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Published: July 15th 2010
Click on the first pic to enlarge and browse through. The big finale After weeks of figuring out where to go to as last part of the trip, I finally decide to go to Colombia.
Researching the tourist attractions on the web, I don't find many convincing factors, especially after all I have seen so far. Furthermore it is rainy season at the time. Why still Colombia? Because there has been a hype about it for the last couple of years: everybody who has been there is absolutely positive: it's supposed to be the best country in South America, the people are so friendly and it's not so touristy as many people still think it's a dangerous place. These are the main arguments I heard so many times, so I had to check it out for myself.
Don't believe the hype In the beginning I am a bit disappointed, as due to all the great stories I have heard, my expectations have probably been too high. It seems Colombia offers little bit of everything (from beaches to mountains), but nothing I see or do, I find really special or unique, or at least I have seen similar landscapes and
soldier at view point
pueblito paisa Medellincolonial towns many times elsewhere before. The locals (at least most) are friendly and welcoming indeed, but the same is true, even more, for many other places I have been to, especially in South East Asia. Furthermore I am surprised how touristic Colombia already is: the backpacker scene, at least on the beaten track, is already overdevelopped in my view: even in the low season, most hostels are fully booked and there are hoards of young backpackers. Bad weather (cloudy and rainy most of the times) doesn't make it any better.
However after lowering my expectations, I get positively surprised and start enjoying the country more and more.
The security situation in colombia has improved drastically over the last 10-15 years. Soldiers and police men throughout the country are a common sight and overal I felt safe travelling. Except a theft attempt on me (luckily I realized it quickly enough) and a few stories of armed bus robberies of some travelers, nothing happened to me during the trip.
After having spent a month there, overal I would say that Colombia is a great country to visit with lots of diversity and very friendly locals. The locals really appreciate
foreign tourists and it´s easy to get in touch with them. They are helpful and hospitable and will show you around or meet up for a drink. I think this is the main reason for the appeal of this country. I had a great time there and don't regret my decision at all.
Although I still want to see more countries in South America, after 10 month, I feel it is a good time to finish this trip and return to Europe. I will keep the rest of my travel list for shorter 'stand-alone'-trips or a longer trip somewhere in the future. One thing is for sure: I'm not done yet traveling...
My itinerary
Cartagena Cartagena, located on Colombia's northern coast and facing the Caribbean Sea, is the most visited city in the country by tourists. The city was one of the first sanctuaries of freed African slaves in the Americas and is currently populated by an ethnic mix representative of Colombia's own variety. For me it is another colonial town which 'attractions' can be seen in a couple of hours. The beach bocagrande is pretty crowded and not very nice. Overall I am not
so impressed, however I enjoy the night life, as I met locals to party with. I start enjoying Cartagena more when I return to the city on a sunny day and after visiting the very beautiful playa blanca, one hour from Cartagena per boat. I stay on the beach for a night and therefore are able to enjoy the beautiful scenery after all the one day visitors leave around 4pm. There are several basic low budget huts and camping sites on the beach. The most popular and most sociable hostel in town at the time with a tiny pool and a nice roof bar is Media Luna (http://www.medialunahostel.com).
Santa Marta Not the prettiest town, but it is cheaper to stay than in Taganga and the main hub for trips to Tayrona NP, the forbidden city treck and for diving. Nightlife is pretty dead during the week. I only stay for one night. I skip the forbidden city treck due to bad weather and lack of time (5 days hiking through the jungle, approx 300 USD).
Taganga is supposed to be a laid back backpacker hangout. Main reason to visit is diving, relaxing and partying. Diving is very cheap
but not special: I pay 20 euros for a one tank dive with pictures getting taken as well. Visibility is not that great (approx 15m) and I only see a few some small fish. The beach in Taganga is pretty crowded and the water dirty. Prices are considerably high, as the place is very touristy. Although I went there during the rainy season in June, the place was full of young backpackers, mainly from Israel. Many stay in their hostels the whole day and party at night. I prefer partying with a mixed crowd (locals & foreigners, young & old) and therefore I don't enjoy the nights there too much and try to escape the young backpack scene after a couple of days.
