Sandoná
A hill town famous for hand-woven toquilla straw hats, where you can watch craftspeople at work, browse hat shops and visit a Gothic cathedral.
Sandoná lies about 50 km northwest of Pasto, in a warm valley on the west side of Galeras Volcano. It is known for "Panama hats" and handbags woven from toquilla palm fibre. Weaving workshops and hat shops are everywhere in town, and prices are much lower than in the big cities. The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in the town centre is an imposing grey-stone neo-Gothic building. A minibus from Pasto takes about 1.5 hours. The journey winds around the volcano, with sugarcane fields and coffee plantations along the way. It is often combined with a circuit around Galeras.
Opening hours
Open all day; shop approx. 8:00 am–6:00 pm
Nearby sights
- Galeras Volcano
- Carnival Museum
- Taminango Museum
- Church of Santiago Apóstol
- Pasto Cathedral
- Church of La Merced
- Church of San Juan Bautista
- Blacks and Whites' Carnival