Nariño

CULTURE

Pasto: Museums and culture

Discover Pasto, recognized as “Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art”. This southern Colombian destination captivates visitors with its cultural richness and its historic architecture. Walk through the Plaza de Nariño, admire the imposing Cathedral of San Juan de Pasto and visit the Taminango Museum, the Negros y Blancos Carnival Museum, the Gold Museum, the Juan Lorenzo Lucero Museum and the Alfonso Zambrano Museum-workshop where art and tradition become visible. Pasto invites you to live an authentic experience full of history and creativity.

Ipiales: Las Lajas Sanctuary

Very close to Ipiales is the Sanctuary of Las Lajas, one of the most impressive and visited temples in Colombia. Its neo-Gothic architecture, built over a canyon, makes it a unique place in the world. This religious and tourist destination attracts for its beauty, spirituality and natural environment.

Marimba music and traditional songs of Colombia's South Pacific: World Heritage Site

Experience the cultural strength of the Pacific in Nariño with the marimba music and traditional songs, declared UNESCO World Heritage. These ancestral sounds combine marimbas, drums and voices that tell stories of resistance and Afro-descendant joy. Come and enjoy the International Festival of Marimba and Traditional Chants, held annually at the end of the year in Tumaco, offers musical performances, dances, cultural workshops and gastronomic fairs that immerse visitors in the Afro-Colombian essence.

NATURE

The lagoon of La Cocha or Lago Guamuez:

Discover La Cocha Lagoon, a natural contact paradise near Pasto. Enjoy boat rides, ecological hikes in the enchanting La Corota Island Flora Sanctuary, the smallest nature reserve in the country, and activities such as trout fishing in a lively environment. Stay in Swiss chalet-style cabins and taste local flavors in typical restaurants. Surrounded by ancestral legends, La Cocha offers a unique experience.

La Planada Natural Reserve:

Immerse yourself in La Planada Nature Reserve, a 3,200-hectare cloud forest sanctuary in Nariño, administered by the Pialapí Pueblo Viejo Awá Indigenous Resguardo. Explore trails such as El Tejón and La Vieja, ideal for bird and orchid watching. Participate in cultural workshops and nightly participatory science activities. Rest in cozy cabins and enjoy its natural contact.

ANCESTRAL COMMUNITIES AND RURALITY

A Mosaic of Cultures

Nariño is a unique cultural destination where indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants and of colonial heritage coexist. In the highlands, the Pastos and Quillacingas keep their millenary traditions alive. On the coast and in the mountains, the Awá and Inga preserve ancestral knowledge and native languages. Tumaco, with its Afro culture, dazzles with unique flavors and vibrant rhythms. Visit Nariño and discover a diverse, authentic territory full of living history.

The Awá of the Resguardo Pialapí Pueblo Viejo: Indigenous Communities and Peoples

Discover the Resguardo Indígena Awá Pialapí Pueblo Viejo and live a unique experience of community-based tourism. Walk through the La Planada Natural Reserve with local experts along trails such as El Tejón and La Vieja, while learning about medicinal plants and ancestral customs. Enjoy bird watching, cultural workshops and lodging in ecological cabins. An opportunity to connect with nature and the wisdom of the Awá people in an environment full of life.

Holidays:

Carnaval de Negros y Blancos de Pasto: A World Heritage Site
Experience the Carnival of Blacks and Whites in Pasto, declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. This unique festival celebrates diversity, with indigenous, African and Spanish roots. Enjoy parades of giant floats, music, dances and painting games between locals and visitors. From January 2 to 6, join a colorful celebration that honors the coexistence and identity of southwestern Colombia.

Religious holidays:

Nariño celebrates religious festivals that reflect its spiritual and cultural identity. Holy Week in Ipiales fuses Catholic tradition with indigenous expressions, highlighting solemn processions. Between August and September, thousands of pilgrims participate in the Fiestas Patronales de Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Las Lajas, which commemorates her apparition in 1754.

GASTRONOMY

Traditional cuisine:

Nariño invites you to discover its authentic cuisine, full of traditional flavors. Try the roasted guinea pig, prepared with ancestral techniques that highlight its unique flavor. Delight yourself with the hornado pastuso, pork slowly baked with local spices. Don't miss the empanadas de añejo, made with fermented corn dough, crunchy and filled with cheese or meat. Enjoy locro pastuso, a thick soup with potatoes, guasca herbs and cheese. Taste the fresh trout from the lagoon from La Cocha and tamales nariñenses, wrapped in bijao leaves and filled with flavorful pork meat.

CRAFTS

In Nariño, handicrafts are a living part of its identity. The iraca hat from Sandoná is a piece recognized for its quality and design, the result of a tradition inherited for generations. In Pasto, the guanga weavings reflect ancestral knowledge in blankets and loincloths that preserve the Andean style. Also noteworthy are the handicrafts in mopa mopa or Pasto varnish, UNESCO World Heritage, a pre-Hispanic technique that embellishes wooden objects with dyed vegetable leaves, resulting in unique pieces full of color and precision.