Colorful, Charming, and Captivating Colombia!
Visiting the beautiful country of Colombia.
“Having you here is giving us hope.”
“The last time I had an English speaker was in January 2020. I couldn’t sleep last night because I was so excited and nervous. I had to read English to prepare.”
“Today after more than a year I have a tour again.”
“Tourism helps people heal.”
These are all things that guides or other hospitality workers told us throughout our trip to Colombia. As a person working in the travel industry, I find it to be imperative to visit destinations that rely on tourism, especially after the year we’ve had. The people I met on my 21 day journey through Colombia made it absolutely spectacular, and taught me that there is so much more to Colombia than meets the eye...
Colombia is DYNAMIC.
Colombia has more bird species than any other country in the world (bird lovers, where you at?)
Colombia produces 80% of the world’s emeralds.
Colombia has some of the world’s best coffee.
Colombia has the friendliest people I’ve ever met.
Colombia has deserts, beaches, the Amazon, snow capped mountains, charming cities, the Andes Mountains, an affinity for cable cars, arepas con chocolo, the Atlantic AND Pacific Ocean, vibrant colors, 85 indigenous communities, and a whole lot more.
I write all of these things so you have high expectations for Colombia and when you arrive your high expectations will still be exceeded.
I just finished a three-week trip during an interesting (to say the least) time. COVID was at an all-time high for the country and I flew in at the height of mass demonstrations. I struggled with the idea of going and ultimately decided to go for it and I am so happy I did.
This is when I’ll stress the importance of traveling with a good DMC (and therefore clients booking trips through a travel advisor). Pure! Travel Group made sure I had someone I was talking to daily about my plans, constantly checking up on me, and helping me arrange last minute touring options. I had 24/7 support which made me feel safe the entire time.
While the recent news made Colombia look like it was going through a civil war, I did not see anything of the sort. I saw nothing in terms of protests or demonstrations during my three week trip. The tourism attractions were open (with ZERO crowds) and the nightlife was thriving. I was able to do everything I wanted to do plus much more. While we were very aware of what was going on, it didn’t require any changes to our itinerary, and felt an even deeper sense of appreciation for touring the country.
While 21 days sounds like so much time, it isn’t that much time considering how big Colombia is. I was able to visit Bogota, Medellin, The Coffee Cultural Landscape, and Cartagena. It is important to note that connectivity to Colombia is easy. There are nonstop flights from the US to Bogota, Cartagena, Cali, Pereira and Medellin. Flights from Miami are only 3 hours!
Bogota
I loved Bogota! This is a great city to get the feel for Colombia, has great restaurants and beautiful five star hotels. My favorite was the Four Seasons Casa Medina. Other highlights included:
A gondola ride up Monserrate with the most gorgeous views of the city
Dining at Andres de res Carnes. It has unique cocktails, traditional food, live music and tons of fun.
A visit to the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira. It’s a cathedral built in a salt mine about an hour outside of Bogota.
A visit to Plaza de Bolivar Square. Fun Fact: Each city in Colombia has a plaza dedicated to Simon Bolivar!
Medellin
Notoriously known for being Pablo Escobar’s home, but now known for being an innovative city with delicious cuisine, gorgeous rooftops, tons of history and beautiful scenery. Medellin is a city of perseverance. It is also the only city in all of Colombia with a metro system which includes six cable cars! My highlights included:
A graffiti tour of Communa 13 - it is a must see! Best part? When booking a graffiti tour with Pure! Travel Group you are supporting a local center bringing the arts to underprivileged children in the area.
Dining at the famous El Cielo, South America’s FIRST Michelin Star Restaurant. It offers 22 courses of food and a wine pairing for less than $150! (It’ll cost you a lot more at the DC and Miami locations)
A day trip to Guatape to see El Piedro and explore the colorful town. Please be warned the walk up is 700 stairs but the view is worth it!
Coffee Cultural Landscape
The Coffee Cultural Landscape is HUGE! The UNESCO World Heritage site has over 2 million people within the area of the Coffee Cultural Landscape. We divided this portion of the trip into two pieces - city life and country life. The Sazagua Hotel was a nice retreat away from the city and put us in the mood to relax. Highlights included:
A coffee plantation tour! We visited Buena Vista Coffee Farm and learned all about the process and now have a much deeper appreciation when it comes to our daily cup of joe.
You MUST visit Cocora Valley. It is absolutely stunning and is home to the tallest palm tree. Fun Fact: Palm trees aren’t actually trees!
Tejo! Tejo is the national sport of Colombia. Think of cornhole with gunpowder. It’s a BANG of a time!
Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia’s biggest touristic city, is a beautiful city on the Caribbean. It has amazing architecture within the walled city, beautiful blue water islands a short boat ride away, fabulous boutique hotels, and some incredible nightlife. Highlights included:
Walking around the old city and shopping at the cute boutiques along the way. I fell in love with the Casa Abba Gallery Boutique.
A city food tour to experience the delicious arepa de huevo and other Colombian delicacies.
A day trip (or a few nights!) to visit some of the islands.
There are so many other destinations within Colombia to explore and I am already so excited to go back to visit Santa Marta, Cano Cristales, the Amazon, and go back to now some of my favorite cities.
Do yourself a favor and visit Colombia NOW!
If you have any questions on Colombia or Pure! Travel Group please feel free to reach out to me at jessica@kainyc.com.