Ipiales – Las Lajas Sanctuary
Here’s a short, little post about one remarkable church built into the side of a canyon after a miracle involving the apparition of the Virgin Mary in the cliff. We had not planned on visiting the Las Lajas Sanctuary just outside Ipiales, Colombia, but as we were researching flights from Quito to Bogota we found out that border-crossing flights in South America are prohibitively expensive. So we saved over $300 per person by taking a bus/colectivo route and got to take in the beauty of southern Colombia.
Crossing the Ecuador-Colombia border on foot
The main plaza at Ipiales, the closest city to the border
A short ride outside Ipiales is the canyon cut by the Guâitara River
Plaques attributing miracles to the Virgin line the approach to the cathedral
The Neo-Gothic facade of the Las Lajas Sanctuary
The lofty interior of the main sanctuary
The church is built right into the rockface of the canyon
The stunning backdrop of the cathedral straddling the canyon
From Ipiales, we rode the bus to Pasto to catch a flight—and it was the best bus ride we took on all our travels
Sit on the right side to appreciate the green quilt landscape and valleys
