Colombia has been on my radar for a long time, but due to different reasons I only managed to finally visit this year (Feb- Mar 2023). Twenty four days is clearly not enough for this big, beautiful and diverse country but I'll share what I have ended up visiting.
I was not even back 1 week and I got so may questions from friends and colleagues about my experience in Colombia, so I decided to mix and match a post which covers some high-level info and answer to some questions you might also have. Please feel free to ask me anything that remains unanswered via the comment box or any of my social media (IG: @alusoare).
Itinerary
When planning the trip we took into account the long distances between the different locations and reviewed the travel times on google maps before deciding our means of travel. In terms of environmental footprint my selected way of transport was not ideal, but it did maximize our visiting possibilities. For all those who will judge my decision, I am with you and although I don't feel at ease with this decision, it was the best time wise.
All trips have been done by plane with the exception of:
Day 3 & 14 where we took a day bus
Day 18 into 19 and Day 21 into 22 where we took a night bus.
Day 3 & 14 where we took a day bus
Day 18 into 19 and Day 21 into 22 where we took a night bus.
How I felt (safety wise) travelling through the country
Overall the country felt safe and we felt safe in the country :).
We did not go out at night or at least not late at night mainly because we had early morning start of day almost every day to make the best out of the sun.
In Colombia (Feb at least) sunrise is at about 6:15 AM and sunset at about 6:15 PM give or take 10 min depending on the area.
I would encourage everyone to apply common sense when taking care of their stuff and themselves (same as one would apply in Paris, Brussels or Barcelona ....) and don't venture outside tourist areas especially if it's dark.
When it comes to dress code, I would be inclined to say, wear whatever makes you happy. As a girl don't worry about your dress being too short or your top too revealing as it's not uncommon for locals to dress in the same way.
We did not go out at night or at least not late at night mainly because we had early morning start of day almost every day to make the best out of the sun.
In Colombia (Feb at least) sunrise is at about 6:15 AM and sunset at about 6:15 PM give or take 10 min depending on the area.
I would encourage everyone to apply common sense when taking care of their stuff and themselves (same as one would apply in Paris, Brussels or Barcelona ....) and don't venture outside tourist areas especially if it's dark.
When it comes to dress code, I would be inclined to say, wear whatever makes you happy. As a girl don't worry about your dress being too short or your top too revealing as it's not uncommon for locals to dress in the same way.
Water & Street food
The most common advice one gets when travelling to most of South America is not to drink tap water, consume ice, or eat street food.
When it comes to water itself, we carried a LED light water bottle to filter the water, but we also bought water in plastic bottles (aimed for 6L bottles to reduce the quantity of plastic) and refilled our own bottle.
When it comes to ice, we avoided ice at the beginning, but slowly accepted it in our drinks as in a lot of cases they do make ice out of bottled/boiled or filtered water.
When it comes to street food, we decided to try that watermelon, aprepa or grilled corn and it was a great decision.
Overall we did not have any stomach problems in the whole trip.
When it comes to water itself, we carried a LED light water bottle to filter the water, but we also bought water in plastic bottles (aimed for 6L bottles to reduce the quantity of plastic) and refilled our own bottle.
When it comes to ice, we avoided ice at the beginning, but slowly accepted it in our drinks as in a lot of cases they do make ice out of bottled/boiled or filtered water.
When it comes to street food, we decided to try that watermelon, aprepa or grilled corn and it was a great decision.
Overall we did not have any stomach problems in the whole trip.
People
You might have heard that Colombian people are very friendly & helpful, and I am hear to confirm that these are not rumors but indeed we had a very pleasant experience with local people in all areas we visited.
Transport inside the country
Airlines: LATAM, Avianca (VIVA*), Wingo, Satena, EasyFly.
Prices of airlines you first see work as Ryanair in Europe, so only an under seat bag and you need to pay extra for an extra bag (trolley). Most common airline with best tariffs overall would be toyda Avianca* but please do check all available as you would normally do. *Until recently Viva was a pretty good alternative to Avianca, but they have stopped flying for the moment as they wanted to get into an alliance with Avianca which for now the government did not approve (risk of Monopoly). When flying to more remote locations e.g. in Choco Department (Bahia Solano, Nuqui**), Providencia etc. look at companies such as Satena or EasyFly which own propeller planes (ATRs) that can land in more remote airports. (** at the time of writing, Nuqui airport is closed for renovations).
Bus Companies: these vary depending on the areas, I would usually recommend you ask your accommodation. For the ones we took, see below based on the areas:
- Cartagena to Sant Marta - Marsol. You can go there directly (like most Colombians do) or book your spot via WhatsApp. We had a good experience with them.
- Santa Marta to Tayrona - public bus that you can get into from the main market. Pay ticket in the bus.
- Bogota to Armenia - Expresso Bolivariano. If you take the duobus and aim for the fancy chairs, you will need to book this in advance. We were unable to use their website, annd only managed va redbus (when asked for document, as there is no passport option, we selected cedula de extranjeria and used 6 of the digits in our passport), if you are ok with regular seats or any other of their buses you can buy your tickets on the spot.
