From Bogotá to Muzo, heading toward the Boyacá region, famous for its emeralds

Leave the city before daybreak

We set out at night from downtown Bogotá, just a few blocks from the merchants’ district where emeralds are traded. The timing isn’t romantic: we have to cross the altiplano early so we can tackle the mountain road in broad daylight and arrive in Muzo before nightfall. At 2,640 meters, the town is cold, the streets still empty, and the road heads straight north.

Two to three hours on the road

The first part is the smoothest. You leave Bogotá to the north and cross the savanna of the Cundiboyacense Altiplano: two-lane roads, pastures, eucalyptus trees, and lagoons. This is where 60% of the paved portion of the route is concentrated. The road winds up and down between villages, runs alongside the large lakes of the high plateau, and then reaches Chiquinquirá.

Chiquinquirá is the true gateway to the Emerald Zone: it’s the last major town before the mines, the last place to fill up on gas, withdraw cash, and stock up on supplies. Beyond this point, everything becomes more basic.

The lagoons of the high plateau, on the outskirts of Chiquinquirá.

Where the asphalt ends

After Chiquinquirá, you leave the main road and the terrain changes. The asphalt gives way to a dirt road: gravel, corrugated metal, potholes, and narrow sections. This is the 40% unpaved section, and it starts here. During the dry season, it’s passable. During periods of heavy rain—typically April–May and October–November—the dirt road becomes muddy and slippery, and a4x4 is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Without one, you simply can’t get through.

The Fall Toward Green

This is the slowest and most spectacular part of the journey. Over the course of a few dozen kilometers, you descend from the cold altiplano (2,500 m) to the warm climate of western Boyacá (around 800 m). The dry páramo gives way to tropical rainforest. The road narrows to a ribbon carved into the cliffside, winding in switchbacks, with sheer drops on one side and a sheer cliff face on the other. The vegetation closes in, the air grows thicker, and the valley opens up to a landscape that is both lush and rocky.

The first valleys in western Boyacá, the "Land of Emeralds."

Muzo: and two more hours

Muzo appears at the bottom of the valley—a small mining town at an elevation of about 800 meters—where emeralds are everywhere: in conversations, on the sidewalks, and throughout the village’s entire economy. But arriving in Muzo does not mean arriving at the mine. To reach the nearest mining sites, you have to travel another two hours or so along mountain trails—often by motorcycle when the 4x4 can’t go any further—on stretches where only a two-wheeler can make it up the final steep inclines.

And large commercial mines aren't open to the public: access must be negotiated, arranged, and supervised. You don't just show up at a mining face without an invitation.

A safe path, but not a naive one

The Muzo region has a violent history that is well documented: the “emerald wars” and the figure of Victor Carranza left their mark on the late^20th century. That period is now over, and the area has calmed down; the journey is uneventful during the day. But one fact remains: this route is known to be used by emerald buyers and dealers, and as such, it attracts its share of criminals. Cases of theft and assault have already occurred there.

The rule we follow is simple: travel during the day, keep a low profile, no outward signs, no visible gems or cash, and, whenever we’re transporting valuables, be accompanied by local security. This isn’t paranoia; it’s just standard practice in this line of work.