees everywhere.  Walking down the entrance you pass under the first cross of many, this one representing the final cross in the main hall of the Cathedral. 

Our tour guide led us down the dark main tunnel that leads to the first of 13 chapels.  The tunnel is dimly lit and you can see salt formations along the walls.  Each chapel displays a scene carved out of the salt walls and often with a marble cross at its centre.  

The main tunnel continues until you reach a balcony that overlooks the main cathedral, which is flanked by two smaller cathedrals.  Together, these three chambers represent the birth, life and death of Christ.  The fading and changing lighting lends a special eerie feel to the experience.

If you are going to Colombia, I highly recommend a visit to the Salt Cathedral.  The history behind it and the experience is unique and memorable.  Hansa tours did a great job of making it a detailed and insightful trip.