Ipiales travel guide

Ipiales, ‘the city of the three volcanoes’, stands close to Colombia’s main border crossing with Ecuador and is famous for its colourful Friday morning indigenous market. The Catedral Bodas de Plata is worth visiting.There is a small museum, set up by Banco de la República. San Luis airport is 6.5 km out of town. Buses to most destinations leave from a new terminal at Carrera 3 with Calle 6, It has good facilities with a 24-hour left-luggage facility, US$1.10 per item and toilets, US$0.27. Most buses leave from here but Bolivariano and Transipiales have kiosks at the border and will collect passengers from here for main destinations further into Colombia.

The city’s main attraction, 7 km east on a paved road, is the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Las Lajas (US$0.55, mass at the church Mon-Fri 0600, 0700, 0900, 1100, 1500 and 1700, Sun, every hour 0600-1200, 1500-1700) which was declared a National Monument in 1984. Seen from the approach road, looking down into the canyon, the Sanctuary is a magnificent architectural conception, set on a bridge over the Río Guáitara. it is very heavily ornamented in the Gothic style. The altar is set into the rock face of the canyon where the Virgin Mary appeared around 1750. This forms one end of the sanctuary with the façade facing a wide plaza that completes the bridge over the canyon. There are walks to nearby shrines in dramatic scenery. It is a 10 to 15-minute walk down to the sanctuary from the village along a path lined with plaques giving thanks for miracles rendered by the virgin as well as a statue of Manuel de Rivera, a blind man cured by the virgin who walked through Ecuador begging for alms as thanks. He raised 388 pesos and 7 reales. Pilgrims come from all over Colombia and Ecuador (very crowded at Easter) and the Sanctuary must be second only to Lourdes in the number of miracles claimed for it, although the church only recognizes one. In the vaults of the church is an interesting museum telling the history of the construction of the church as well as religious artefacts and some interesting taxidermy – a ‘two-headed’ and an ‘eight-legged’ sheep, presumably examples of further miracles but clumsily stitched together from many animals.

There are several basic hotels and a small number of restaurants at Las Lajas. You may also stay at the convent, simple but cheerful. Try local guinea pig and boiled potatoes for lunch (or guinea-pig betting in the central plaza may be more to your taste)....read more