Lake Guatavita, Lake in Sesquilé, Cundinamarca Department, Colombia.

Lake Guatavita lies in a circular depression 350 to 430 metres across at 3,100 metres above sea level in the Cordillera Oriental near Sesquilé. Its opaque green water, tinted by algae, fills the bottom of a bowl framed by slopes of 32 to 38 degrees covered in native encenillo forest. The lake is fed mainly by underground currents from subpáramo vegetation.

Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada reached the lake in 1537 during his expedition searching for gold, bringing European attention to this indigenous sacred site and sparking numerous treasure recovery attempts.

The name comes from Muyscubun, the Muisca language: gwatibita, a pool at a high mountain peak. The investiture of a new zipa was held here, as recorded in the legend of El Dorado. The raft depicted in the Muisca raft, displayed at the Museo del Oro in Bogotá, shows the ceremony. Today the lake is a protected reserve visited on a guided two-kilometre walk.

From Bogotá, take the Autopista Norte to the outskirts of Sesquilé or the Guasca–Sesquilé road. The lake is part of an ecotourism complex; visitors walk a guided two-kilometre trail to the slope overlooking the water. The site lies at 3,100 metres, where temperatures range from 5 to 11 °C.

The lake remains protected as a natural reserve where artifacts of gold and silver ceremonial objects have been discovered at depths reaching 410 feet (125 meters), confirming historical accounts of Muisca ritual offerings.