Prices of airlines you first see work as Ryanair in Europe, so only an under seat bag and you need to pay extra for an extra bag (trolley). Most common airline with best tariffs overall would be toyda Avianca* but please do check all available as you would normally do. *Until recently Viva was a pretty good alternative to Avianca, but they have stopped flying for the moment as they wanted to get into an alliance with Avianca which for now the government did not approve (risk of Monopoly). When flying to more remote locations e.g. in Choco Department (Bahia Solano, Nuqui**), Providencia etc. look at companies such as Satena or EasyFly which own propeller planes (ATRs) that can land in more remote airports. (** at the time of writing, Nuqui airport is closed for renovations).
Bus Companies: these vary depending on the areas, I would usually recommend you ask your accommodation. For the ones we took, see below based on the areas:
- Cartagena to Sant Marta - Marsol. You can go there directly (like most Colombians do) or book your spot via WhatsApp. We had a good experience with them.
- Santa Marta to Tayrona - public bus that you can get into from the main market. Pay ticket in the bus.
- Bogota to Armenia - Expresso Bolivariano. If you take the duobus and aim for the fancy chairs, you will need to book this in advance. We were unable to use their website, annd only managed va redbus (when asked for document, as there is no passport option, we selected cedula de extranjeria and used 6 of the digits in our passport), if you are ok with regular seats or any other of their buses you can buy your tickets on the spot.
Transport inside the cities
We used a mix of Taxi & Uber and took the metro in Medellin.
If you end up using Uber app, on top of ordering an Uber as everywhere else, you can also order a Taxi through the Uber app, this option is recommended especially if going to the airport in Bogota.
If you decide to use Taxis, make sure to agree the price before the ride, and best practice is to find out how much your ride should cost (e.g. ask your accommodation how much the ride from the airport to their hotel could be etc.).
*Note that Taxis drives are striking every now and then against Uber so not sure if there will be any changes to the current setup.
If you end up using Uber app, on top of ordering an Uber as everywhere else, you can also order a Taxi through the Uber app, this option is recommended especially if going to the airport in Bogota.
If you decide to use Taxis, make sure to agree the price before the ride, and best practice is to find out how much your ride should cost (e.g. ask your accommodation how much the ride from the airport to their hotel could be etc.).
*Note that Taxis drives are striking every now and then against Uber so not sure if there will be any changes to the current setup.
Connectivity
I would recommend you get a sim card to make your trip easier.
The biggest mobile internet provider is CLARO which has also the biggest coverage. An empty sim card with a number is 10000 COP and for 30 days you would need to recharge it of a value of 41000 COP. This gives you unlimited calls in Colombia and about 30 GB of internet.
The biggest mobile internet provider is CLARO which has also the biggest coverage. An empty sim card with a number is 10000 COP and for 30 days you would need to recharge it of a value of 41000 COP. This gives you unlimited calls in Colombia and about 30 GB of internet.
Packing: Hand-luggage Only
I rarely check in luggage for several reason but 2 of the main ones are extra cost (which I can use for booking another trip) and fear for the airline losing it and go through all the hassle associated with this.
I can travel with either 2 backpacks or a backpack and a trolley. For Colombia I decided to travel with 2 backpacks.
- Personal Item (under seat): Osprey Tempest 20 (this is a tad bigger than official dimensions, but it fits with no problems under the seat)
- Hand luggage: Osprey Fair View 40L (2022 edition - adapted to carry on dimensions compared to previous model)
The total weight with which I left was 15kg. I came back with slightly more (gifts :)).
I had no problem with this setup neither in Colombia itself where I took about 10 flights nor on the Air Europa Flight from Brussels to Madrid and then to Bogota.
- Personal Item (under seat): Osprey Tempest 20 (this is a tad bigger than official dimensions, but it fits with no problems under the seat)
- Hand luggage: Osprey Fair View 40L (2022 edition - adapted to carry on dimensions compared to previous model)
The total weight with which I left was 15kg. I came back with slightly more (gifts :)).
I had no problem with this setup neither in Colombia itself where I took about 10 flights nor on the Air Europa Flight from Brussels to Madrid and then to Bogota.
Below you can find the list of items I had with me.
A few things to consider. Colombia is a big country and you can have different kind of weather depending on where you are you might need shorts or jeans.
While at the coast you will enjoy great weather, if you go to other provinces, it could rain or be cold'ish. Also keep in mind that Bogota is at 2600+ m of altitude, thus on top of chillier weather you could also experience some altitude sickness. Make sure to keep that in mind.
While at the coast you will enjoy great weather, if you go to other provinces, it could rain or be cold'ish. Also keep in mind that Bogota is at 2600+ m of altitude, thus on top of chillier weather you could also experience some altitude sickness. Make sure to keep that in mind.
Souvenirs
Always make sure you have space for souvenirs, so I did manage to get a lot of nice things from Colombia. Here an overview for inspiration :).
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