This post is formatted a little different than my usual posts are, so let me know your thoughts! It’s a bit lengthy, but it has all the recommendations I could possibly give for the cities we stopped at in Colombia. If you have questions or want help planning your trip, shoot me an email!
Overview: A lot of people asked “why Colombia?” when we visited, and frankly, we didn’t have a super compelling answer. Flights are cheap and the dollar is strong, and that is a good enough reason to get me on a plane. Once I started researching more, I realized how incredibly diverse the country was. From Caribbean seaside towns to bustling, gritty, graffiti filled metropolitan cities, there really was something for everyone there. Additionally, if you’re a foodie like my boyfriend and I, you won’t be disappointed. From traditional classics like ceviche, tamales to some more, ahem, exotic choices (we ate ants, worm, and even wild rodent!), you’d be crazy to skip over Colombia! (Also, OH MY GOD THE FRUITS!!!! More on that later.)
Safety Notes: If you’ve lived in Chicago, like I have, you’ll likely be surprised at how safe you feel. To be clear, I am not suggesting you walk around with your phone out like you may tend to do at home, but it was far from the dangerous pit that many (particularly older people) warned me that it would be. Each city was very different, though, which I’ll touch on later. Overall, just be aware of your surroundings and listen to the advice of locals!
Recommendations: We had a bit of an odd itinerary, so I’ll touch on the cities we visited first, then summarize what I heard and learned about the cities that we sadly had to skip, in case you’d like to add or substitute them into your trip! Of course, in a perfect world, you’ll have time to visit all major cities and spend a week in each… but in the world of limited PTO and budget constraints, you may need to choose 1-3. Feel free to ask me if you’re stuck between a couple!
Cartagena: We had 4 nights here, which was about the perfect amount of time! As a note, if you’re a beginner or even intermediate Spanish speaker- be warned. They talk so fast here that event fluent speakers can have a hard time. You’ll get by fine with the basics, but don’t beat yourself up for not communicating well in the local language.
Lodging: You’ll want to stay in the City Center, which is also known as the Walled City or Historical Center. This is the safest area and it’s also closest to all the must-sees and dos during your time in the city. Please do not try to stay “on the beach” in Cartagena. The “beach” in the city is terrible and not at all what you’ll be expecting or wanting. Save the beach for a beach trip (scroll down to see my recommendations!)
Keep in mind that it gets HOT in Cartagena, so a pool is a major plus. Also, no need to prioritize based on which hotels/hostels have an airport shuttle; a taxi was ~$3 and the ride was only 15 minutes or so. All of the below spots are in the city of Cartagena, but if you’re interested in spending a night in the Rosario Islands, let me know– I’m happy to help you find something! (Example: if you’re into unique experiences, check out Casa en el Agua!)
Solo/Budget:
Clock Hostel & Suites – $40/night for a dorm bed, which is super steep BUT it’s a HUGE. BED. Super clean, great staff, and awesome location.
Bourbon St Hostal Boutique – $20/night for a dorm bed, so a bit steep in Colombia terms, but you’re getting what you pay for.
Selina Hostel – $15/night for a dorm bed. This is outside the walled part of the city, so that’s how you get the decrease in cost, but this neighborhood (Getsemani) is the trendy, up-and-coming spot of the city and still super close to the historical center. I love Selina hostels and think they’re run really well. (They have locations all through Central and South America.)
Couples/Mid-range budget:
Look for an AirBnB in the city center – luxury spots run around $90 or so, but it is nice to have the entire apartment to yourself
Casa Gastelbondo Adults Only – $115/night but the pool and location make this the best possible choice.
Couples/Splurge:
Hotel Amarla – $300+ for a double room with a balcony. Personally, I don’t think it’s worth it, but each traveler is different; if you like to splurge on accommodations, here is the place to do it!
Food: The most important part of this trip. All of the recommendations are within walking distance or within the Historical City Center, so again, no need for any taxis! Prices ranges and a dinner entree could run you anywhere from $5USD to $20USD, but we probably averaged around $10-$15. Also, portions are, in general, pretty large here. I’d suggest getting an appetizer or two, finishing those, then seeing how hungry you are after. You may want to split an entree with someone to save money AND keep yourself from eating until you’re so full you could explode. We made that mistake too many times.
La Cevicheria — You’ll see this recommended in every article and TripAdvisor post, primarily because Anthony Bourdain visited and everyone has flocked there since. This was a surprisingly quick meal. They really churn people through, which was uncharacteristic of Colombia. It was really yummy but frankly, if you’re limited on time, I liked some other spots better. I think this would’ve been better for lunch than dinner.
Sinko Bar — If you like pork belly, this was probably the best pork belly I’ve ever had. Everything we had here was great. It was a little on the pricier side (by Colombia standards), but probably one of my favorite dinners.
