Colombia Whirlwind
For my first time traveling in South America, I chose Colombia for its tropical climate, colorful towns, and undeniable nightlife.
There are a few questions I ask myself before I visit any country:
1. Is it safe?
The short answer is yes! Colombia was once known for being one of the most dangerous countries in the world with its drug cartel history. Despite its history, I felt safe walking around the streets both during the day and night. Why? Colombia is filled with bustling streets and locals walking left and right. The locals are also very friendly and are willing to help if you have questions. For someone who spoke basic Spanish, I had tons of questions when it came to pretty much everything. I recommend researching the Department of State for precautions and areas to avoid when traveling. Also, avoid walking around suspicious areas alone at night, and don’t carry all your valuables with you when sightseeing.
2. Is it expensive?
No, it’s relatively cheaper in Colombia compared to the US. I traveled when 1 USD = 3,100 Colombian pesos. The cost of living and expenses will be higher in the metropolitan cities such as Medellín. One-way flights between cities within Colombia can range from $30-60. Hotels can range from $40-100 per night depending on the hotel and area. You can definitely travel and eat well in Colombia without breaking your wallet.
3. What’s there to see?
Tons! The main cities I explored were Bogota, Cartagena, and Medellín. And I was pleasantly surprised how each city left a different impression on me. Between all the cities, I got city nightlife with bars and salsa dancing, to historical plazas and buildings, to local street food vendors in small town squares. I recommend reading blogs, TripAdvisor, or Lonely Planet to get an idea of where you want to explore.
4. What’s the weather like?
Colombia has a very tropical climate. I traveled in the month of October which is known to be its rainiest month. Although weather websites will say there’s scattered thunderstorms everyday, I didn’t find the rain discouraging on my trip. The weather can be cool or humid with slight drizzle and showers a few times for short periods. But it shouldn’t hinder your travel plans.
Day 1:
I flew into Bogotá early in the morning and was exhausted from the red-eye flight. I stayed at Hotel Regina, a vintage and accommodating hotel that’s located 25 minutes from the International airport and perfectly in the center of Bogotá, la Candelaria. After checking in early and taking a quick nap, I explored Plaza Bolivar, which was only about a 5 minute walk from the hotel. Not too far from the city’s square full of locals and tourists, was the neighborhood of La Candelaria. This neighborhood was the first taste of Colombia’s Spanish colonial-styled buildings and cobble stoned streets for museums, restaurants, bars, libraries, universities, churches, plazas, and street art and food vendors. So yes, there’s plenty to see! Since I was only staying for one night in Bogotá, I was eager to eat food that was popular amongst locals. I met a lovely family during a layover flight in Mexico City and they recommended La Puerta Falsa for their delicious tamales. I was sold when the staff at Hotel Regina made the same recommendation. La Puerta Falsa is a cute and small restaurant that had warm and savory tamales and soups. The food went perfectly with hot chocolate on a rainy night in Bogota.
I flew into Bogotá early in the morning and was exhausted from the red-eye flight. I stayed at Hotel Regina, a vintage and accommodating hotel that’s located 25 minutes from the International airport and perfectly in the center of Bogotá, la Candelaria. After checking in early and taking a quick nap, I explored Plaza Bolivar, which was only about a 5 minute walk from the hotel. Not too far from the city’s square full of locals and tourists, was the neighborhood of La Candelaria. This neighborhood was the first taste of Colombia’s Spanish colonial-styled buildings and cobble stoned streets for museums, restaurants, bars, libraries, universities, churches, plazas, and street art and food vendors. So yes, there’s plenty to see! Since I was only staying for one night in Bogotá, I was eager to eat food that was popular amongst locals. I met a lovely family during a layover flight in Mexico City and they recommended La Puerta Falsa for their delicious tamales. I was sold when the staff at Hotel Regina made the same recommendation. La Puerta Falsa is a cute and small restaurant that had warm and savory tamales and soups. The food went perfectly with hot chocolate on a rainy night in Bogota.
Highlights: Plaza Bolivar, La Candelaria neighborhood, Calle del Embudo, and Plaza del Chorro de Quevedo.
