El Paraiso Neighbourhood Tour with Cable Car Bogotá

Ciudad Bolívar and the TransMiCable cable car

Ciudad Bolívar is one of the largest districts of Bogotá, spreading over the hills at the southern edge of the city. It grew quickly from the second half of the twentieth century as families arriving from across Colombia, many of them displaced by conflict, built their homes on the steep slopes. For decades, getting down to work in the city meant long bus rides on narrow roads.

In 2018 the TransMiCable opened, a public cable car of about three and a half kilometres linking the hillside neighbourhoods to the TransMilenio bus network, cutting a journey of around an hour to little more than a quarter of an hour. Riding it is the start of this Bogotá cable car tour: the cabins glide over brick houses, rooftop gardens and football pitches, and your guide explains how a transport project changed daily life on the hill.

El Paraíso: painted houses and street art

El Paraíso sits near the top of the cable car line, at an altitude of about 2,900 metres, roughly 500 metres higher than central Bogotá. As part of the improvements that came with the cable car, many houses were painted in bright turquoise, yellow, pink and orange, and local and visiting artists covered the walls with murals about the history, hopes and daily life of the community.

On foot with your guide you wander the busy streets, small shops and narrow lanes, stopping at the most striking murals and hearing the stories behind them. The walk is not demanding, but the altitude means you should take it slowly and drink plenty of water. This is everyday city life rather than a museum, so the guide shows you how to visit respectfully and enjoy real encounters with residents.

Meeting the community leaders

A highlight of the El Paraíso tour is the meeting with local community leaders, the people who organise residents and work with the city on projects for the neighbourhood. They talk openly about the challenges the district has faced, from poverty and isolation to the arrival of families displaced by violence, and about the positive changes now under way in education, culture, public spaces and transport.

These conversations, translated by your bilingual guide, give a much deeper picture of Bogotá than any city-centre visit, and they are the reason many travellers call this the most memorable part of their stay. Part of every booking supports a community project for children in Ciudad Bolívar, so your visit contributes directly to the neighbourhood you are getting to know. Feel free to ask questions; the leaders welcome them.

The viewpoint over Bogotá and a Colombian snack

The walk leads to one of the best viewpoints in the city. From the hilltop the whole of Bogotá unfolds below you: the dense southern districts, the towers of the financial centre, the green line of the eastern mountains with Monserrate, and the wide savannah of the high plateau stretching toward the horizon. On clear mornings the view is spectacular, and it is a favourite photo stop of the tour.

Here you also try a traditional Colombian snack, a small taste of the food that families in the neighbourhood enjoy every day, before riding the cable car back down. Our vehicle then returns you to your hotel, or to the airport if you chose that option. The whole experience takes about four hours, and morning departures usually offer the clearest skies over the city.