Prado Colombia, the ultimate weekend getaway

I have been residing in Bogota, Colombia for just over three weeks now and I am getting along very well in the city but when a friend asked me if I wanted to go to Prado for a long weekend I jumped at the chance.

Prado is a small piece of paradise located around 4 hours drive south of Bogota. It is a small town a short distance from a huge lake and dam, the lake is surrounded by properties and provides the ideal spot for a large number of sporting activities.

I stayed in a friend’s house but there are a number of small hotels around the lake. The properties around the lake can only be reached by boat but each hotel has a number of boats available for transportation and hire.

What makes Prado ideal is its climate, it has an average temperature of around 30 – 40c all year round, making it the perfect destination anytime of the year.

There are many activities available around the lakes, we went out in a boat and did a lot of water skiing, wake boarding and wakesurfing in the warm waters. We also drove the boat around exploring the hidden caves, followed a picturesque pathway around the lakes and found cliff diving spots.

There is a mountain located just across the water from the local village which has a hiking trail. We climbed up to the top of the mountain to admire the amazing lake and mountain views from all around.

Like other Colombian towns, locals in Prado have their own speciality dishes-one around the area of Prado is called Lechona, which is basically what we in England would call a hog roast, a pig cooked on a rotisserie, with crackling and the meat inside. The difference between Lechona and an English hog roast is that Colombian’s put rice, potato and seasonings inside the pig before it’s cooked creating a delicious mixture of pork, rice and potato. It’s definitely worth a try.

Prado is  a dream mini vacation spot and although it is located just four hours outside of the city, it provides a breath-taking contrast to city life. It’s hard to believe you are in the centre of Colombia with beautiful locations like Prado around.