Oh Colombia.. The country with a vibe that just cannot be matched!
Where do I even start with this incredible place.. Well, everybody's mind does start to wander whenever Colombia is mentioned.. Coffee, Crime, Cocaine & of course Cartels! And who could forget a certain Narco's leader, going by the name of Pablo Escobar! (Just in case you have had no contact with the outside world for your whole life and do not know who this guy was, I guess you'd say he was a pretty big deal!).
However, away from the stereotypical crime ridden country of years gone by, Colombia is now well and truly on the up and quickly becoming a backpackers mecca! Picture perfect Caribbean beaches, music and colour filled streets, hidden away jungle treks, freshly picked coffee straight from the source, graffiti lined major cities, sky-scraping palm trees, SALSA and a city that has transformed itself from one of the most dangerous places in the world to now being one of the most innovative cities in the world!
If you are entering the country from Panama you will have two options (Well there is three options but trekking through the Darian Gap, running from tribes and guerrilla fighters isn't really much of an option, is it?). So, the first option on every travels list (if you have the money, that is.) SHOULD be to sail to Cartagena via the San Blas Islands. This for many, is a major highlight of their trip! These are truly postcard worthy islands that some people can only dream of visiting! But if you are on a budget like ourselves then you may have to settle for google images and stories from gloating flashpackers and then get yourself on Skyscanner and find yourself a cheap flight to Bogota to start your Colombian adventure!
Bogota, is a bit like marmite (A gloomy, rainy, cloudy marmite at that), you either love it or you hate it. Most travellers will tell you not to bother, and get yourself to Medellin as soon as possible. However, I'm from Manchester so a bit of rain and cloud is an ever present for me! Therefore, we loved it! Wandering the canvas-like streets of this bustling city admiring the local street artists work and I have to say that the street art in this city is possibly the best that I have seen (It is well up there with Melbourne, Valparaiso and Berlin for me!). Bogota has a wealth of coffee shops and small eateries to drool over for a few days and who can forget the incredible views that are to be seen from the top of Cerro de Monserrate, which give you views of just how vast the city of Bogota really is!
Our next stop was in fact Cartagena, a polar opposite from Bogota. Cartagena has a vibe like no other, the Caribbean sun beaming down on the colourful, paint washed streets. Everyone here parades around with a bounce in their step and a smile on their face. Exploring this magical city will forever sit firmly in my memory, the locals are so intensely proud of what this country has to offer and they just want to share it with anyone who steps foot onto these cobbled streets.
If you do want to escape the intense sun (believe me you will at some point) and get a perfect coffee while doing so, you just cannot go wrong with Abacos y Libros, this is one of our favourite coffee shops in Latin America! After exploring the walled city all day, you will definitely be in need of a beer or three, and there is no better place to watch the sunset than at Cafe del Mar, perched up on the cities wall overlooking the ocean, sipping on a cold can of Aguila.
As soon as you can prise yourself away from Cartagena, you must head to the Caribbean coast! This stretch of coastline is home to quite a few little gems, the most well known being, Tayrona National Park. But first, you have Santa Marta, a city that can be glanced over by many, does actually have a few nice touches. Make sure that you check out the Drop Bear Hostel, now a hostel doesn't usually find its way into the highlights of a city that often but where else can you stay in an old cartel mansion that Escobar himself used as a hideout! This huge mansion still has little hideaways and tunnels that the drug barren would use if he needed to get out of sight. From Santa Marta, most travellers will find themselves heading to Minca and Casa Elemento (Yeah, this is another hostel!). Fling yourself onto the biggest hammock in the world (apparently..) which looks over the most jaw-dropping landscape!
Santa Marta is also a great jump off point for the lost city trek, which unfortunately we didn't manage to do but we did hear great things. This is definitely one of our regrets!
Now onto Tayrona National Park.. This incredible place can be visited as a day trip or you can pitch up your tent/hammock next to the beach and sleep under the stars. However, make sure to go during the week or at less busy times of year. If you do go on a weekend or at a busy time of year, you will be sharing this majestic spot with thousands of other sun-loving beach-goers! Once you have visited Tayrona, do not make the mistake of turning around and heading back down south. Just carry on a little further along the coast to uncover more little gems such as, Costeno Beach, Rancho Relaxo, Palomino & La Guarjira.
Once you are tired of all the beautiful beaches and the sand between your toes (yeah, you could be there a while!) head back down south to one of my favourite cities in the world! A city transformed, Medellin. The birthplace of Pablo Escobar, the city that was known as the most dangerous place in the world, is now a thriving, innovative city! Exploring Medellin and its history was an incredible experience, hearing the stories from the people who lived through the cartel wars was truly eye-opening and something that I will never forget. As horrific the stories around Escobar and the cartels are, and a lot of travel bloggers will say that there is more to Colombia than what people see on TV, and they are correct! BUT, for me, it is a hugely interesting and intriguing story that my imagination was fascinated by every detail and anecdote that I heard. Medellin is a truly incredible city, the Paisa's are the friendliest people that I have ever met and they just want you to see how this city has changed for the better. Hopping from coffee shop to coffee shop, bar to bar, museum to museum, this city really has everything to offer, and especially if you are a football fan! Make sure you get yourself to an Atletico Nacional or Independiente Medellin football match, to experience real South American passion, you will not regret it!
A short trip from Medellin is the colourful town of Guatepe, which is a popular day trip for most backpackers. However if like us, you like to explore that little bit more, then you must stay a night or two! Wander the colourful streets camera in hand, climb the spectacular El Penol Rock for ridiculous views and when the hoards of day-trippers head back to Medellin, you can take in the real Colombian lifestyle and admire its real beauty! If you are interested in the story of Escobar, then you can also visit one of his old mansions (or what is left of it) that was blown up following his death. If you are on a day trip here then you more than likely will also not just visit this mansion but will be having a paintball fight in this old cartel hangout!