Days 2-3:
The next late morning, I flew into Cartagena and arrived at Hotel La Magdalena, a 20 minute drive from the airport and located in the heart of Getsemani. I’d recommend staying at Hotel Magdalena for its friendly staff. The rooms aren’t the most luxurious but accommodating enough for a 1-2 night stay. Plus, there’s a sweet dog named Lulu who is always friendly toward the guests. Cartagena is a port city, and different from Bogotá’s city nightlife. The weather in Cartagena is a lot more warm and humid than in Bogotá but there are still a few showers throughout the day. Cartagena has popular beaches for tourists. For me, I opted out of exploring the more popular beaches, and decided to stay closer to the beach near the hotel where I could take a picture of the colorful Cartagena sign. It’s a popular photo opt, but people are usually friendly and patient so that you can have a photo of just you and the sign. The second day, I explored the Getesmani neighborhood and Old Walled City, about a 25 minute walk in total from the hotel. Getsemani neighborhood is likely my most favorite area of Cartagena. There is an abundance of colorful houses with doors that you can’t help but want to take pictures. Every street corner has history and art. At night, Plaza Trinidad is full of street vendors and locals hanging out. There are plenty of bars and clubs to choose from. My favorite was Cafe Havana, a salsa club with great live music and dancing. Once you pay a cover charge that’s about $10, you’re immediately taken by the band’s Latin music and flare. If you’re into live Cuban music, you’ll love the energy here. The Old Walled City is known to be an old town surrounded by historical walls and colonial architecture, bars, and restaurants. Since it’s a popular tourist site, it’s easy to stand out and get harassed by street vendors. But there’s plenty to see and absorb because the city was bigger than I thought, so enjoy and take your time! If you’re staying in Getsemani, I highly recommend the restaurant, Vive. They have great fried fish there served with coconut rice and fried plantains. You can also get 3 mojito drinks there for $7 - what a steal! The food is very tasty and affordable at Vive. They also have a fruit juice bar which I highly recommend trying. The coconut lemonade was my favorite, it reminded me of a pina colada.
The next late morning, I flew into Cartagena and arrived at Hotel La Magdalena, a 20 minute drive from the airport and located in the heart of Getsemani. I’d recommend staying at Hotel Magdalena for its friendly staff. The rooms aren’t the most luxurious but accommodating enough for a 1-2 night stay. Plus, there’s a sweet dog named Lulu who is always friendly toward the guests. Cartagena is a port city, and different from Bogotá’s city nightlife. The weather in Cartagena is a lot more warm and humid than in Bogotá but there are still a few showers throughout the day. Cartagena has popular beaches for tourists. For me, I opted out of exploring the more popular beaches, and decided to stay closer to the beach near the hotel where I could take a picture of the colorful Cartagena sign. It’s a popular photo opt, but people are usually friendly and patient so that you can have a photo of just you and the sign. The second day, I explored the Getesmani neighborhood and Old Walled City, about a 25 minute walk in total from the hotel. Getsemani neighborhood is likely my most favorite area of Cartagena. There is an abundance of colorful houses with doors that you can’t help but want to take pictures. Every street corner has history and art. At night, Plaza Trinidad is full of street vendors and locals hanging out. There are plenty of bars and clubs to choose from. My favorite was Cafe Havana, a salsa club with great live music and dancing. Once you pay a cover charge that’s about $10, you’re immediately taken by the band’s Latin music and flare. If you’re into live Cuban music, you’ll love the energy here. The Old Walled City is known to be an old town surrounded by historical walls and colonial architecture, bars, and restaurants. Since it’s a popular tourist site, it’s easy to stand out and get harassed by street vendors. But there’s plenty to see and absorb because the city was bigger than I thought, so enjoy and take your time! If you’re staying in Getsemani, I highly recommend the restaurant, Vive. They have great fried fish there served with coconut rice and fried plantains. You can also get 3 mojito drinks there for $7 - what a steal! The food is very tasty and affordable at Vive. They also have a fruit juice bar which I highly recommend trying. The coconut lemonade was my favorite, it reminded me of a pina colada.
Highlights: Getsemani neighborhood and Old Walled City.
Day 4:
I flew into Medellín from Cartagena in the late afternoon and stayed at NH Collection Hotel. I noticed immediately that Medellín was more of a metropolitan city, full of hills, curvy and confusing streets, and bright lights to fill the entire city at night. Medellín is beautifully green and had its share of pouring showers during my stay. The NH Hotel was instantly the classiest and most modern hotel I stayed at during my stay in Colombia. It’s located in El Poblado neighborhood and I highly recommend it! The hotel staff is friendly, helpful and the hotel is located only about a 10 minute drive from the “party central” of Medellín and a 5 minute walk from El Centro de Commerical Santefe, a huge and modern mall with plenty of restaurants and shops. I noticed how it was far easier to blend in as a tourist with the locals in Medellín than in Cartagena which I thought was a refreshing change of pace. If there’s one rooftop bar I recommend to go, it’s the Charlee Hotel. You don’t need to stay at the hotel to enjoy its rooftop bar and lounge. There’s no cover charge and they are pretty easygoing when it comes to ID check because I forgot my ID back at the hotel. There’s an amazing rooftop bar with a live DJ, room to sit down, take pictures, and enjoy the breathtaking Medellín city skyline. I went to Vintrash, a dance club that was within walking distance and loved the laidback and lively atmosphere. It was also refreshing and fun to dance to Latin hip hop beats. I highly recommend hitting this spot up in Medellin, you won’t regret it!
