Breathtaking: The Church on a Bridge!

One of the most emblematic and must see man made wonders is the Nuestra Señora de las Lajas basilica in Ipiales, Nariño, which seems like something out of a fairy tale as it sits on a bridge over a deep canyon!

Ipiales is close to the border with Ecuador and the Lady of Las Lajas site is popular with Catholic pilgrims and tourists in equal measure. It was the site where in 1754 two indigenous women witnessed an apparition of the Virgin Mary.

The current version of the basilica was completed in 1949 after 33 years of construction. The building is at the end of a bridge and is integrated into the far wall of the Guaitara river canyon. The canyon is 100 meters deep (330 ft) and the bridge rises 50 m (160 ft) above it.

GETTING THERE: Pasto is the closest major airport. There’s frequent flights to Pasto from Medellín and Bogotá. From Pasto you can take a bus from the main bus terminal (using Transipiales, Fronteras, Expreso Bolivariano) and in about 2 hours reach Ipiales.

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