How to Visit the Puente de Boyaca Bridge – Site of the Decisive Battle for Colombian Independence

The Puente de Boyacá, was the site of the decisive battle for Colombian independence.

A force led by Simón Bolívar succeeded in defeating a Spanish army here that paved the way for the capture of Bogotá and subsequent liberation of most of Colombia.

Today, while the bridge that was there during the battle in 1819 is no longer there, you can visit this important historic site. It’s a relatively easy trip outside of Bogotá that can be done as a day trip or a stop on the way to somewhere else.

We had the chance to visit this site in early 2022, and I’m going to share that experience with you here.

So, if you’d like to visit this important historic site yourself, read on to learn all about how to visit the Puente de Boyacá Bridge as well as learn a bit more about the history.

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Intro – What Happened at the Puente de Boyacá?

As noted above, one of the most important battles in Colombian history was fought here. In fact, the Battle of Boyacá, fought on August 7, 1819, is considered the decisive battle that led directly to the independence of much of Colombia.

The independence wars in Colombia were messy.

After Napoleon’s occupation of Spain, many of the Spanish colonies, including Nueva Granada, the name of the colony, moved towards autonomy. This included the declaration of autonomy on July 20, 1810 that is celebrated as Colombian Independence Day.

However, this declaration technically still proclaimed loyalty to the deposed Spanish King Fernando VII. Some provinces, such as Cartagena in November 1811, declared full independence, with most others following suit.

However, they failed to properly unite, often fighting amongst themselves. There was especially conflict between Bogotá and the other provincial capitals who sought regional independence.

This period is known as the Patría Boba, or “Foolish Fatherland.” It contributed to a relatively easy reconquest of the colony from 1815-16 by the Spanish after the siege of Cartagena. Bolívar and many other independence leaders fled, although many were also imprisoned or executed by the Spanish.

By 1817, Simón Bolívar had returned from exile in Haiti and Jamaica to his native Venezuela and was carrying out guerilla raids on Spanish forces from a base in the isolated Orinoco River basin. From there he hatched a bold plan to hopefully liberate Nueva Granada once and for all.

Rather than attempt to attack the royalist forces in their coastal strongholds, he decided to march across the plains known as Los Llanos and up into the lesser defended Andes. Moreover, he decided to do it during the wet season when the plains were flooded and it would be hard to track their movements.

Bolívar’s forces suffered immensely on this march. Not only did the face tropical disease and difficulty crossing the sparsely populated and flooded llanos, but then they suffered the cold of the Andes immediately afterwards. Many of the llanero horses got sick and died once up in the mountains.

However, his plan strategically worked to perfection, he crossed the Llanos and marched up into the Andes to catch the royalists by surprise, defeating them at Pantano Vargas, or Vargas’s swamp on July 25 before capturing the city of Tunja on August 5.

Royalist forces rushed to defend Bogotá, with Bolívar in pursuit.

They met up near the bridge crossing the Teatinos River. Independence forces succeeded in encircling the royalists and seizing the bridge. The overwhelming majority of the royalist army was captured.

This battle became known as the Battle of Boyacá or Batalla de Boyacá, and was the final turning point in the wars for independence. With most of the royalist army now captured, Bogotá and the majority of the rest of Nueva Granada remained practically defenseless.

The viceroy and the remaining royalist officials and forces abandoned Bogotá for the fortified walls of Cartagena on August 9, and Bolívar entered the city without resistance on August 10.

With the exception of Cartagena and a few other royalist strongholds, most of Colombia now had de facto independence. It’s for this reason, the Battle of Boyacá is considered so decisive, and it is celebrated with a national holiday every year on August 7.

You can read more about the battle here.

Is it Worth it to Visit the Puente de Boyacá?

Honestly, I think it depends.

I really wanted to go here and visit the Boyacá Bridge because I love history and find historic sites like this fascinating.

However, I realize not everyone finds them as interesting.

So, for those like me interested in history, this is a pretty easy thing to include. For those who aren’t that interested in history or monuments, I wouldn’t consider it a must see. In fact, I’d probably say it is not really worth going out of your way for.

The good thing is it can be easily incorporated into existing plans nearby if you do want to see it.

You could come here as a day or even half day trip from Bogotá, or include it as a stop on the way to the gorgeous colonial town of Villa de Leyva.

How to Get to the Puente de Boyacá

Reaching the Boyacá Bridge is relatively easy.

There are not a whole lot of guided tours, but it’s relatively easy to arrive here via public transportation or you could also opt to rent a car or hire private transportation.

If coming from Bogotá, get a bus from any terminal to the city of Tunja. The puente and monument are just shortly before Tunja, so tell the driver you would like to be dropped off there. It should take roughly 90 minutes. After you visit, you should be able to get a passing bus either back to Bogotá or on to Tunja if you are going there or continue on to Villa de Leyva.

