Colombian recommendations (rehash of old e-mail - better version to come one day)

 

Colombia recommendations

 

These recommendations are based on an e-mail that was written back in 2014 for a colleague and then got forwarded and slightly updated over time. Probably should do a proper rehash at some stage, but this will do for the moment.

 

BOGOTA

 

Bogotá doesn't necessarily have a lot of stuff to see but it does have a lot to do. 

 

In terms of stuff to see, the city centre (which is actually centre-east) is probably the best attraction and, in particular,  the colonial "La Candelaria" neighbourhood in the city center. You can maybe have a walk to the Bolivar Square, where legend has it that this was the birth place of the city with a church and 12 huts back in August 8th 1538 if I remember my childhood -i.e. celebration of the 450 years of the city- correctly. The Congress and City Hall buildings are around the square and just behind congress is the presidential palace (Palacio de Nariño). 

 

 

Just a few blocks away you can find the Botero Museum in front of the largest library of the city, and some other blocks to the North there is the Gold Museum which is an absolute must (Link) 

The centre deserves a detailed walk. My university is in the area (Universidad de los Andes) so I know the area quite well. Every time I go back to Bogotá, I always visit this area as it brings back a lot of memories, but I also find it amazing how much it has changed in terms of "vibe". Maybe 10-15 years ago it was a cool area, but also a tricky one as it could quickly change from interesting to really dodgy by just taking a wrong turn. Now the area is buzzing with tourists bars, cafes, restaurants and such so security is massively improved.

 

Having said that, a few recommendations are still in order. Ideally you should avoid the area very late in the evening when it gets a bit too quiet for comfort. You may find a few homeless guys every now and and is best just to avoid them. Personally, I'd recommend avoid going further south than Calle 7, further west than Carrera 7 (except near the presidential palace where you can go up to Carrera 9), and further East than Carrera 3/Avenida Circunvalar. Especially avoid going further south (nothing to see beyond) or West of this area until you've crossed Calle (avenida) 26 towards the north as everything beyond there is a properly dodgy area. 

 

By the way, worth noting that Bogotá has a grid layout and most streets are numbered sequentially. "Calles" are the streets that go from east to west while "Carreras" are the ones that go from north to south. 

 

In this area of the city centre you can also find the restaurant that serves a fantastic Bandeja Paisa (Paisa Platter), my favourite Colombian dish but one that will surely test even the largest of stomachs (see link). It's called "El Envigadeño" and it's on Calle 23rd, just below Carrera 5, near the Jorge Tadeo University. Don't be dismayed from the outside appearance as it looks like a ‘garage’. Inside is quite picturesque and they surely serve the best Bandeja Paisa in the city. Word of warning though: bring an empty stomach because you'll be properly full after that. Actually, this might be a good place to start your walk through the City centre (long walk should help digest the sizeable lunch). Also, bear in mind that they only take cash. 

 

If you want something slightly more sophiticated, you might want to check a restaurant called 'Madre', really nice setting and food. Sort of international, but with a Colombian twist. (https://www.instagram.com/madrebgta/?hl=en). 

From this area, (actually close to my university - Los Andes University) you can take the cable car to Monserrate which is this church on the peak of the mountain that surrounds Bogotá where you can get a great view. There is also a restaurant there that serves a very nice “Ajiaco”, a thick potato and chicken soup which is the traditional dish in the region (see link).

 

Also, I would definitely recommend you to go to a district called Usaquén. Back in the old days it was a town outside Bogotá where rich people used to have country houses. Now it is deep inside the city but it still preserves a lot of this colonial flavour.  Around the main square, you will find a variety of restaurants, cafes and bars, and there are flea markets on Sundays! Three places I like very much in this area: "80 Sillas" specialized in seafood, "Café Amarti" for Italian food or "La Mar Cevicheria which is a Peruvian restaurant. 

 

Also, the general "party zones" are, other than Usaquén, Parque de la 93 (the 93 street park) and "Zona T" (T zone, around street 82, between carreras 11 and 15). Lots of bars, clubs and restaurants in this area. If you want to dance salsa there is a place in Parque 93 called “Galeria Café Libro”. This is the sort of place for “salsa purist” who only want to dance old (i.e. proper) salsa. Any other clubs are likely to be “crossover” (i.e. play from reaguetton through to everything else). Also a nice bar / restaurant turned club at nights with a lively environment is Gaira Café Cumbia House, Cra. 13 #96-11 Cumbia house By Carlos Vives. 

