Pasto travel guide
Carnival colour, barniz craft and a volcano on the doorstep
Pasto is Nariño's highland capital, best known for the Carnaval de Negros y Blancos in early January and as a base for Laguna de la Cocha and Laguna Verde. The driest months are June to September. Two or three days covers the city and one lake trip; add a day for Las Lajas near Ipiales. Costs are low, and many passports get up to 90 days without a visa.
San Juan de Pasto sits at roughly 2,500 metres in the Atriz Valley of southern Colombia, capital of Nariño department and the last big city before the Ecuadorian border. Most visitors come for one week in January, when the Carnaval de Negros y Blancos turns the streets into a parade route, and the rest arrive on their way between Ecuador and the Colombian interior.
Galeras looms over everything. The volcano rises to 4,276 metres just west of town and is visible from almost any street corner, though its summit has been closed for years because of continuing activity. Only the Telpis sector of the surrounding sanctuary, with its small lagoon, is open to walkers.
Churches define the centre. Pasto is a devout city, and the old temples around Plaza de Nariño are reason enough for a slow morning on foot. Craft workshops are the other draw: barniz de Pasto, a lacquer made from the mopa-mopa resin and applied to wood in thin coloured sheets, is still practised here. Leatherwork is the other old trade.
Cool weather surprises people who expect Colombia to be hot. Daytime highs barely move from 17 to 18C all year and nights drop to about 9C, so a jumper is part of the kit in every month.
The best reason to stay longer than a night lies outside town. Laguna de la Cocha, a high Andean lake about 20 km east, has trout restaurants on its shore and boats out to the La Corota island sanctuary, while Laguna Verde in the crater of Azufral volcano near Túquerres makes a hard but rewarding day hike.
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Churches and craft workshops in town, two crater and highland lakes within reach, and a carnival unlike any other in Colombia.
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Best time to visit Pasto
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Rainfall falls to 24-45 mm a month, the best odds for clear views of Galeras and for hiking at Laguna Verde.
The city fills for the Carnaval de Negros y Blancos; rooms and buses book out weeks ahead.
November is the rainiest at about 114 mm, with afternoon showers and cloud on the volcano.
For the Carnaval de Negros y Blancos (2 to 7 January) book a bed in November and bring clothes you do not mind ruining: talc, foam and black paint fly on the last two days.
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Getting there
Chachagüí airstrip and the Panamerican road
Flights from Bogotá and Cali land at Antonio Nariño Airport (PSO) in Chachagüí, north of Pasto; allow 30 to 45 minutes into town by taxi or bus; the ridge-top runway often closes for cloud. Many travellers arrive by road on the Panamerican Highway from Popayán or the Ecuadorian border. Many travellers come overland instead. The Panamerican highway links Pasto with Popayán and Cali to the north and Ipiales and the Ecuadorian border to the south, and companies such as Expreso Bolivariano, Transipiales and Cootranar run direct coaches into the Terminal de Transportes de Pasto. The Popayán stretch is mountain road with long bends, so allow a full day from Cali and carry motion-sickness tablets if you need them.
- Antonio Nariño Airport (PSO)
- Flights from Bogotá and Cali; taxi or bus to the centre
- Terminal de Transportes
- Coaches to Ipiales, Popayán, Cali, Bogotá, Tumaco and Mocoa
- Ipiales border
- Roughly two hours south by bus, for Rumichaca and Ecuador
- Fog closes PSO fairly often; leave slack before an onward international flight.
- Travel the Popayán road by day and check current US and UK advice for Cauca first.
Staying safe
UK travel advice for Nariño, checked October 2026
As checked on 23 October 2026 (page updated 15 October 2026), the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not name Pasto in its warnings for Colombia. Its advice against all but essential travel covers the South Pacific, Sanquianga and Telembi regions of Nariño, on the coast towards Tumaco, and areas within 5 km of the Ecuador border, with Ipiales among the stated exceptions. The US State Department, whose Colombia advisory was at Level 3 (reconsider travel) when checked in October 2026, does not list Nariño among its Do Not Travel areas, but it does list Cauca outside Popayán, which the Panamerican highway crosses on the way north. Travelling against FCDO advice can invalidate travel insurance, so check both sources before heading to the coast, rural border areas or the road to Popayán.
- Pasto city
- Not listed in FCDO warnings (Oct 2026)
- Nariño Pacific coast
- Advice against all but essential travel
- Use registered taxis at night.
- Keep valuables out of sight in crowds during carnival.
Where to stay
Around Plaza de Nariño and the bus terminal
Stay in the compact grid around Plaza de Nariño, where churches, banks and cafés lie within a few blocks. Budget hotels near the Terminal de Transportes suit an early bus but need a taxi to the centre at night, and every bed fills during the January carnival, so book well ahead. During carnival the parade route is lined with stands, so rooms on the main avenues are noisy and in demand.
