On Behalf of the Colombian Tourist Board

Cocaine. Kidnapping. Guerillas. Guns. Murder.
This is what usually spings to mind when people think of Colombia.

When planning our trip, many friends and family were worried we would travel to Colombia. The capital Bogota is seen as a forbidden city, no one in their right mind goes there. Some though us nuts! Yet we heard nothing but good reports about the country from travellers who had just visited Colombia. Our minds were at ease. Colombia is somewhere I have wanted to see ever since I watched the film ´Romancing The Stone´.

The reason I am writing this is because most people seem to have the wrong impression. The funny thing is most Colombians we spoke to know this.

It is understandable why people have a bad impression of Colombia. Everytime it is in the news, it is bad news. It was once the kidnapping capital of the world. When he took office in 2002, President Avaro Uribe began a crack down on guerilla groups and crime. It seems to be working. Sure there are problems with poverty and crime, but what country doesn´t? All big cities have their no go areas. If you stand about in central Bogota (which is cold all year round), reading a map the size of your front door, wearing sandles and shorts showing your milk white tourist legs and a thousand dollar camera hanging around your neck on show...you deserve to get robbed. Good god I´d even rob you!

Most of the Colombian Amazon is controlled by the FARC. But it´s all very simple. We didn´t go to those areas. For example a Colombian we met in Bogota told us Ingrid Betancourt was warned by the authorities not to go into a certain area which was a FARC stronghold. He felt that had she not ignored the advice, she would have not spent the next six and a half years held captive.

Every village, town and city we visited had soldiers and police visible on the streets. All main roads have check points - at least one on every bus journey we took. Nothing major, everyone is asked (with a "please") to disembark the bus. Men have to line up, hands against the bus, legs spread, a quick pat down for weapons and a check through everyone´s hand luggage. Then on our way again (with a "thank you"). In every instance the soldiers were polite and friendly.

So what should Colombia be known for?

Colombia is a bit of earth blessed with wonderful sights. It is the size of Portugal, Spain and France combined so there is a huge diversity of landscapes. There are rainforests, beaches, modern cities, colonial towns, Andean mountains and archeological sites. It´s got it all. The Old City of Cartagena reminded us of Florence in Italy. Bogota is mind boggling in size, the largest city I have ever laid eyes on (so far). In Bogota the area of La Candelaria reminded us of central London. Barichara, Tierradentro and Salento were all stunning, as I hope the photos showed.

The transport is fantastic. We boarded everything from chicken buses, luxury coaches, modern metro systems, cable cars and 1950s pickups. No problems. The food is great. The fresh water trout I had in Salento was delicious and I wouldn´t knock the ants I ate in Barichara. Jessica didn´t starve either. With veggie restaurants in every town and city, she looked like Bob the Builder might, having found his hammer on the third day of searching.

As for the people? The Colombians we met were very welcoming and had a great sense of humour. I´m sure there are a few Pablo Escobars and bad eggs but we didn´t bump into any. Most Colombians dress really well and stylish. The indigenous people in traditional dress are no exception.

Here´s an example of how friendly one particular Colombian was to us. While walking around the city of Tunja, we stumbled upon a small art gallery. I asked the security guard if there was a tourist office in town. She left her post and brought us upstairs to a small office. We were introduced to a lovely man (unfortunately his name is still lost in the name files of my brain!). He spent the next 30 minutes chatting to us about the region, Colombia and his family. After revealing what sights in the town we would like to see, he says "Bueno, vamos". And that´s it - we had a personal tour guide for the next three hours. All we were looking for was a map! We were introduced to his many friends on the street. All were very friendly and had many questions about Ireland. He wanted nothing in return, he was a true gentleman.

So do we think Colombia is a safe country to travel to? Yes...as long as you take local advice, don´t wander around cities late at night and avoid known guerilla areas. We spent a month and a half in Colombia, and were extremely surprised at what the country had to offer. More than just a safe tourist destination, I would would highly recommend Colombia for a holiday.

From James

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