 

Bogotá has a growing food scene (evidence of increased income) and every time we go we find new restaurants with top chefs making some really interesting food. There is even now a Michelin-starred restaurant (El Chato), which we tried to go to this year for my wife's birthday, but was closed during the end of year holiday period. However, its sister restaurant (Selma) right next door was open and food was amazing - and also reasonably priced.

 

One thing that I would recommend on a Sunday morning (assuming it's not raining) is to enjoy the "ciclovía". Basically, every Sunday from 7AM to 2PM some of the main thoroughfares in the city are closed to cars and are taken over by people in bikes, jogging or just going out for a walk. It is a really nice way to see the city and the vibe is quite nice. Depending on where you're staying, I would recommend taking the Carrera 15 south up to Calle 72, go up (East) Calle 72 up to Carrera 7 and then go south all the way to Bolivar Square. On the way back maybe do north through Carrera 7 up to Calle 100. This is the route I took in the ciclovía in this video I took this January.

 

 

No bike, though? No problem! There is now a shared bike scheme, identical to the Santander bikes in London (same bike model and everything). It's called "Tembici" (see link) and all you need to do is to download the app and then buy a plan. Just go for the one-off plan (i.e. that is good for one trip) and charges you by the minute afterwards. then use the app to find the nearest docking station with available bikes (like Santander, they have fully mechanic as well as electric bikes). The scheme doesn't have coverage across the city, but the key parts are covered. 

Other than this I think the main stuff to see around Bogotá is actually outside the city. You will probably want to go to this place near a town called Chía called "Andres carne de Res". I have nothing but contempt for the place, but can't deny that every foreigner that is taken there for food and to party seems to come out absolutely fascinated. If you can't go all the way to Chía,  they opened a branch in Bogotá, also in the Zona T. 

 

Taking a drive around is also quite nice. You can drive to "La Calera" (behind the mountains that surround Bogota), stop to eat "Fritanga" (lot's of delicious fried stuff) at either "La mazorca" or “El tambor”, in both places you’ll be sitting outside enjoying the very nice natural surroundings. From there go to Sopó and then drive back to Bogotá, stopping over in some of the towns along the way. You may also want to see the "Salt cathedral" in Zipaquirá. I haven't been to the new one but it is basically a church built inside the salt mines in the region.

 

You can also go to Guatavita and, specifically, to the Guatavita lake (the original, not the artificial one which is next to the town), which will require a bit of hiking. I think one of the versions of the Legend of El Dorado comes from here: that the chief of the tribe would go on a boat towards the middle of the lake, he would then be covered with gold dust and then take a dive in the lake while a bunch of gold artefact were thrown overboard. Many have looked for these artefacts at the bottom of the lake but have failed to find anything. The most exquisite piece at the gold museum represents this scene. It's also an interesting area if you are into trekking and such (be warned that it is proper cold and humid).

 

Not terribly close (maybe 4-5 hour drive) but there's also another colonial town called "Villa de Leyva", which is also very nice and worth going to if you have the time. 

 Bogotá's weather

One thing that catches visitors by surprise is the weather in Bogotá. Everyone expects some sort of tropical scene to find that, because of the altitude, the place tends to be cool and can sometimes be cold. A normal day in Bogotá goes from somewhere between 6-7C to 18-19C (also, because it's near the equator there are no seasons), but on super-clear days and nights it can actually fluctuate from close to freezing in the morning to something like 20-21C by mid-day. This actually makes clothing a bit tricky as you'll need something warm in the morning, cooler by midday and then, as the sun goes down, you will need to put the jacket back on as the temperature starts falling fairly quickly. 

And then, when it rains it really does rain - like actual rain, not this drizzle in London that everyone always complains about. So be prepared with an umbrella or a waterproof jacket.

 

if it's sunny then do wear lots of sunscreen. Again, because of the altitude the sun can be very intense (less atmosphere to absorb sun rays) and burn your skin quite easily. And, again, because it's actually cool you may be tricked into thinking that maybe being under the sun is OK, when it isn't. 

 

The other thing (not strictly weather) is the altitude. At 2,600m above sea level, it is quite high up in the mountain which means that altitude sickness and shortness of breath when arriving is not unheard of. It eventually goes away after a day or so and, in the mean time, the best way to deal with it is to take it easy and maybe have some paracetamol, even if you don't have a headache. Someone explained to me that paracetamol tightens the blood vessels and therefore increases the flow of oxigen, which is what you need while your body settles.

 

CARTAGENA

 

 

Not much to say other that it is the place to go if you can only go to one place in Colombia. Absolutely gorgeous, especially the fortified colonial part. Just walk around and soak it up. Have a drink at the Santo Domingo square, visit the churches and museums (including the museum of the Spanish inquisition), walk along the fortified wall…..We’ve been there many times (last time a few years ago) and I still don't get tired of it.  