- Centro (Plaza de Nariño)
- Walkable to churches and restaurants; book early in January
- Near the Terminal de Transportes
- Cheap and convenient for early buses, less pleasant after dark
- Laguna de la Cocha (El Encano)
- Wooden lakeside chalets for a quiet night outside the city
- Heating is rare; ask for extra blankets.
Getting around
Taxis, Sunday Ciclovía and buses to El Encano
Walk central Pasto, which is compact and flat, though the altitude leaves some newcomers short of breath on the first day. Taxis are plentiful and cheap and can be ordered by phone, the Sunday Ciclovía closes streets to cars, and buses run to El Encano for Laguna de la Cocha. Taxis are plentiful and cheap for cross-town hops, and can be ordered by phone through local companies; hotels will call one for you. City buses cover the outer districts but are hard to read for a first-time visitor. For Laguna de la Cocha, colectivos and buses leave for El Encano from town in about 40 minutes; at the lake, lancheros run boats to La Corota. On Sunday and public holiday mornings the Ciclovía closes Avenida de los Estudiantes and other streets to cars for cycling, skating and walking.
- Taxi
- Short fixed-feel fares within the city; phone booking common
- Colectivo to El Encano
- About 40 minutes to Laguna de la Cocha
- Ciclovía
- Sunday and holiday mornings
- Carry small notes for taxis and colectivos.
Know before you go
What makes Pasto worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Boats to La Corota on Laguna de la Cocha, a forested island sanctuary in a Ramsar-listed lake.
- The carnival's Gran Desfile on 6 January, with floats built by local artisans over months.
- Barniz de Pasto pieces, mopa-mopa lacquer worked by hand into bright geometric patterns.
- A hot hervido on a cold evening: fruit juice heated with sugar-cane spirit.
- Laguna Verde's emerald water inside the Azufral crater near Túquerres.
Good to know
- Galeras summit is off limits because of volcanic activity; only the Telpis sector is open.
- Nights are cold at about 9C all year; pack layers and a rain jacket.
- Carnival paint and talc are thrown at everyone on 5 and 6 January; protect phones and cameras.
- Check the FCDO map before travelling to Nariño's Pacific coast, which is under advice.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Pasto, month by month
Tap a month to see what to expect. Figures are long-term averages for Pasto.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Pasto (Instituto de Hidrologia Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales, via Wikipedia).
Plaza de Nariño, barniz de Pasto and Laguna de la Cocha in two days
Pasto and its lake need two days. Spend the first around Plaza de Nariño, visiting the churches and a workshop where artisans stretch mopa-mopa resin into barniz de Pasto decorations, with Galeras volcano on the skyline. Give the second to Laguna de la Cocha, a highland lake about an hour east, for a boat ride and lunch.
Day one, morning. Begin at Plaza de Nariño and walk the surrounding blocks of churches; Pasto's temples mix colonial bones with later facades, and mass times are the best moment to see them in use. Mid-morning, look for a workshop or shop selling barniz de Pasto, where artisans stretch the mopa-mopa resin into paper-thin coloured sheets before laying it on wood.
Afternoon. Climb to a viewpoint on the city's western edge for the profile of Galeras, cloud permitting. If it is a Sunday, join the Ciclovía on Avenida de los Estudiantes first thing instead.
Evening. Eat empanadas and a hot hervido in the centre, then turn in early: nights are cold and the second day starts at dawn.
Day two. Take a colectivo to El Encano on the shore of Laguna de la Cocha, about 40 minutes away. Hire a boat out to La Corota, a small island sanctuary with a boardwalk through cloud forest, then lunch on lake trout in one of the wooden restaurants back on the shore. Return to Pasto by late afternoon. With a third day, head south to Ipiales for the Las Lajas sanctuary in its gorge, or west to Túquerres for the Laguna Verde hike.
Cuy, fermented-corn empanadas and hervidos in Pasto
Highland Nariño eats differently from the rest of Colombia, and Pasto is the place to try it. The headline dish is cuy, guinea pig roasted whole with potatoes and peanut sauce, best at specialist restaurants on the roads out of town and at Laguna de la Cocha. Try empanadas of fermented corn and hervidos, the hot fruit drinks.
Cuy is a celebration meal and costs more than most plates; specialist restaurants on the roads out of town and at Laguna de la Cocha do it best.
The everyday food is cheaper. Empanadas de añejo use a fermented corn dough, which gives them a sour edge you will not find in the empanadas of Bogotá or Medellín. Tamales are also worth a stop, wrapped and steamed in the Andean way.
