Experience the best of San Gil

San Gil lies in the department of Santander, in the north-eastern Andes of Colombia, beside the Fonce River. Its centre is laid out around a stone cathedral and a plaza, and El Gallineral, a riverside park of trees draped in Spanish moss, is a favourite stroll. The town has become a base for rafting, caving and paragliding in the canyons of the Fonce and Suárez rivers.

Barichara, a village of whitewashed houses and stone-paved lanes, is among the most admired colonial towns in Colombia, and an old Spanish path, the Camino Real, leads on foot to the village of Guane. The great Chicamocha Canyon lies to the north-east, and Juan Curí, a tall waterfall into a natural pool, is a short drive from town.

Santander's cooking is hearty and unusual, with hormigas culonas, large fried ants eaten as a snack, and goat stew. Fresh juices of tropical fruit come in tall glasses. The days are warm, and the drier months are December to February and July to August.