El Tunal Metropolitan Park

El Tunal Metropolitan Park is located in the Tunjuelito district, in southeastern Bogotá, near the Portal del Tunal station of the TransMilenio bus rapid transit system. Its history dates back to the early 1970s, when it was an old hacienda of more than 180 fanegas (approximately 1,300 acres) bordered by the San Carlos Canal. It had several soccer fields and an amusement park. In the early 1980s, a soccer stadium was built there, and in 1986 it gained fame when Pope John Paul II preached there during his visit to Colombia.

Later, in 1997, six modern tennis courts were inaugurated. Two years later, the park closed for renovations. Finally, in October 2001, after an investment of 12 billion pesos, El Tunal Metropolitan Park was reopened to the public by the District Institute of Recreation and Sports.

Without a doubt, it is the most important park in the south of the city, receiving more than 50,000 people every weekend from the neighboring districts of Ciudad Bolívar, Bosa, Rafael Uribe Uribe, San Cristóbal, and Tunjuelito.

It covers an area of 55 hectares and features multiple courts for basketball, indoor soccer, and volleyball, as well as a stadium, a tennis court, and an indoor sports arena. It also features BMX tracks, hockey rinks, figure skating rinks, athletic tracks, and a skate park. Additionally, artificial lakes, bike paths (which can be explored by bicycle, as they are part of the city’s extensive network of bike lanes), walking trails, parking, and the integrated services of the El Tunal Library round out the offerings. 

In this park, you can find 400 trees, including species such as walnut, hayuelo, caper, myrtle, yellow and pink chicalá, Manizales guayacán, and Chinese jasmine. The use of parks is free, except for activities carried out with a direct or indirect profit motive, and those that require exclusive use for a specific period of time.