 

Within the old city there is also now the gentrified ‘Getsemaní’ neighbourhood, definitely with a much more "hipster" feel, which is about 15-min walking distance from the fortified city centre. It has a lot of really good restaurants with really good food, some street food markets but also some less "traditional" restaurants. Maybe the one restaurant to recommend here is "La casa de Socorro" (Cl. 25 #8B-112, Getsemaní), with more traditional offering as well as "Donde Olano" (Calle Santo Domingo No 33-08), which specialises in French and Creole food

 

 

The beaches in Cartagena are not the best (which is why a hotel in the Colonial part might be better than one by the seaside). However, you can go to the Rosary Islands (Islas del Rosario) for white sand, clear water beaches. Go to the pier and book a trip with a good boat which also includes lunch (fried fish, fried plantain and coconut rice by the sea.....). Don't make bookings with people on the street as you may end up being carried in dingy boats.

 

You should also visit the San Felipe castle and, for a nice view, the "Cerro de la Popa" (a peak on one of the mountains). Food wise there is a lot of nice stuff, especially sea food, which is the speciality. There is a restaurant near the Convention Centre called "La Casa de Socorro”, in the Getsemaní neighborihood, which has the best shellfish stew (Cazuela de mariscos) in the country. Fancier but also quite good for seafood is "El Club de Pesca". Last time I was there I noticed that there is a "Patagonia" as well (a good Argentinian restaurant that you can also find in Bogotá) so worth going there if you missed it in Bogotá. If you want international (i.e. French-caribbean, Creole) food then there is "Donde Olano".

 

MEDELLIN

 

Medellin is a very nice city and the weather is lovely, it is called the land of the eternal spring for a reason! People are also very friendly. Other than the recommendations that any guidebook may give you about the city I do have the name of a great restaurant which makes the best red beans stew, it's called "Ajiacos y Mondongos". Ask for the bowl of beans / bean stew (Cazuela de fríjoles) and, don't worry, this is not a simple bowl full of baked beans but something quite special. The other typical dish from the region (other than the Bandeja Paisa) is the Mondongo, which is a soup made with chorizo and bits of cow's stomach. It is surprisingly tastier than it sounds. 

 

We would highly recommend you do a graffiti tour in the Comuna 13, one of the former slums of the city, and a part that had seen incredible levels of violence both in the time of the Medellín Cartel and beyond during fights between the guerrillas and paramilitaries over territory. It is now a key tourist attraction and super interesting. We did it last year (2022) and it was amazing! There are different agencies arranging it but would recommend the one with Casa Kolacho  Tour with Casa Kolacho - Comuna 13 Graffiti Tour, Medellin Traveller Reviews - Tripadvisor

 

 

 

COFFEE-PRODUCING REGION (Manizales, Armenia, Pereira and surrroundings)

 

This is where my dad was from and is where most of the Colombian coffee comes from. Main city is Manizales, the capital of the region of Caldas. The place is full of coffee-covered mountains. I'd personally recommend that you stay in one of the coffee farms (Finca cafetera). The one we've stayed several times is Hacienda la Gaviota near-ish Chinchiná. (see link). The view is amazing, the couple that looks after the place are super nice and they will give you a tour of the coffee plantation and do a coffee tasting session. 

 

The whole area is really beautiful. Very mountainous and green with lots of small and picturesque towns and coffee farms, clinging to the edge of coffee tree-covered mountains. 

 

BARICHARA / SAN GIL (Santander)

 

This is the region where my mom is from, relatively near the border with Venezuela (8 hours or so......large distances as you can see). What you can do here is fly to Bucaramanga, the capital of the region (Santander), go to a restaurant called "Mercagan" to have some outrageously huge, good and cheap piece of meat (this region is know for good quality meat) and then head over to Barichara/San Gil (about 2-3 hour drive). You drive by the Chicamocha Canyon  -quite impressive- and on the way there you can stop over at Panachi (Parque Nacional del Chicamocha), which is a sort of theme park for the region. One thing to bear in mind is that this area is very arid so there's a lot of sunshine and heat, therefore you can get sunburn very easily.

 

Barichara is this nice colonial town, almost frozen in time. The place is spotless, cobble-stone streets, colonial houses, very quiet, almost like being transported back in time. About 30-45 minutes from there is the town of San Gil from where you can do a lot of extreme sports (the agencies are in the bank by the river if I remember correctly). You can do rafting, spelunking, paragliding, etc. If you are into that sort of stuff then that's probably the place to go.

