The municipality's main attraction is the impressive architecture of the Las Lajas Cathedral,[3] the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ipiales.

The Rumichaca Bridge, according to Spanish chroniclers, was the northernmost outpost of the Inca Empire, wrested from the Pasto people in the early 16th century.

[4] The inhabitants of the town of Ipiales are as important economic activities: trade, small businesses, tourism, and in rural areas: agriculture, livestock, minor species.

In minerals: oil on Churuyaco jungle, rock quarries and crafts in Las Lajas, topdressing in Old Bridge, clay in the Tejar.

The moors: to Mueses and The Palace, the hills: Troy, La Quinta, Culachí, Black, French, Tigre and Pax.

Ipiales features an unusually cool subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cfb), with an average temperature around 15 °C or 27 °F cooler than its near equatorial climate might suggest, due to the city's high altitude of almost 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) above sea level, which makes it the highest major city in Colombia and one of the highest on Earth.

Rainfall is frequent though not heavy year round, falling on an average of 235 days for an annual total of approximately 925 millimetres or 36 inches.