Plan on about 6 h 4 min of driving for the 216-mile (347 km) trip from Pereira to Zipaquirá, before any stops.
Read the full advisory before you go: Colombia. Advisory issued: Colombia March 31, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.
On the roads, the State Department says:
- Colombia: “Mountain roads may lack safety features such as crash barriers or guard rails.”
| Distance by road | 216 mi (347 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 6 h 4 min |
| Departments on the route | Risaralda, Quindío, Tolima, Cundinamarca, Bogota |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 8.6 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
How the Pereira to Zipaquirá drive plays out
It runs through 5 departments: Risaralda, Quindío, Tolima, Cundinamarca, Bogota. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.
Pereira to Zipaquirá: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–21 | 21 | Risaralda, Quindío |
| connecting roads | 21–24 | 3 | Quindío |
| local roads | 24–200 | 176 | Quindío, Tolima, Cundinamarca, Bogota |
| connecting roads | 200–202 | 2 | Cundinamarca |
| local roads | 202–216 | 14 | Cundinamarca |
- Mile 14 of this route: Risaralda → Quindío (department line)
- Mile 40 of this route: Quindío → Tolima (department line)
- Mile 110 of this route: Tolima → Cundinamarca (department line)
- Mile 119 of this route: Cundinamarca → Tolima (department line)
- Mile 130 of this route: Tolima → Cundinamarca (department line)
- Mile 176 of this route: Cundinamarca → Bogota (department line)
- Mile 200 of this route: Bogota → Cundinamarca (department line)
Places worth a stop between Pereira and Zipaquirá
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Quimbaya Museum (mile 27), Salitre Mágico (mile 186)
- Nature and outdoors: Sumapaz Natural Park (mile 166)
- Museums and history: Quimbaya Museum (mile 27), Museo de Arte del Tolima (mile 68), Tequendama (mile 171), National Geological Museum José Royo Gómez (mile 186), Museo Mercedes Sierra de Pérez (mile 190)
- With kids: Salitre Mágico (mile 186)
Quimbaya Museum
Designed by architect Rogelio Salmona, Armenia's Quimbaya Museum displays about 390 gold objects plus pottery, stone sculpture and carved wood, mainly from the pre-Columbian Quimbaya culture.
Museo de Arte del Tolima
In Ibagué, capital of Tolima, the Museo de Arte del Tolima shows Colombian art alongside contemporary Latin American work.
Sumapaz Natural Park
Sumapaz Natural Park (Parque Nacional Natural Sumapaz) is a Colombian national park spanning parts of the Meta, Huila and Cundinamarca departments and the Capital District of Bogotá.
Tequendama
A couple of kilometers east of Tequendama Falls, southeast of Soacha, this archaeological site holds evidence of people living on the Bogotá savanna from the late Pleistocene to the middle Holocene.
La Vaca
La Vaca, also called Techovita, is a wetland of about 20 acres in Bogotá's Kennedy locality, part of the Wetlands of Bogotá in the Tunjuelo River basin.
National Geological Museum José Royo Gómez
Run by the Colombian Geological Survey, the National Geological Museum José Royo y Gómez is devoted to geology and paleontology.
Salitre Mágico
Salitre Mágico is an amusement park in Bogotá's Parque El Salitre, with 39 mechanical rides, including roller coasters, bumper cars and the Castillo del Terror.
Museo Mercedes Sierra de Pérez
Also called Museo El Chicó, this park-museum in northern Bogotá was declared a district cultural heritage site in 1992 and gives its name to the surrounding neighborhood.
La Conejera
La Conejera is a 146-acre wetland in Suba, Bogotá, part of the Wetlands of Bogotá in the Juan Amarillo River basin on the Bogotá savanna.
Arriving in Zipaquirá
El Abra
El Abra is an extensive archaeological site in the valley of the same name, stretching from eastern Zipaquirá into the western edge of Tocancipá, Cundinamarca.
Zipaquirá Cathedral
Zipaquirá Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral dedicated jointly to the Holy Trinity, St. Anthony of Padua, and Our Lady of the Assumption in the Colombian town of Zipaquirá.
Tibitó
Tibitó is a dated archaeological rock shelter in Tocancipá, on the northern Bogotá savanna, part of Colombia's Altiplano Cundiboyacense.
More drives to Zipaquirá
- Bogotá to Zipaquirá
- Ibagué to Zipaquirá
- Armenia to Zipaquirá
- Manizales to Zipaquirá
- Cartago, Colombia to Zipaquirá
- Tuluá to Zipaquirá
From Pereira to other places in Colombia
- Pereira to Guatapé
- Pereira to Girardot City
- Pereira to Tunja
- Pereira to Sogamoso
- Pereira to Yopal
- Pereira to Popayán
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Pereira to Zipaquirá?
About 6 h 4 min of driving without stops, over 216 miles.
What is the driving distance from Pereira to Zipaquirá?
About 216 miles (347 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.
What does the U.S. travel advisory say about the Pereira to Zipaquirá drive?
The U.S. State Department rates Colombia Level 3: Reconsider Travel. Read the full advisory before you go.
Where can you stop on the way from Pereira to Zipaquirá?
Closest to the road: Quimbaya Museum (museum, mile 27, 1 mi from the route); Museo de Arte del Tolima (art museum, mile 68, 1 mi from the route); Salitre Mágico (amusement park, mile 186, 0.1 mi from the route). All stops are described above.
How we put this guide together
Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on October 10, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.