 

OTHER PLACES

 

Given the size of the country (about the combined area of the UK, Germany and France) and the topography there will always be something to see. You can fly to Leticia in the Amazon for the full rainforest experience (never been there but people tell me it's quite an extreme experience), go to the northern tip of the country in La Guajira, go to the archeological park in San Agustín, see the plains in the region of Meta or Guaviare.....the list is endless. 

 

FOOD

 

I've already mentioned a lot of food but there are other things that you can't miss. In Bogotá you should try the Sancocho (soup with potatoes, chicken and.....yuca (cassava)). In the coast they have their own version - "Sancocho de pescado" (fish Sancocho). There are also lots of desserts, which I'm afraid I can't translate. A few of those include Bocadillo, Arequipe (like ‘Dulce de Leche’) and my personal favourite (and that I crave every single day), "cuajada con melao", a sort of fresh, unsalted cheese with sugar cane syrup that can be had hot or cold.

 

Also forget about soft drinks during your stay and have as many fruit juices as you can (fresh fruit, not processed juices). There are fruits that you don't see anywhere else and they can all be turned into juice. Personal favourite: Curuba juice in milk, Lulo, Maracuyá (passionfruit),Guayaba (guava), but you can try a different one each day and still not try them all.

 

I think this article better describes the options: link

 

GENERAL TIPS

 

Security in the country has greatly improved and as long as you use your common sense and are careful things should be OK. While the country is not yet Norway in terms of security it has come a long way. Still, being cautious and aware of your surroundings is always a good idea. Be careful when walking outside, especially in the city centre or at night, avoid lonely or empty places, especially at dark as well as receiving stuff from strangers. Don't show off your stuff (phones, wallets, etc.). 

 

Most importantly, try to avoid taking cabs on the street. Taxis are very cheap and you can always book them. There is this app called Taxi Libres that you can use and there's also Uber. 

 

Other than this, just use your common sense. 

 

For getting around I would really consider flying, even if internal flights are priced more along the lines of BA than Ryanair. Distances are huge and trips can be very tiring, not just because of the time it takes but also because of all the twists and turns, although the changing scenery is an attraction on its own. I'd say that you should at the very least fly from the interior to the coast (i.e. from Bogotá/Medellin to Cartagena/Santa Marta), otherwise you are looking at up to 20 hours in a bus.

 

Going from Manizales to Medellin by road is feasible, and if you really have the time I guess you could do Bogotá to Manizales. Be prepared, it will be some 7 hours of never ending twists and turns albeit a somewhat interesting trip: starting at 2,600 meters above sea level, three hours later in the Magdalena river valley at sea level and with a sweltering heat (above 30C), 2.5 hours later at the "Alto de Letras" at some 3,700m above sea level and almost 0C before going down again at some 2,100m to Manizales.

 

The drive from Bogotá to San Gil/Barichara will probably be 6-7 hours, also interesting in terms of scenery but you may chose to fly to Bucaramanga and then take a bus/Taxi from there (you will also miss the drive along the Chicamocha Canyon if you go from Bogotá straight to San Gil/Barichara). I wouldn't recommend a road trip from Bucaramanga to Medellin and/or Manizales as it is a very long distance.

 

If using buses always use a reputable company and use the poshest buses. Companies such as Expreso Bolivariano, Berlinas de Fonce and Copetran are good (or at least used to be good in my time). However, in many instances hiring a driver/taxi may be a viable option, especially if travelling with others and may be more convenient. You can stop whenever you want and may not be terribly expensive. I do not recommend that foreigners attempt driving in Colombia. Urban driving is quite crazy and driving on the road, while extremely pleasurable, can be quite difficult and does require special skills that people who drive in places full of flat and straight motorways simply don't have (sorry to brag). Having said that, last time I went I realised that roads have improved a lot since I left. 

 

You can get a pre-paid SIM card at any shopping mall and even on the streets and you can get a data package for the time you will be there (you'll need some ID and a bit of patience as it will take a bit of time - allocate 45 mins to an hour for this). Best coverage is probably provided by Claro although the quality of their service is terrible. Tigo has better service but doesn't have as good a coverage, something to bear in mind if you'll spend a long time in rural areas (having said that, I used Tigo last time around and had no coverage issues, even in some rural areas that I visited). Last time I visited I used Vorgin mobile (yes, same logo but an MVNO) and worked quite well, with the added bonus that I could add credit/packages online with my UK credit card (Tigo and others don't, so I had to use my mom's card).