Tayrona National Park is 1 hour from Taganga/ St. Marta and offers really nice beaches and some jungle hikes. Most travellers stay at the camping site at El Cabo, one of the nicest beaches there. The beaches are very pretty indeed, but they look like most of the beaches in many South East Asian countries which you can access without having to pay an entrance fee. I enjoy a short 4 hours hike through the jungle
to Chairama Pueblito, a former indigenous village. It's more about the hike itself than the actual village, or what is left of it: at the end of the hike you see only two wodden huts.
Medellin Medellín is the second largest city in Colombia with 2.5 million inhabitants. It is surrounded by mountains where ever you look and the views from the cable car (metro cable) or the view point at pueblito paisas are stunning. Throughout the 80s/90s, Medellín was considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world and home of the drug lord Pablo Escobar and the so-called Medellín Cartel, who virtually took over the city during that time. Since his demise in the mid-1990's, the cartel was disbanded and the city has rebounded tremendously, so today it is one of the most secure cities in Latin America. Main reason for a visit for many travellers is Medellin´s nightlife at the main going out area Zone Rosa. There locals and foreigners meet on the streets in front of several bars to have drinks and party on the weekend. However nightlife is only good on the weekend and ends early, it´s pretty dead during the week and
after 3 o clock most clubs and bars close. I had a good time there going out and met many friendly, but after a couple of days, I felt it was time to leave again. Due to bad weather I unfortunately have to skip a one day trip to El Penol, a volcanic outcropping that overlooks a gorgeous artificial lake, 2.5hrs away from the city.
Salento is an old small colonial town, a hour from Armenia, and the main hub for hikes in the Valle de
Cocora. The green valley with its rugged green peaks is located in the central Andean mountains. It has been acknowledged by the Colombian government as the sanctuary of the national symbol, the wax palm. Due to bad weather, I only stay for a day for a rainy horse back ride through the valley.
Desierto Tatacoa The desert is the second largest dry area in Colombia and offers one of the country's most attractive natural landscapes. It covers an area of 330 km² of gray and ochre soil interrupted by the green of the cactuses. The area is very eroded and crossed by dry canyons that develop temporarily during the rainy seasons. These
mysterious shapes are created over surfaces of clay and generate mazes of gullies that can reach depths of 20 meters. Due to its interesting unique landscape for me this area is definitely the highlight of my trip in Colombia. Strangely almost no foreign tourists go there and at the time, I am the only foreigner there as well. LP also mentions it only peripherally as a day tour from San Augustin. I came straight from Salento only to see the desert and skipped San augustin instead. The main hub for the tour through the desert is
Ville Vieja, 1hr from the city
Neiva . In Ville Vieja there are several cheap hostels. I stay in La Cosana and can recommend it (http://www.hosteltrail.com/lacasona). Tours can be easily arranged there. A 4 hrs tour covers most of the interesting landscapes (www.chopotaxi.com).
Bogota I end my trip in Bogota the capital with 7.5 million inhabitants. Like most travellers I stay at the historic center in La Candelaria. There is not much to do there for me, but I keep myself busy with a walking tour through the historic center, check out paitings of Ferdinand Botero in a museum, and enjoy the
view from Cero de Monserate, one of the peaks (3160m) in the mountain range flanking the city to the east. Furthermore I meet other travelers and locals I met before on the trip and check out the night life at Zona Rosa. I am a bit dispappointed with the night life in Bogota as everything shuts down really early (2.30am). A great (but quite high priced) restaurant in Bogota I have to recommend to everyone visiting the city is http://www.andrescarnederes.com. The food is great and the decoration of the huge place superb. I use the last days for blog updates and to prepare myself on my return to Europe. Cold and bad weather in Bogota will hopefully make my return less painfull.
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dee
non-member comment
niet slecht hoor!
Foto's zien er goed uit! En inderdaad ik ben/was een van die mensen die dacht dat Colombia nog erg gevaarlijk was. Dus wie weet ook iets om toe te voegen aan mijn lijstje! Succes met thuiskomen, geniet van de weerziens!