Best Places to Travel to in Columbia
Accept whatever preconceptions you have nearly Colombia and leave them at home: this remarkable state will take you by surprise. The second-near biodiverse nation in the world harbors vast swaths of wildlife-rich Amazon jungle in its interior, while coral-white beaches, dizzying mountains and leafy highland coffee plantations crown Colombia as a place of extraordinary natural contrasts.
But Colombia is much more than the sum of its natural parts. Its kinetic cities fizz with an free energy that sets it apart from most of South America and proves that this country has well and truly shed its history of disharmonize.
With adventure and infectious beats around practically every corner, picking the best places to visit in Colombia tin can exist a claiming. However, thanks to good service from domestic flights and long-distance buses, Republic of colombia is a place where you tin can expect to cover plenty of footing, even on a curt trip.
Cartagena
Summit of near travelers' bucket lists for Republic of colombia is the sultry city of Cartagena. It'due south easy to meet why: the stately old town is a magical walled complex of bougainvillea-slung cobblestone streets and shady squares where local performers shake, stamp and twirl in a lively embodiment of the city's famous free energy.
Absorbing the atmosphere of Cartagena tin can be an human action as spirited – or as languid – as you choose. Laze the day away on Playa de Bocagrande or with long, leisurely lunches of sharp coconut ceviche at a family-run eatery. At dark, Cartagena is the place to indulge in a sundowner on a rooftop bar and sample the energetic nightlife of the city's bars and clubs.
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The Amazon jungle
Colombia lays claim to an extraordinary glut of flora and fauna that should place it on any wildlife lover's saucepan list. While it covers around a third of Colombia's territory, the Amazon jungle is mostly inaccessible to tourists, but it remains the prime location for encountering vast swaths of untouched rainforest.
Book a tour into the jungle from the remote outpost of Leticia and spend a couple of nights exploring one of the globe's wildest places. Boat trips puttering along the Río Amazonas and walking remote trails that piece through the forest floor promise encounters with inquisitive pink river dolphins, sluggish sloths and a cacophony of howler monkeys.
Zona Cafetera
If in that location's one thing that keeps Colombia running, it's coffee. Find out what all the fuss is about by exploring the Zona Cafetera. Cultivated within the lush hillsides of the departments of Risaralda, Caldas and Quindío are plantations of Republic of colombia'southward magic bean, arabica. Family-run operations, these fincas (farms) have opened their doors to curious tourists, with day tours and overnight stays available. Organize your transport from regional hubs Manizales and Pereira.
Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona
Domicile to palm-lined tropical beaches and secluded coves, Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona is one of Colombia's natural jewels. Located along the Caribbean coastline east of Santa Marta, this national park is a paradise of relaxation, fix below the backdrop of the looming Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains.
Relaxing on sun-soaked beaches or ambling along the jungle trails that edge the coastline are the flavor of the day here, with water currents at most beaches too unsafe for swimmers. To avert the crowds, head by speedboat to Playa Cristal, an isolated island with pristine waters and gleaming beaches. Time your visit to Tayrona outside of Jan or February, which are the months when the park typically closes for maintenance.
Medellín
In one case the stronghold of Colombia'south most infamous drug lord, Pablo Escobar, modern Medellín is a city reborn. Backpackers volition notice solace in the urban center'southward plethora of hip music venues, while other travelers tin enjoy a surplus of well-heeled neighborhoods that court visitors with shady restaurant terraces and slick bars. Known for its perennially spring-like climate, Medellin's appeal is boundless, making information technology i of the best cities to visit if you're brusque on time, particularly as it's a gateway to the Zona Cafetera.
For art lovers, Colombian heavyweight Fernando Botero's imprint is visible throughout, with his emblematic engorged statues adding humour to rowdy market squares. But to get deeper under the city'south pare, visit regenerative projects at Comuna thirteen and Moravia to come across how street art and innovative forms of transport have injected life into downwardly-at-the-heel neighborhoods. You can likewise hop on a modern cable car that spirits you upwardly and out of the valley and into Parque Arví, a nature reserve with pre-Hispanic trails through forests studded with orchids.
La Guajira Peninsula
Wild expanses of desert sit alongside the splendid blue of the Caribbean Sea in one of Republic of colombia's near desolate and unique places to visit. Inhabited by the indigenous Wayuu people, La Guajira Peninsula defied acquisition past invaders throughout history, and the Wayuu still alive here in secluded villages.