El Arsenal: Rum Box — albonigas (I think?) were sooo good. It was really reasonably priced. We went after doing a coffee tour at Cafe Del Mural.
La Taperia — favorites were the blue cheese, the goat cheese, & the pork tapas. My boyfriend insists that the pork ones were his favorite ever! It was a bit of a wait but the weather is great so we just had a drink on the patio while waiting. There are literally like 4 or 5 tables inside so it’s pretty small but incredible. Definitely a must.
Alcohol/Bars:
Cafe Del Mar — Pretty sure everyone said to go here. It was meh. A great view, but the food was nothing special. Not a fan of the margarita I got, but the mojito was good! Go around an hour before sunset and try to go on a weekday when it will be less crowded. Enjoy the view and sip on a beer… or 2. or 4.
Beer Lovers —a must if you like craft beer. A great escape from the searing sun!
Alquimico — go to the roof if you can. The cocktails were amazing!
Coffee in Cartagena: You’ll notice something a bit odd when you visit Colombia. Despite being known for their incredible coffee, Colombians don’t actually drink that much coffee, and when they do drink it, it’s often, excuse my french, total shit. Colombians export their good coffee and end up only drinking the bad stuff, so if you’re excited to find good coffee at every corner, you’ll be disappointed. BUT if you’re willing to put in a little work and do a little research (or just read the list below), you can find some really incredible diamonds in the rough.
Abaco Libros y Café — super cool for pictures & a relaxing coffee. This is a bookstore that also sells coffee.
Café San Alberto — very unique ways to brew their coffee
Café del Mural — if you like coffee, he does a tasting in the mornings. A bit pricey (~$40 usd) but if you’re a coffee drinker, it’s really cool. You have to book via Facebook Messenger.
Beaches: The beach in Cartagena is not recommended. It’s a little dirty, the sand is far from the beautiful, soft, white sand that you’ll see on the islands, and you’ll be constantly badgered by street vendors. If that sounds appealing, sure, go for it. If not, read on.
Top pick: Bendita Beach
A bit pricey in comparison to other options, however, the price (~$60ish per person) includes the boat ride, a cocktail, and lunch. You’ll be taken about 45-60 minutes away to an island. No street vendors, no pushy salesmen, just you, 40ish people, and a sizable island. Since there’s only 40-50 people on the island at a given time, and some of them are off kayaking or snorkeling (additional cost), there were hours where it felt like we had the whole beach almost to ourselves.
2nd choice: Bora Bora.
Again, a little more expensive than others, but you’re paying for the tranquility that you probably want if you’re heading to the beach.
If you don’t want to shell out that much dough, Playa Blanca or any of the other cheaper island trips are great options! Just be warned that you may have to fend off very pushy salesmen (common trick is that they will offer you a 15 minutes “free” massage, then demand payment after 5 minutes…. Not very relaxing.) If you stand your ground and are okay with the occasional bother, save the money!
And if you’re looking for a few extra picturesque scenes, check out these
Refugio de la Roca: A little over an hour outside of Bucamaranga, this place was part of the reason I wanted to visit Colombia in the first place. I stumbled upon this off-the-beaten path spot and knew I HAD to go. So, we splurged a bit (~$80/night) and made it happen. Flights from Cartagena to Bucamaranga were only $30! (It was, admittedly, a very small propeller plane.) You can also get flights from Bucamaranga if you wanted to add this stop your itinerary and fly straight home after. We wanted to head to Bogotá, so we took an Avianca flight there from Bucamaranga. Things to note: We went here because I REALLY. REALLY. wanted to, not because it was easy and cheap (though it didn’t exactly break the bank by any means.) While you can get there via a bus and a cable car, my boyfriend and I had it in the budget to get private transport. It certainly took the headache out of getting there, but it’s 100% possible to get there without it. There is a very devious monkey that lives at the lodge, Jacinto. Very cute… but also a bit of a terror. He drank my mojito on the first night. Then he ate some of my papaya the next morning. He became significantly less cute after stealing my favorite fruit.
This is also a noted rock climber’s paradise, so if you know someone who is a fan of climbing, send them the link! You can also go hiking, but since we didn’t have much time, I opted for reading a book on my hammock.
Another note: This is not the spot to go if you are afraid of bugs. No, there weren’t giant spiders or overwhelming flying things, but with an outdoor shower, it’s safe to assume you might be hanging out next to a couple of ants. In the evenings, especially if it rains, you’ll encounter a few mosquitoes.
Bogotá: We only had 2 nights here, and I wish we could’ve had just 1 or 2 more. This is by far the least safe city out of the ones we visited, but with a little common sense, we felt great the entire time.
Lodging: I strongly recommend the La Candelaria neighborhood. This was closest to everything you’ll want to do and felt the safest, in my opinion.
