Tunja Webcam – Plaza de Bolivar in the Colombian Andes

The Tunja Webcam looks over Plaza de Bolivar, the main square of Tunja, capital of the Boyaca department in the Colombian Andes. Boyaca Radio runs it as a moving camera set high above one corner of the square, and it works through a sequence of views rather than holding one. It looks straight down on the crossing below, with taxis turning and people waiting at the curb. It swings out across the open paving, where pigeons gather in front of whitewashed colonial buildings with wooden balconies and red clay tile roofs, and green hills rise behind the rooftops. Then it zooms along the steep side streets of the old center and into a lane of vendors’ umbrellas at the edge of the square. Mornings bring a steady flow of people on foot, and after dark the square’s lamp posts light the paving.

About Tunja and Plaza de Bolivar

Tunja sits at 2,820 meters (9,250 feet), about 130 kilometers (81 miles) northeast of Bogota, and counted 172,548 residents in the 2018 census. Captain Gonzalo Suarez Rendon founded the city on 6 August 1539. Plaza de Bolivar is its Plaza Mayor, the block between Carreras 9 and 10 and Calles 19 and 20, and it is still where the region is governed: the Palacio de la Torre on the north side houses the Boyaca governor’s office, and the city hall stands on the south side.

The east side holds the Cathedral Basilica of Santiago de Tunja, which Colombia’s tourism board dates to 1562 and calls the oldest cathedral in the country, along with the archbishop’s curia, the Boyaca Academy of History and the Casa del Fundador, the 16th-century house of Suarez Rendon that is now a museum. On the west side are the Casa Museo Juan de Castellanos, the Pasaje de Vargas and the city’s Institute of Culture. A statue of Simon Bolivar stands on the square, and the square and the historic center around it were declared a national monument by Law 163 of 30 December 1959.

Tunja is also a university city. The public Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia (UPTC) is based here, alongside the University of Boyaca and Santo Tomas University.

Weather and Climate in Tunja

At this altitude Tunja has a cool subtropical highland climate, and the temperature barely moves through the year. Averages from the IDEAM weather station on the UPTC campus (1981 to 2010) give a yearly mean of 13.1 C (56 F), afternoon highs between about 16 C (61 F) in July and 20 C (68 F) in February and March, and nights between 7 C (45 F) and 10 C (50 F). Rain, not temperature, marks the seasons. December to February is the dry season, with only 18 millimeters (0.7 inches) of rain in January, and these months are the most likely to bring clear skies over the square, along with the coldest nights.

March to May brings the first rainy season, peaking at 85 millimeters (3.3 inches) in May, when the paving on the Tunja Webcam can stay wet and grey all morning. June to August is the coolest stretch by day, with highs around 16 to 17 C (61 to 62 F). September to November brings the second rainy season, and October is the wettest month of the year at 86 millimeters (3.4 inches). The year as a whole averages 653 millimeters (25.7 inches) of rain.

Things to Do Near Tunja

Several of the city’s colonial landmarks stand on the square the Tunja Webcam watches. The cathedral and the Casa del Fundador share the east side, a short walk across the paving. Elsewhere in the historic center, the Templo de Santo Domingo, built from 1560, holds the Capilla del Rosario, a chapel so richly decorated that the tourism board calls it the Sistine Chapel of Latin America. Santa Clara la Real was built in 1571 as part of New Granada’s first convent for cloistered nuns, and its chapel and museum hold more than 80 works of art.

Away from the churches, the Pozo de Donato is a small cold-water lagoon ringed by a stone path, tied to the legend of a Spaniard named Donato who drained it looking for gold and found none. About 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) south of the city is the Puente de Boyaca, the bridge over the Teatinos River where the Battle of Boyaca was fought on 7 August 1819, the victory that won Colombia its independence. Several monuments now mark the battlefield.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More colonial main squares and Andean towns on camera:

• Cusco Webcam
• Zocalo Webcam
• Talavera Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you see on the Tunja Webcam?

Plaza de Bolivar, the main square of Tunja, and the streets around it. The camera moves between views: straight down onto the crossing below it, across the paved square to whitewashed colonial buildings with wooden balconies and green hills behind them, along a lane of vendors’ umbrellas, and down the steep streets of the old center with their tiled roofs and yellow taxis.

Is the Plaza de Bolivar camera in Tunja live today?

Not at the moment. Boyaca Radio has not streamed from the square since June 2025. Until it does, the player shows the station’s own recording of the square from 25 February 2025, marked as a replay under the player, which runs from about 8:30 in the morning until just after midnight local time. When Boyaca Radio broadcasts from the square again, the live view takes the recording’s place on this page.

Where is Tunja located?

Tunja is the capital of the Boyaca department in central Colombia, high in the Andes about 130 kilometers (81 miles) northeast of Bogota. Plaza de Bolivar is at the center of its historic district, between Carreras 9 and 10 and Calles 19 and 20.

What is the altitude of Tunja?

The city center stands at 2,820 meters (9,250 feet) above sea level, and the city spreads between about 2,700 meters (8,900 feet) and 2,900 meters (9,500 feet). That height keeps the air cool: even on a sunny afternoon the square rarely gets much above 20 C (68 F).

What is the weather like in Tunja year round?

Cool and steady. Highs stay between about 16 C (61 F) and 20 C (68 F) all year, and nights fall to 7 to 10 C (45 to 50 F). The driest months are December to February, and the two rainy seasons run from March to May and from September to November, with October the wettest month.

What happens on Plaza de Bolivar in Tunja at Christmas?

The square is the main stage of the Aguinaldo Boyacense, Tunja’s Christmas festival, held in the second half of December with nightly concerts on Plaza de Bolivar and a parade of floats and costumed groups through the main streets. The festival reached its 70th edition in 2025.

How far is the Puente de Boyaca from Tunja?

About 14 kilometers (8.7 miles), a short drive south of the city. The bridge over the Teatinos River is where the Battle of Boyaca was fought on 7 August 1819, and several monuments now mark the site.

Source: Boyaca Radio