Bogotá sits on a high plain in the Andes at about 2,640 metres, which means thin air, cool temperatures and a sky that can go from blue to grey in an hour. Visitors from sea level often feel breathless on the first day and should take it slowly, drinking water and avoiding heavy meals.
The hills are the landmark. Monserrate, a peak above the old centre rising to 3,152 metres, has a white church on top that pilgrims have visited for centuries, and a cable car and funicular run to the summit. The old district of La Candelaria has narrow streets, colonial houses and the Gold Museum, which holds tens of thousands of pre-Columbian objects, among them the Muisca raft that probably inspired the legend of El Dorado. On Sundays and public holidays, many main roads close to cars for the Ciclovía, and thousands of people cycle, jog and skate through the city.
Riders usually leave the city on the Autopista Norte and head up to the highlands of Boyacá and Cundinamarca. The road to Villa de Leyva, a beautifully preserved colonial town with a huge cobbled square, takes about three hours, and passes through cool valleys of farms and eucalyptus. Nearby, Lake Guatavita is a round crater lake where the Muisca held rituals, tossing gold into the water, a ceremony that fed the myth of El Dorado. Roads are generally decent but busy, with trucks, slow buses and tolls, and rain and fog are frequent.
Fuel and food are no problem anywhere in the city, and Cota to the west has more. Traffic in Bogotá is heavy, and motorcycles filter through it fast, so be alert. Leave early to beat the rush, and bring a rain jacket. Mornings are best for riding, before clouds gather.