If coming from Tunja, ask at the terminal for a bus that goes to Ventequemado, and tell the driver to leave you at the bridge and monuments. We paid $3,000 COP for this and $4,000 for the return bus we flagged down on the side of the road after our visit to return to Tunja (this was January 2022, so prices may have gone up).

If coming from Villa de Leyva, get a bus to Tunja first and then follow the instructions above.

By the way, I can’t recommend Villa de Leyva enough. You can read all about it, including tips on what to do and where to stay here or see my picks for the best Villa de Leyva hotels.

We actually did not stop at the Puente de Boyacá on our visit to Villa de Leyva, instead doing it on a subsequent trip. We stopped for a couple nights in Tunja before continuing on to Sogamoso and doing some lesser known things in Boyacá, such as the excellent hike in the Páramo de Ocetá.

In Tunja, we stayed at a small guest house style arrangement with private rooms and a shared kitchen. It was fine and close to some restaurants and within walking distance of the main plaza. You can also see more places to stay in Tunja here.

Actually, thinking about it Sogamoso was only about an hour away from Tunja, so I also think you could opt to stay there and do the bridge as a day trip if you were interested in doing other things near there too.

In Sogamoso we stayed at a nice little guesthouse on the edge of town named Sueños Vividos. You can see more places to stay in Sogamoso here.

From Sogamoso, the best way to get to the Puente de Boyacá would be to bus to Tunja and then follow the above instructions.

What to See at the Bridge of Boyacá

First, it is free to enter the site, and you can pretty much do so directly from the road.

So, let’s get the elephant in the room (or not in the room I guess) out of the way first. The historic bridge that was there at the time of the battle is no longer here. It was wooden and was lost to history sometime after the battle.

There is however, a small brick bridge built as a monument for the battle.

Surrounding this bridge is a large plaza.

Around this plaza, there are flags and an “eternal” flame that was actually not burning when we were there. There is also a statue of Francisco de Paula Santander, the second most important independence leader who played a key role in the battle.

Over off to the edge of the plaza, there is a bit of an odd shaped monument to the British Legion that fought with Bolívar’s forces, including at this Battle of Boyacá.

During our visit, there was a guy who gave a short, maybe 10 minute explanation of the battle for a voluntary tip. I’m not sure if he was an official guide or just there on his own accord, but his talk was pretty decent if you speak Spanish.

Near the bridge, there is a building that appeared to house a small museum and cultural exhibits but it was closed when we visited.

Up the hill, you can find a massive and neat monument to Bolívar. On the monument, there are representations of each country Bolívar helped liberate.

It’s a neat statue and well worth the walk up the hill to see.

Along the hill to the right of the statue are a bunch of flagpoles flying the flags of all the towns in the department or state of Boyacá. It was kind of neat to walk along here and see each one, but I wouldn’t say it’s can’t miss either.

Around the grounds there are also a few little tiendas where you can get snacks or something to drink.

Finally, if you cross the street on the opposite side of the main plaza and bridge (you can actually walk under the bridge where the road passes overhead), there are a few more monuments.

First, you’ll find the “Arch of Triumph” built to honor all soldiers in Colombia’s armed forces who have died protecting the country.

If you follow the path behind this, you’ll come to another section of the battlefield.

First, you’ll pass a bust of José de la Cruz Carrillo, who was one of Bolívar’s top lieutenants and played an important role in the battle.

Beyond that, there is an obelisk and monument dedicated to Bolívar and other leaders who fought here.

I’d say this second set of monuments is worth the extra 15 minutes to half hour to check out.

I will say, I think it would be nice if there was a map and maybe some other panels depicting and explaining the events of the battle.

It’s hard to get a feel for exactly how it played out without them, and I think it would add a lot to the site to have a big map showing the troop movements perhaps up on the hill where the monument to Bolívar stands.

All in all though, it’s an interesting visit and if you are interested in checking it out, you should.

I’d say you could spend anywhere from 1-3 hours here.

Practical Tips for Visiting the Boyacá Bridge

• There are no ATMs around the site, so be sure to bring some cash.
• If you are busing here, I wouldn’t wait until too late in the day to leave just to make sure you can get a bus to wherever you are headed.
• The temperature in this area of Boyacá can range from pleasantly and surprisingly warm when the sun is shining or pretty chilly when it is overcast or drizzling and windy. I’d recommend having a decent jacket with you.

Ready to plan your visit to the Puente de Boyacá?

Like I said above, if you are not a history buff, I probably wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to include this on your trip through Colombia.

However, if you are passing through this area and/or are a history buff and enjoy historic sites and monuments, it’s also worth the stop and is pretty easy to do.

If you do go, I hope this helped you plan your visit and that you find it interesting and enjoyable.

Cheers and Happy Exploring!

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