Selina – $10/night for a dorm bed, and $50-$150/night for a private suite. As I mentioned, I’m a huge fan of Selina hostels in general, but this one was especially wonderful. We had a private and if you’ve looked at the pictures, you’ll see it was incredible!
Activities: Given we only had a few days here, we didn’t get to do as much as we would have liked, but here are some recommendations that will keep you REALLY busy.
Bogota Graffiti tour – “Free” tour (expect to tip $5-$10USD) that took about 2.5 hours and walked to some absolutely spectacular street art. It was led by a local graffiti artist, so the insight was incredible!
Bogota Food Safari – I can’t speak highly enough of Loon. This was a really amazing experience and I absolutely recommend it to anyone who wants to discover some of the unique and delicious foods that Colombia has to offer. It was roughly $44USD, but I think it was a great deal for all the it included.
Farmer’s Market – I accidentally actually booked 2 food tours (ha) but definitely do not regret it. This was less expensive, but included a bit less than the food safari mentioned above. Honestly, if you like food and you’ve got the time, I’d suggest doing both. Below you’ll see some of the foods (mostly fruit because those pictures had the best #athestic)
Montserrat – You can hike up the hill/mountain near La Candelaria or take the cable car; either way, you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful, panoramic view of the city below. Go on a sunny, clear day (but beware, the weather can change in an instant!) to get the most out of the trip.
Side tip: Bring a tiny, packable umbrella if you’re visiting Bogotá, as the weather can change on a dime.
Botero Museum – I’m super bummed I didn’t get to go; I get a kick out of Botero pieces!
Food Options: Lunch is the big meal of the day here, so you’ll notice that most places aren’t even open for dinner and if they are, it’ll seem a bit quiet.
Fulanitos – Great spot for lunch
La Puerta Falsa – Another good spot for lunch.
Capital Cocina y Cafe – a good dinner spot, but definitely split an entree!
Coffee in Bogotá:
Arte y Pasion – I loved this place!! It was amazing coffee and a really unique experience. (It also helps knowing that they are paying baristas and coffee growers fair wages, which can be a rarity in Colombia.)
Getting around in Bogotá: This was probably the biggest unknown for me. You’ll read a lot of conflicting things online. Some will say Uber is illegal and unsafe, others will say a taxi ride is a surefire way to get scammed, so I’m here to give you the inside scoop. (I also found this article quite helpful regarding Ubers!)
Take Uber black. While Uber is illegal Uber Black cars are registered as tourist vehicles, so they are not only a bit nicer and they drive a bit safer, but you’re less likely to run into problems with the police. We took UberX once and while it was just fine, for $0.50 more, I preferred the peace of mind and nicer car.
Colombia Buddy – I absolutely loved this service! I highly recommend you use this at least for airport pick ups in the city. It gets a local (you can also request that they speak English) to pick you up with a sign at the airport and drop you at your destination. Use that time to pick their brain on all things Bogotá!
Medellín: We, unfortunately, didn’t get to visit this bustling city in our short trip, but everyone we talked to raved about it. This city has long been infamous for its connection with Pablo Escobar, but I urge you not to associate Medellín (or Colombia in general), with this dark part of their history. The people of Colombia are trying hard to move past this era and while we may be incredibly interested in these stories, the war of drugs and the drug smuggling industry nearly ruined Colombia, and many of the locals simply wish to stop being associated with it. It’s still a sore subject, so please have some respect and try to look past what you see on Netflix.
If you want to head to Medellín (which I highly recommend), here are some great blog posts to help you curate your time in the city! In the future, I’ll update this post with my own insights and recommendations, but for now, I’ve rambled on enough!
Nomadic Matt (one of my favorite bloggers!)
Final Thoughts: Colombia really does have something for everyone, and it’d be ignorant to overlook it simply because of an outdated reputation. In fact, I’ve had several people warn me that it’s a “Level 2” warning from the state department (which just means “exercise increased caution” when visiting)……………. For context, here are some other cities that are “Level 2”: Germany, Spain, the U.K. Belgium, Brazil, you get the drift. The point is, don’t let fear stop you from visiting Colombia; you’d miss out on a beautiful country based on an outdated stereotype.
If you’re still hesitant, or need some ammo to send to your over-worried loved ones, here are a few helpful posts regarding safety in Colombia.
The Broke Backpacker (again)
Turquoise beaches? Check. Sprawling metropolitan cities? Check. Diverse gastronomy? Double Check. I think a 7-9 days is the perfect amount of time to hit some of the major spots in the country and get a taste of it! Of course, you’ll never get to see all you want in that short amount of time, but it’ll give you a good intro to the country and help you decide where you might want to visit (or revisit!) next time.
If you’re struggling to plan your trip, to Colombia or elsewhere, or just want someone to talk travel with, shoot me an email; I’m happy to help!
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