Laguna de Guatavita is located in the municipality of Sesquilé, in the Cundinamarca department of Colombia. It is a circular lake in what appears to be a meteor crater. However, the origins of the crater are unclear.

History and Culture
Lake Guatavita was one of the sacred lakes of the Muiscas, where they celebrated a ceremony in which the chief (the Zipa) was covered in gold before bathing in its waters. This is one of the origins of the legend of El Dorado. Guatavita today bears a curious notch in its cliffside, evidence of an attempt to drain the lake by the conquistadores in 1580.

Around and closeby
Visit the nearby town of Guatavita, which is very close to the lake, it's a good idea to see them both on the same trip.

Getting there
You will need a permit from the Corporacion Autonoma Regional de Cundinamarca in Bogotá, and these aren't easy to obtain anymore. The office only gives out 20 per weekend. If you do manage to get one then you can take a bus to the small town of Guatavita, tell the driver where you're going as you have to get off the bus about 11km before you reach the town. After you get off it's a 7km walk up to the lake.