Soccer is the most popular sport in Colombia. Many Colombian children and men play the game. Watching professional soccer is also a national pastime. Colombians are very passionate about their national team. The two most popular local teams are called Santa Fé and Millonarios. Bullfighting is also popular throughout Colombia and most big cities have plaza de toros (bullrings). Horse racing, car racing and bicycle racing are other spectator sports that draw thousands of fans. A traditional form of entertainment for Colombians is tejo. Tejo is a game that may have been played by the Chibchas in ancient times. The object is to throw a small metal disc at a gunpowder detonator lodged in a metal ring. Explosions and the number of discs that land within the ring determine the winners. A similar game is sapo, in which players must throw a small disc into a receptacle shaped like a metal frog. Colombians love to dance. One of the most popular dances is called the bambuco. It has a complex series of steps with different names. Every year there is a festival of bambuco dancing in the city of Neiva. On the Caribbean coast, people dance the salsa and its variants, the cumbia and the vallenato. On the Pacific coast, energetic dances called the berejú and patacoré are popular, danced to music that includes strong drumbeats. In the region of Los Llanos, the favourite dance is called the joropo. Wealthy Colombians take part in water sports in the coastal areas or go on safaris in Los Llanos. They like to play tennis, polo or golf. Did you know? Museums in Bogotá  include the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions, the National Museum, and the Museo del Oro (Gold Museum). This museum was founded in 1939 and it contains over 25,000 gold objects. Many Colombians visit the Quita de Bolívar or Bolívar's country house. It was built in 1800 and it is now a museum.

Did you know? Colombia has 27 national parks. They cover more than 4% of the land in Colombia. There is a national park in every region. The parks protect the habitats of many rare species of plants and animals.