To capeesh the dazzling wildness that embodies Colombia'southward northernmost point, you lot'll need to organize a tour from Riohacha. Aim to spend at least one night on the peninsula and head out to Playa Taroa – oft touted equally Colombia's most beautiful beach – where sand dunes empty of visitors calve straight into the glistening sea.
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
For a tantalizing glimpse into the past, caput to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a mountain range that slices across the northeast of Republic of colombia. Later a tough iii-24-hour interval hike through thick jungle, yous'll come across Colombia'due south finest archeological site, La Ciudad Perdida. The stone terraces of this once-crowded metropolis were congenital around 850 CE along a steep-sided ridge and only reclaimed from the jungle in the 1970s. Attainable only with a tour grouping, La Ciudad Perdida remains remote, untouched and blissfully free of tourists.
San Gil
Adrenaline junkies should look no further than Colombia's capital of run a risk, San Gil. Water sports are one of the chief draws hither, with white-water rafting or hydrospeed tours buffeting yous through breathtaking canyons along Grade I to Course Five rapids. If you're swell to get off the ground, you'll find abseiling excursions downwards gushing waterfalls, paragliding over rugged mountain peaks and even bungee jumping to help yous become that thrill. Caving, mount biking and canyoning are also available.
Cali
Few places in South America love to political party equally much every bit Cali, Republic of colombia's buzzing capital of salsa. The metropolis'south addiction to rhythm is infectious, and a visit to Cali is one that'll see you glued to the dance floor until dawn. Smoothen your moves at one of the many dance schools earlier hitting the dance flooring with the locals in Zaperoco, a standout salsa club. For the near iconic – and explosive – introduction to Cali's obsession, go your hands on a ticket to Delirio, a salsa and cabaret showcase of epic proportions that's staged the final Friday of every month.
Providencia
Situated some 1240km (770 miles) northward of Colombia in the balmy waters of the Caribbean area Sea, the idyllic island of Providencia is one of the country's well-nigh cute places to visit. Movie-perfect golden sand beaches – often practically devoid of visitors – and a laid-dorsum atmosphere are all part of the appeal of this remote and sunday-kissed patch of paradise.
Divers tin can splash in crystal clear waters aslope huge stingrays, turtles and reef sharks forth the 32km (20-mile) stretch of barrier reef, the world's tertiary largest. For those great to keep their heads higher up water, the 25ºC (77ºF) water temperatures and beachside restaurants will more than cater to your needs.
Bogotá
Rainy and cold thanks to its lofty position in the Andes Mountains, Bogotá might feel like it has little to recommend itself, merely those who give information technology a chance will find Colombia's capital a place with a cosmopolitan atmosphere and rich array of museums.
Gourmet dining rubs shoulders with rowdy nightlife in the city's increasingly trendy neighborhoods of Zona Rosa and Chapinero. But for a more sedate and educational visit, spend a twenty-four hour period marveling at the tremendous riches on display in the Museo de Oro, one of the continent'southward finest collections of pre-Hispanic metallurgy. Some other highlight is the Museo Botero, which comprises a significant drove of modern and Impressionist fine art, including 123 pieces by Botero himself.
Parque Nacional Natural Serranía de La Macarena
Due south of Bogotá, Parque Nacional Natural Serranía de La Macarena is a park that has institute fame as ane of the well-nigh unique places to visit in Colombia. Just a short drive from the nearest town of La Macarena, Caño Cristales is a river that runs pink. Dubbed the "liquid rainbow," this remarkable stretch of water flushes rhubarb thanks to the growth of riverweed that occurs between July and Oct. Pack a bathing adapt because y'all can swim in designated areas of the river.
Despite simply becoming accessible to visitors in 2010 because information technology lay in FARC-occupied territory, Caño Cristales has since get a victim of its own loveliness. As a issue, visitor numbers are at present capped at only 200 per day, and you lot'll need to book your ticket with a local tour operator in accelerate.
Parque Arqueológico Nacional de San Agustín
In the far southwestern section of Huila lies Parque Arqueológico Nacional de San Agustín. The site comprises a network of ceremonial and burial sites dotted with fantastical stone statues whose semi-human faces grin through fanged mouths and dizzyingly wide eyes. While their purpose remains largely a mystery to archeologists, many believe the area to take been a identify of pilgrimage and ancestral worship built more than 2000 years agone. Selection upward a local guide at the entrance to learn more as you explore the site.
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