Drinks matter in a city this cold. A hervido is hot fruit juice, often lulo or maracuyá, sweetened and laced with aguardiente or sugar-cane spirit; street stalls sell it on chilly evenings and during carnival. Chicha, fermented maize, and guarapo, fermented cane juice, are homemade drinks you may be offered in villages.
At Laguna de la Cocha, the order is trout, fried or in sauce, eaten looking over the water. Bring cash; small places rarely take cards.
The Blacks and Whites Carnival from 2 to 7 January
Visit Pasto from 2 to 7 January for the Carnaval de Negros y Blancos, listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. It builds from children's parades and the arrival of the Castañeda family to the Day of the Blacks on 5 January and the Day of the Whites, with the Gran Desfile of floats, on 6 January.
Expect a packed city and soaring demand for beds.
The climate is spring-like and barely changes: highs of 17 to 18C and lows of 9 to 10C in every month. What shifts is rain. June to September is driest, with August as low as about 24 mm, which is when the hikes to Laguna Verde and views of Galeras are most reliable. October to December is wettest, peaking at around 114 mm in November, and March to May also brings frequent showers.
Day trips work year round. Laguna de la Cocha is 20 km away, Laguna Verde at Túquerres about 72 km, and the Las Lajas sanctuary near Ipiales roughly two hours south.
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How we research our Pasto travel guide
Pasto's city website, Colombia Travel and Migración Colombia are the main sources. UK travel advice for Nariño is read again whenever it changes, and carnival dates are confirmed each December.
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Checked against trusted sources:
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Pasto.
Timing & weather
It runs from 2 to 7 January each year, with the paint-throwing Day of the Blacks on 5 January and the Gran Desfile of floats on 6 January.
The best time to visit Pasto is Jun to Sep, early Jan for Carnival. June to September is the driest stretch; the first week of January brings the carnival.
- Dry season: June - September (Rainfall falls to 24-45 mm a month, the best odds for clear views of Galeras and for hiking at Laguna Verde)
- Carnival: 2 - 7 January (The city fills for the Carnaval de Negros y Blancos; rooms and buses book out weeks ahead)
- Wetter months: October - December, March - May (November is the rainiest at about 114 mm, with afternoon showers and cloud on the volcano)
February is the warmest month in Pasto, with average highs of 18°C, and January the coolest, with lows of 9°C. November is the wettest month, at about 114 mm of rain; August is the driest.
Getting there
The airport is at Chachagüí north of the city; allow about 30 to 45 minutes by taxi or airport bus. Cloud sometimes closes it, so leave a buffer.
The sanctuary is near Ipiales, roughly two hours south by bus, so it makes a long day trip or a stop on the way to Ecuador.
General
No. Access near the summit is closed because of volcanic activity. Only the Telpis sector of the sanctuary, with the Laguna de Telpis, is open to visitors.
Colectivos and buses run from the city to El Encano on the lakeshore in about 40 minutes. Boats from there cross to La Corota island.
As of October 2026, the FCDO does not name Pasto; its warnings in Nariño cover the Pacific coast regions and land near the Ecuador border, excluding Ipiales. The US State Department likewise does not list Nariño as a Do Not Travel area. Going against FCDO advice can affect travel insurance.
Lows sit around 9 to 10C year round and highs around 17 to 18C, so warm layers and a rain jacket are needed in every month.
A traditional lacquer made from mopa-mopa resin, stretched into thin coloured sheets and applied to wooden objects; it is the city's best-known craft.
It is the region's signature celebration dish, roasted guinea pig with potatoes, served in specialist restaurants in and around the city and at Laguna de la Cocha.
Laguna Verde sits in the Azufral crater about 72 km from Pasto. From the park entrance it is a steep high-altitude walk; register at the gate and start early before the cloud rolls in.
Walk central Pasto, which is compact and flat, though the altitude leaves some newcomers short of breath on the first day. Taxis are plentiful and cheap and can be ordered by phone, the Sunday Ciclovía closes streets to cars, and buses run to El Encano for Laguna de la Cocha. Taxis are plentiful and cheap for cross-town hops, and can be ordered by phone through local companies; hotels will call one for you.
Visa & documents
Colombia lets citizens of the UK, the EU, the US, Canada, Australia and many other countries stay visa-free for up to 90 days, extendable to 180 days in a year. All travelers must complete the online Check-MIG form before arrival.
Health & safety
As checked on 23 October 2026 (page updated 15 October 2026), the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not name Pasto in its warnings for Colombia. Its advice against all but essential travel covers the South Pacific, Sanquianga and Telembi regions of Nariño, on the coast towards Tumaco, and areas within 5 km of the Ecuador border, with Ipiales among the stated exceptions. The US State Department, whose Colombia advisory was at Level 3 (reconsider travel) when checked in October 2026, does not list Nariño among its Do Not Travel areas, but it does list Cauca outside Popayán, which the Panamerican highway crosses on the way north.