As Colombia is now getting more and more popular with tourists, its always nice to find a little hidden gem that is still untouched by mass tourism, and we found that gem! Jardin, this quaint little town, a short 4 hour journey from Medellin, gives you the feel of the real Colombia, mixing it with the tinto sipping cowboys for a few days of relaxation in the colourful, leafy main plaza was just what we needed.
After spending some well needed time with the locals and away from the tourists, we headed to Salento, the home of Valle del Cocora, a landscape that wouldn't look out of place in the set of Jurassic Park. You can spend the day surrounded by sky-scraping palm trees hiking, tasting the local delicacies in the main plaza, sampling some incredible coffee straight from the source or wandering the streets and surrounding areas on horseback, before having a few games of tejo with the locals.
The next stop on the gringo trail for most travellers, including ourselves was the salsa city of Cali! Another city with a dark past but a bright future, with some incredible nightlife, talented street artists and a huge football rivalry!
On our way south to the border of Ecuador we were lucky enough to spend Colombian independence day in the white city of Popayan before a short one night stopover in Pasto, on route to the border town of Ipiales. However, this isn't your ordinary border. A short taxi ride away is the incredible Santuario de Las Lajas, a picturesque sanctuary that is built within a huge canyon. This a must see before entering Ecuador!
As you can probably imagine, we really didn't want to leave this magnificent country, and it will forever have a special place in our hearts. I have been to many countries along my travels, and I have spoken about how friendly the people of certain countries are, BUT I have never had the pleasure to meet anyone quite like the Colombians! We did spend quite some time here, although there are still places that was out of our reach, if you're planning a trip to Colombia have a look at these places as well;
- San Andres
- Taganga
- Leticia
- San Agustin
- San Gil
- Carpurgana
- San Cipriano
- Casa En La Agua (Hostel, check it out and book in advance!)
- Cano Cristales (The river of 5 colours)
In Colombia, your main mode of transport will be the overnight buses, this country is surprisingly enormous! Most hostels/hotels will be able to help you with organising these buses for your onward travel, and if you are covering a lot of ground then it is always worth looking at flights as well! Colombia has some very cheap deals for domestic flights, with airlines such as Viva Colombia, Avianca and Copa Colombia sometimes having prices cheaper than the overnight buses! When buying bus tickets just head down to the bus station to buy them, this will always be your cheapest option and sometimes the day before is the best idea to make sure that there is room for the long journeys!
Here are some of the bus companies that we used or heard good things about;
- Expreso Brasilia
-Transipiales
- Expreso Boliviano
- Rapido Ochoa
- Copetran
A useful bus website to use is www.busbud.com
- Capital City: Bogota
- Time Difference: GMT minus six hours.
- Language Spoken: The official language spoken here is Spanish.
- Local Cuisine: Deep-fried everything! The Colombians love their big artery-clogging dishes and none more so than the bandeja paisa (A huge plate of sausage, beans, ground beef, pork rind, avocado, egg, plantains and rice) you just have to try it! Another must try dish is the chocolate santafereno (A cup of hot chocolate, served with a big block of cheese and bread, with both used for dipping. Yes you did read that correctly, you dunk the cheese into the hot chocolate!). The street food is also incredible here, but again more-than likely deep-fried! Try the Arepas (potatoey pancakey goodness, more often than not filled with cheese or meat), the Empanadas (fried pasties filled with meat and lots of juices) and the patacones (fried plantains). Now if you're on a budget, your go-to meal will be the Menu del Dia - A cheap set menu, served at lunch times that was originally created to feed the local workers. This menu usually consists of; the soup of the day to start, a main meal of meat, beans and rice, then a dessert to finish, and sometimes you even get a drink included! Although the quality of food isn't always great,
you just cannot beat the price. Colombia also has an abundance of tropical fruit that you can try!
- Local Beers & Drink: The most common beers you will see are Club Colombia & Aguila, but my favourite is Poker & you have to try the national drink of Aguardiente (Firewater).
- Visa: Not required for most nationalities for stays up to 90 days.
- Entrance & Exit Fee: None for British citizens and for most nationalities really, but check the
government website to make sure!
- Proof of Onward Travel: Yes, this is necessary! If you do not have onward plans as of yet, I will explain the ways around this in the crossing borders blog post.
- Currency & Exchange rate (Aug 2018): Colombian Peso (COP$) £1 = $3834 COP$ / $1 = $3004 COP$
- Useful prices to note;
- 1 night in a hostel (Dorm Bed) = $15,340 - $57,525 COP$ / £4 - £15 / $5.10 - $19.15
- (Private Double Room) = $38,363 - $191,817 COP$ / £10 - £50 / $12.70 - $63.80
- 1 local beer = $2500 - $3000 COP$ / £0.65 - £0.78 / $0.83 - $1
- A Menu del Dia for one = $6000 - $15000 COP$ / £1.50 - £3.90 / $1.99 - $4.99
- Average cost of a 3-4 hour bus journey = $20,000 - $45,000 COP$ / £5.20 - £11 / $6.60 - $14.90
Colombian Peso (COP$) / British Pound (£) / US Dollar (USD)
Now this is a hard decision! Colombia has so much to offer, which makes this almost an impossible decision to pinpoint just one place.. I do have to say that Medellin deserves a mention here, this has to be one of our favourite cities in the whole world. HOWEVER, we did also find a beautiful hidden gem, so we have to make JARDIN our must visit place! Make sure you visit before the word gets out!
