This municipality, capital of the Cesar Department, it is called the "City of the Sacred Kings of the Valley of Upar", and was founded on January 6 in 1550 by the spanish captain Hernando de Santana. It is situated in the valley of the river Cesar and the name "Upar" comes from Eupari, a chimila warchief that live...d in the territory before the spaniards arrived. It began as a small populated center in the lands of the eupari indians and became a pit stop for the Santa Marta route. It's an important place for farming mango trees and also ranching, and also the birthplace of vallenato, a traditional musical genre of colombia.
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Travel tips for Valledupar
The urban transport is covered by "busetas" (little buses) of 3 bus operators: Cootranscolcer, Cootra Upar and Transcacique, which are in a crisis apparently due to the "mototaxi", an illegal but low-cost mean of transportation. The price of the public bus ticket is at 1400 COP. There are also urban taxis, organized in cooperative business, that have the modality of home pickup of people. It won't be difficult to find your mean of transportation. Among the risks that you can find at this city, the flooding of the rivers is quite frequent. Be specially cautious if you travel in the rainy season, when the rise are fast.In Valledupar the tropical sicknesses as dengue fever or tuberculosis are not completely eradicated, altough in a very little scale. Just try to make researches and taking cautions before travelling to those areas.Regarding the secur...ity, Valledupar is a territory where it's necessary to be watchful in every moment, since the thefts have increased in the last years. Be careful of showing in public jewellery or other valuable objects as cameras or cell phones. A modality of theft that is being used is the one where the thieves get around in a motorbike. Try to avoid the non very circulated areas by yourself and in hours of little visibility.Be ready to support the high temperatures with light clothes and always with a bottle of water by hand to stand the intense heat. The electric current kind used in Colombia is 110-volt AC (110 V), with a frequence of 60 Hz. We recommend you to have a plug adaptor if you travel to places that uses other voltage.The high season in Colombia goes from December to January. You should book all in advance if you travel at the begining of the year.
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Valledupar weather
Best time to visit Valledupar
The best time to travel to Valledupar is April, the period when takes place the Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata, that attracts a lot of visitors.
Climate in Valledupar
The climate in Valledupar is tropical and has an average annual temperature of 83 °F (28,4 °C), without great oscillations, although in April, the warm period, the temperature reaches 95 °F (35 °C).
The things to do in Valledupar
Valledupar is the crib of the musical gender called "vallenato" and you can admire the legacy in festivals, parks, squares ...and monuments, as the festival celebrated in the Park of "La Leyenda Vallenata", also used for musical and cultural events.
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Nightlife in Valledupar
Palenke Cultura Bar
Location: Barrio Canaguate Carrera 5 # 13C-52, Valledupar Hours: There is no information available Price: There is no information available This bar is located in the historic center of Valledupar, at one block from the Alfonso Lopez square, has dancing music and a menu of drinks quite varied. it's recommended to taste the cervezas micheladas or the beer with mango. It's not the place to listen the vallenato.
Morena Lounge
Location: Carrera 9 7 B-16, Valledupar Hours: There is no information available Price: There is no information available It's a nightclub with good atmosphere and a good DJ, but it's not very big.
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Where to eat in Valledupar?
Restaurante Bar Compae Chipuco
Location: Carrera 6 #16-05 Centro, Valledupar Price: from 28.000 COP At this nice restaurant of colonial mansion type you will find typical food from the coast with delicious flavors, specially fishes, and it's placed very close to the main square Alfonso Lopez. It's recommended to taste the chivo, that is really good seasoned.
Mr. Beef
Location: Calle 11 8-15 San Carlos, Valledupar Prices: 30 000 COP At this restaurant the food is very tasty and they have taken care of the decoration. It's an attractive place where you want to go inside. It also has a varied menu of salads, soups, fishes, chicken and meat. The personnel is very attentive and the dishes are well presented. The recommended dish is the solomillo just exquisite.
Charlie's Gourmet
Location: Carrera 9 No 10-30, Valledupar Price: 40.000 COP This restaurant has good quality dishes and the possibility of being seated in outdoors tables. The taste of the grill is really good.
María Namén
Location: Calle 6 # 9 -24, Valledupar Price: 45 000 COP This restaurant has the typical food from the region and grills made of high quality meat, the service is excellent and the decoration style remembers to the old of the same area.
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The tourist places to see in Valledupar are:
Plaza Alfonso Lopez Valledupar
Location: Cra 7, Valledupar Hours: all day Price: Free entrance This colonial style square and with old mansions is the symbol of the vallenato festival. It's the main meeting place and where take place the main fairs and festivals. It's one of the first places that you will visit when you get to the municipality of Valledupar. As main features there is a mango tree where the people join together and the sculpture Revolution is operating , made by Rodrigo Arenas.
Casa Beto Murgas - Museo del Acordeón
Location: Carrera 17 #9A -18 Barrio San Joaquin- Valledupar Hours: Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 m and 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.; saturday9:00 a.m. - 12:00 m Price: 20.000 pesos COP This is the house that Beto Murgas converted into an accordion museum, since this is the symbol of the vallenata culture. The visitors will be welcomed directly by the owners of the house and will learn a lot about this curious instrument and its meaning in Colombia. Through this tour you will have a global vision of this instrument.
Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepcion
Location: Plaza de Alfonso Lopez, Valledupar Hours: all day Price: free entrance The church of Inmaculada Concepcion, that has been restored several times due to the damages suffered with the passage of time, is a cultural center of beautiful architecture. In the central altarpiece we find the image of the Virgin Mary. This church join together to a lot of devoted people in Easter, a period when the religious fervor grows. The monument harbors the patron saint of the city, Ecce Homo.
Balneario Hurtado
Location: Plaza de Alfonso Lopez,Valledupar Hours: all day Price: free entrance It's a little and calm town where you can spend a day in the countryside with your family. It's a place where you can admire the landscape while the most daring people dampen their feet in the chilled water of the river.
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The things to do in Valledupar
Nabusimake
Location: at 15,5 mi (25 km) from Pueblo Bello Hours: all day Price: free entrance This spectacular town but of difficult access is a natural paradise for the ecotourism practice and shows the Arhuaca indigenous culture. Its houses are built in bahareque, stalk and rocks. It's a beautiful and interesting place to visit.
Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
Hours: all day Price: free entrance It's a mountain range located between the departments of Guajira, Magdalena and Cesar. It's one of the natural protected parks of Colombia and there you can find the 2 highest mountains of the country, that are the peaks Colon and Bolivar, both higher than 16.400 feet (5000 meters) of height. This territory was the settlement of several cultures, among the ones Arhuaco, Kankuamo, Wiwa and Kogui stand out. In the national park we can admire the flora from the region, as the flowers frailejón, la bromelia y el oncidium; there is also an interesting fauna as the copetona eagle, among other species. It's the ideal place to do trekkings and enjoy the most the nature.
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Typical dishes in Valledupar
Chivo Guisado
This traditional dish from the region is prepared with many ingredients, among the ones there are sweet peppers, celery, oregano, onions, garlic, sour oranges, coriander, rum, tomato sauce, oil, red wine and olives. You should taste it in Valledupar. a whole delight!
Sancocho vallenato
It's a soup that has cow ribs (or chicken), manioc, yam, green bananas, arracacha (a kind of tuber), corn, coriander, onion, celery and cumin. It's served in a special dinnerware set special from the area called totumo.
Dulce de leche
It's a dessert prepared in the region. The ingredients that are part of it are milk, sugar and bicarbonate of soda. If you have a sweet tooth, you will love this delight.
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Accomodations in Valledupar
Hotel Caribe Platinium
Location: Carrera 15 # 18 - 29, Valledupar Rate: from 60 000 COP The services of the hotel include free wifi, bar, some rooms have a terrace or view over the garden and all the rooms have a private bathroom and a shower. There is 24 hour reception desk and the airport Alfonso Lopez is placed at 2,4 mi (4 kms) of distance.
La Granja
Location: La Paz - Vía Manaure Kilometro 4, Valledupar Rate: from 70 800 COP for the double room This nice hotel has a swimming-pool, private garage, TV and private bathrooms in all the rooms. There is a shared kitchen and the airport is located at just 8,6 mi (14 km).
Important dates in Valledupar
Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata
End of April
It's the festival of the popular folcklore in Colombia, that is celebrated in honor of the vallenato music in April. This time there are accordion competitions in various categories, concerts and there are parades of the pioneros, who are musicians born at this region. The festival join together accordionists from several nearby countries. If you like the vallenato this festival is a must-see.
Feria Ganadera de Valledupar
Second semester of the year
At this fair the stockbreeders exhibit their best animals. Besides that, there is music and you can buy handicrafts. It's usually celebrated the second half of the year, but the date is not fix, it changes every year.
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FAQs
What is an M-Ticket?
An M-Ticket is the virtual replacement of your bus ticket printout. An M-Ticket is an SMS that’s sent to your registered mobile number the moment you have successfully booked a bus ticket on the official website of redBus. The M-Ticket will basically contain details of your bus ticket such as timing, pick-up and drop-off points, vehicle registration number, PNR, and TIN numbers as well. The M-Ticket procedure has been an eco-friendly initiative employed by redBus to help reduce the amount of paper being used.
Do I need to make an account on the redBus website to book a bus?
No, you do not need to make an account with redBus to book a ticket. But, it is advisable to make an account to help speed up the booking process the next time you need to book a bus ticket. redBus offers a number of discounts and offers as well and you can easily avail these offers if you are registered with redBus.
How do I book my bus ticket at Valledupar (Ces)?
You can either visit the bus operator counter of your choice or you can visit the official website of redBus. The user-friendly and interactive website offers a step-by-step process of booking a bus ticket in a matter of minutes. The site offers a lot of useful information such as bus timings, fares, pick-up and drop-off points, and much more.
Is it safe to use my debit or credit card to book a ticket on the redBus website?
redBus has invested a lot to ensure that their customers are protected at all times and not just during their journey. redBus hosts a secure platform where transactions can be made safely. With over 180 million satisfied users, history should tell you exactly how secure it is to make a payment through the redBus website or app.
What is the best way to explore the surroundings of Valledupar?
An excellent way to explore the surroundings of Valledupar is by taking excursions to nearby municipalities. You can visit La Paz, known for its colonial architecture and historic church; Manaure, famous for its salt production; and Codazzi, where you can learn about the indigenous Arhuaco culture. You can also go hiking in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and enjoy its beautiful natural landscapes.