Hello all!
Any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated.
I am planning a trip into South America this Fall. My ticket is booked, and I arrive early September in and leave from Bogota mid December.
I am planning to spend the first month with a friend in Bogota itself, taking a Spanish class to improve my rather basic language skills.
After that, I'm not really sure what I should get up to.
I would like a good mix of adventure, and cities. I wouldn't mind volunteering somewhere for two or three weeks, but would prefer something where I only pay for room and board. And I also might like to lounge on a beach or two along the way.
At some point, I would like to get out of Colombia. Can anyone tell me how feasible it might be to spend some time in Ecuador?
Any tips are appreciated!
[Edited: 2012 Jun 12 22:41 - bethtakesatrip:242278 ]
Reply to this I'm from Argentina but I was living in Colombia some time. Colombia is a very beautiful place and the colombian people is really friendly.
In Bogota you must visit the old downtown call LA CANDELARIA and dont foregt to visit the Museo Del Oro.
If you like to visit the beach, may be in the north, Cartagena you have beautiful please to visit, for some adventure you can go to Ciudad Perdida, you must walk 3 days into the jungle to get there, is very safetly and several young european touris visit it.
In Ecuador you must go to Quito downtown, there are a lot of nature please to visit there. Also you can visiti Galapagos Islam but is a little expensive.
Enjoy SouthAmerica. Good luck. I'll wait for you in Argentina 😉
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[Edited: 2012 Jun 17 09:28 - The Travel Camel:11053 - No dropping commercial links on this forum, thanks.]
Reply to this Now in Bogota, and although it is chilly it is a very interesting place; one thing I could recommend once you here is to go for a bike tour, just did one and it was amazing ! Check bogotabikingtour. The agency has as well volunteer posting in some local NGO. Another great thing to do while in Colombia if you like dancing is to learn how to dance Colombian salsa, fun, cheap and great way to improve your Spanish too !
Reply to this In response to: Msg #157565 Hello My name is Sandy! Last year I traveled to both Ecuador AND Colombia! I think it's great that you decided to go there! If you're planning on going to Ecuador, I can tell you it's super cheap! I was there for nearly 2 weeks and only spent about $100 (which included all food, travel fare, and souvenirs!) I traveled through Quito, Ibarra, and Manta -although I have heard Guayaquil is super awesome! My absolute favorite part of my trip was visiting the Otavalo Market near Ibarra. It's an ENORMOUS market that carries a vast array of handmade items, paintings, woven clothing and blankets, and food!!! The one thing I warn you against is that if you LOOK like a gringo, you will not get very great deals. I went with some Ecuadorian friends, and we noticed that if I asked for a price, they would tell me it cost 4x more than what it would cost for an Ecuadorian -so make sure you haggle well!!!
I stayed in Colombia for 3 weeks and visited Medellin, Bucaramanga, and Tayrona Park. In Medellin, you can see Plaza Botero, El Parque de los Deseos, the botanical garden, and many many other attractions. In Bucaramanga, the winds are PERFECT for paragliding!!! Do it! 😊 And Tayrona park is by far the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen in my life!!! It's a 4 hour hike through the jungle to get to the beach, but totally worth it! (But go with money, because they charge an arm and a leg just for potable water there, and you CAN'T get it anywhere else without trekking BACK through the 4 hour jungle! So beware!)
Here's a video of my travels! (I'm actually entering it in a contest, so if you could click the LIKE my video, I'd appreciate it a whole bunch!) Enjoy!
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[Edited: 2012 Oct 18 01:03 - SandelMar:252048 ]
Reply to this If you need some help crossing the border, read more here: http://www.colombiafacil.com/en/faq/border-crossing-in-colombia. Try to travel to Colombians 2 different oceans and its beautiful deserts up in the northern part. Or enjoy pure nature in the Amazon region! There are many extreme sports to do such as rafting, canopy, torrentismo, hiking, biking, paragliding, hiking ... in San Gil! You can discover the Lost City in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta or do a trek to the El Cocuy National Park which is one of the top destinations. Learn more of the pre -Colombian cultures in San Agustín and the historic city of Cartagena (with its "Castillo San Felipe de Barajas”) for example. Drink great coffee from the coffee zone and see the highest palmtrees in the world. Have fun!
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