We’ve pretty much established that Bogotá is clearly in the nosebleed section of the Andes. But if terrestrial pursuits don’t raise your interest, there are many ways of elevating body and soul closer to the heavens—this city isn’t at all short on lofty viewpoints.

One of the most obvious vantage points is the Sanctuary of Monserrate, perched birdlike on a mountain peak lording over downtown Bogotá. This whitewashed, colonial-era church and associated restaurants and crafts market can be accessed by cable car, vertical railway, or on foot. From its height of 3,160 meters (10,367 feet), the entire city spills from the foot of the cordillera in Liliputian proportions. Towering over even the skyscrapers, Monserrate offers views as far as the volcanic hills on the other side of the Sabana.

Nestled 162 meters (532 feet) above the streets of downtown, the observation deck of the Colpatria Tower (open weekends and holidays from 11am to 5pm) places you in the middle of the action, where you can see Matchbox-sized vehicles radiate in all directions, peek into high-rise apartment windows, or even—if you’re lucky—catch a bullfight at the Santa Maria bullring from an ultra-skybox seat.

Nocturnal vistas also dot the city, and one of the most spectacular is the view from the Café de Buenos Aires, an Argentinean tango bar and restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows along three walls atop the Residencias Tequendama. The nearby Colpatria Tower itself is illuminated in Crayola colors, while neon signs and corporate logos add bursts of color to the otherwise topaz grid of Bogotá; one of the more colorful—certainly the brightest—points of light is the Doll’s House strip club a few blocks over on Avenida Caracas.

Uptown, literally, is the curvy, corkscrew road to La Calera, hidden in the mountains hemming in Bogotá to the east. Dotted with bars, restaurants, and nightclubs that offer L.A.-style panoramas of the northern half of the city, the road splits from the city proper along the Avenida Circunvalar, and a taxicab is required. You can enjoy the view from several of the clubs—the Auditorio La Calera (mixed crowd) and El Clóset (mostly gay) being two of the more popular ones—or from a simple scenic overlook called El Mirador. However you decide to do it, make sure you’re getting high the legal way.