I flew into Medellín from Cartagena in the late afternoon and stayed at NH Collection Hotel. I noticed immediately that Medellín was more of a metropolitan city, full of hills, curvy and confusing streets, and bright lights to fill the entire city at night. Medellín is beautifully green and had its share of pouring showers during my stay. The NH Hotel was instantly the classiest and most modern hotel I stayed at during my stay in Colombia. It’s located in El Poblado neighborhood and I highly recommend it! The hotel staff is friendly, helpful and the hotel is located only about a 10 minute drive from the “party central” of Medellín and a 5 minute walk from El Centro de Commerical Santefe, a huge and modern mall with plenty of restaurants and shops. I noticed how it was far easier to blend in as a tourist with the locals in Medellín than in Cartagena which I thought was a refreshing change of pace. If there’s one rooftop bar I recommend to go, it’s the Charlee Hotel. You don’t need to stay at the hotel to enjoy its rooftop bar and lounge. There’s no cover charge and they are pretty easygoing when it comes to ID check because I forgot my ID back at the hotel. There’s an amazing rooftop bar with a live DJ, room to sit down, take pictures, and enjoy the breathtaking Medellín city skyline. I went to Vintrash, a dance club that was within walking distance and loved the laidback and lively atmosphere. It was also refreshing and fun to dance to Latin hip hop beats. I highly recommend hitting this spot up in Medellin, you won’t regret it!
Highlights: The Nightlife!
Day 5:
From reading other travel blogs, I wanted to explore the small town of Guatapé, about a 2 hour bus ride from Medellín. I received directions from the hotel staff to take the metro to the bus terminal and then pay the $5 fare to Guatape. There are 2 companies that can take you to Guatape: Sotrapenol and Sotrasanvicente (aka the red buses). I made the honest mistake of getting on the wrong bus and going in completely the opposite direction. It took me an hour into the trip to ask someone and he was extremely gracious and kind enough to redirect me to get the right bus ticket. In the end, it took about 3 buses, 1 taxi ride, and 1 Jeep pickup truck ride to get to Guatapé. The language barrier was the biggest challenge today because people spoke almost no English and they spoke Spanish very quickly. But in the end, I was able to get to my goal destination, which was El Peñón de Guatape, a gigantic rock that has about 700 steps of stone to reach to the top. In photos, it looks a lot more intimidating to hike than it really is. The entrance fee was about $4 and it was about a 20 minute hike to the top. From looking at photos, I really thought it would take about an hour to hike it. Seeing the photo of the the rock inspired me to hike it and the view at the top certainly did not disappoint! There’s plenty of tourists hiking up and down so it’s definitely a popular attraction. I definitely recommend it. After the hike, it took about $1 and a 15 minute tuc tuc ride (small mini taxis) to get to the cute and colorful town of Guatapé. It reminded me of Cartagena but more quaint. There was a town center square surrounded by plenty of restaurants, hostels, and street vendors. Guatapé is such a cultural experience; it’s definitely a backpacker’s dream to explore the streets there. One last recommendation for food is bandeja paisa, a popular Colombian dish with beans, white rice, beef, chicharron, fried egg, avocado and plantains. My favorite part was the chicharron - such a flavorful dish!
From reading other travel blogs, I wanted to explore the small town of Guatapé, about a 2 hour bus ride from Medellín. I received directions from the hotel staff to take the metro to the bus terminal and then pay the $5 fare to Guatape. There are 2 companies that can take you to Guatape: Sotrapenol and Sotrasanvicente (aka the red buses). I made the honest mistake of getting on the wrong bus and going in completely the opposite direction. It took me an hour into the trip to ask someone and he was extremely gracious and kind enough to redirect me to get the right bus ticket. In the end, it took about 3 buses, 1 taxi ride, and 1 Jeep pickup truck ride to get to Guatapé. The language barrier was the biggest challenge today because people spoke almost no English and they spoke Spanish very quickly. But in the end, I was able to get to my goal destination, which was El Peñón de Guatape, a gigantic rock that has about 700 steps of stone to reach to the top. In photos, it looks a lot more intimidating to hike than it really is. The entrance fee was about $4 and it was about a 20 minute hike to the top. From looking at photos, I really thought it would take about an hour to hike it. Seeing the photo of the the rock inspired me to hike it and the view at the top certainly did not disappoint! There’s plenty of tourists hiking up and down so it’s definitely a popular attraction. I definitely recommend it. After the hike, it took about $1 and a 15 minute tuc tuc ride (small mini taxis) to get to the cute and colorful town of Guatapé. It reminded me of Cartagena but more quaint. There was a town center square surrounded by plenty of restaurants, hostels, and street vendors. Guatapé is such a cultural experience; it’s definitely a backpacker’s dream to explore the streets there. One last recommendation for food is bandeja paisa, a popular Colombian dish with beans, white rice, beef, chicharron, fried egg, avocado and plantains. My favorite part was the chicharron - such a flavorful dish!
Highlights: El Peñón de Guatapé and Guatapé.
Visiting three cities of Colombia in one week was a whirlwind experience and had its challenges. I’ve learned that traveling is never perfect, even with a set list of places you want to see. A change in plans and going with the flow is part of an unforgettable experience. I’m grateful for all the kind strangers that have helped me get to my destinations. Colombia was a lively experience and great taster for future travels in South America.
Cheers,
kim
"It's ludicrous this place exists and everybody doesn't want to live here."
-Anthony Bourdain
Cheers,
kim
"It's ludicrous this place exists and everybody doesn't want to live here."
-Anthony Bourdain
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