Good friends of ours were teaching in Bogotà and were regularly sending emails with beautiful pictures of varied wildlife, pristine beaches and lush mountains – along with assurances that Colombia is truly safe for travelling now. At first we hesitated, then we started getting tempted…and then after a bit of research…we were sold!
In the end, we absolutely loved Colombia. The landscapes were breathtaking, the people were incredibly friendly and helpful, the history was fascinating, the food was delicious, and there wasn’t a single moment when we felt unsafe.
The biggest challenge with planning a trip to Colombia seems to be limiting yourself to where you’ll go! We spent just over 2 weeks and feel that there was so much still to be discovered.
Here’s how we explored Colombia with our daughters (ages 13 and 14) for 2 weeks.
Itinerary:
Flight from Toronto to Cartagena
Day 1: Cartagena
Day 2: Islas del Rosario
Day 3: Morning Graffiti Tour of Getsemani & Travel day to Tayrona Park
Days 4-5: Tayrona Park
Day 6: Flight & travel day to Salento
Day 7: Salento & Cocora Valley Hike
Day 8: Travel day to Jardin & Explore town
Day 9: Hike to La Cueva Del Esplendor & Travel to Jericó
Day 10: Jericó and drive to Medellin
Day 11: Medellin
Day 12: El Penol, Guatapé and flight to Bogota
Day 13-14: Bogota
Day 15: Flight Home/Flight to Costa Rica
If I could have changed anything, I would have added an extra day in Jardin to soak it in (plus the travelling in that region took longer than we anticipated). I also would have added another day in Cartagena & Medellin if we had the extra time – we didn’t really get to any museums in either city.
Arrival: Cartagena
We arrived in Cartagena on the evening of my daughter’s 13th birthday. The staff of our hotel had thoughtfully left a Cartagena pen on her pillow to mark the event. We wandered around the beautiful, colourful streets for a little while before crashing in bed after a long day of travel.
Day 1: Morning
La Popa Convent
(15 min drive from Old City & 30min wander with kids – longer if you are on a tour/without kids)
Our first full day in Cartagena promised to be hot. Very hot.
After a beautiful breakfast at the hotel (all of the hotels we stayed at included amazing breakfasts), we hired a taxi to take us up to the convent of La Candelaria at the top of La Popa hill. While the girls wouldn’t say that this was their favourite stop of the trip, it provided beautiful views and gave glimpses into the history of the city. Be aware that there are people at the gate trying to sell things. Just firmly say no and keep walking (unless you want to buy something!).
Don’t Miss:
- The ornate altar and the views over Cartagena
Tips:
- Hire a taxi driver for the drive to both the convent and Castillo San Felipe. Our taxi waited for us while we were in the convent and it was great to be able to hop right in and go to the next stop. Our hotel arranged this for us.
- Do NOT walk up as the surrounding areas can be a little dodgy.
Next Stop: Castillo San Felipe de Barajas
(15 min drive from Convent & 1-1.5hr self guided tour)
Our taxi then drove us to the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas. It is a short walk back to the old town from the Castillo so we paid him so he didn’t wait for us.
While “castillo” officially translates to “castle,” this is actually a UNESCO protected fortress built between 1536 and 1657. This is the stuff of pirates and wars of independence.
Be aware – it is HOT here so early morning visits are recommended! We, however, arrived at high noon and almost missed seeing the full extent of it because we were so hot. Thankfully, we persevered and quite enjoyed this historical monument. Bring water, hats & sunscreen!
Don’t Miss:
- The video explaining the history of the fortress – this movie made all the difference for us . Not only did we cool off in this air-conditioned room, but we also better understood and appreciated the monument’s importance in the history of Colombia. The film is subtitled in English.
- The tunnels (also a respite from the sun)
Tips:
- The video is in Spanish with English subtitles at the bottom of the screen – I recommend sitting closer to the front in order to read them easier!
- The popsicles for sale at the gift shop at the top were essential to our hot-day survival and emotional well-being!
And then…
Back to the hotel (and air-conditioning!) and a swim at the rooftop pool. Don’t book a Cartagena hotel that doesn’t have a pool!
Afternoon
Wander the Streets of Cartagena
One of the best times to explore the winding streets of Cartagena is the late-afternoon and into the early evening hours. The evening air is much more forgiving, many stores remain open and the streets are lively well into the night. We did not follow a specific route while we explored – we kinda liked getting lost, discovering a square, finding a beautiful street, getting lost again, discovering another square…
You can walk along a large extent of the city’s old walls and I highly recommend watching the sunset from Café del Mar. The drinks are expensive and with kids, you’ll have to sit in a specific area, but it was my first moment where I realized that Colombia going to be anything BUT stereotypical!
Don’t Miss:
Walking the Old Walls
Puerta del Reloj (Clock Tower) – the original gate to the fortified city
Plaza de Bolivar
Catedral de Cartagena
Teatro Heredia Adolfo Mejia
Iglesia de Santo Domingo
Iglesia de San Pedro Claver
Café del Mar (for sunset drinks)
La Paletteria (fantastic – and refreshing – popsicles)
Tips:
- Bring a map/phone with downloaded map
- Decide which sites you would like to see ahead of time but try to wander your way there. The magic of Cartagena is getting a little lost in the old city!
- Looking for a grocery store for snacks & drinks? There’s a large “Exito San Diego” on the edge of the old city near the new Mall (Centro Comercial y teatro la Serrezuela)
Day 2: Los Islas del Rosario
Admittedly, this was one of the more expensive things that we did on this trip – we justified it by our limited amount of time on the coast of Colombia as well as the fact that it was my husband’s birthday. I also found it the hardest thing to plan. Most tours seemed to be very generic group events that certainly didn’t cater to families (in fact, they mostly seemed like “party” boats). I spent a long time finding a company that I felt would work for our family – and Boats4U were fantastic.
It was a pretty amazing day!
As I said, Boats4U were really great and totally organized when we arrived at the dock. There were two crew to manage the driving of the boat as well as another staff who joined us because we added the snorkelling option. We felt very spoiled!
The boat was sparkling clean and the crew was friendly and flexible. We started off by boating out about 45 minutes out to a group of islands where our snorkelling guide led us in the water around an island and coral. We saw colourful fish, coral and my daughter saw an octopus!
We snorkeled in three different areas before going to an island resort where we were led to some chaise-lounges on a beautiful white beach where we could relax for the afternoon with drinks from the bar. We had fantastic fresh fish for lunch and even though the sky looked ominous with clouds, they said we could stop at another beach if we wanted. We had had such a perfect day out that we opted to keep the memory of it and just boat by the famous “Playa Blanca.”
We ended the evening wandering around Cartagena…
Day 3: Morning Graffiti Tour of Getsemani & Travel day to Tayrona Park
Even though we were leaving Cartagena this day, we managed to squeeze in a guided graffiti tour of the Getsemani area with Cartagena Connections. Getsemani used to be an area you would avoid in Cartagena. Now it’s becoming a tourist haven with hotels, hostels, restaurants and graffiti art. For our first time in Cartagena, we felt more comfortable staying in the old city with our kids, but we enjoyed getting a glimpse into this area of the city.
Our Cartagena hotel arranged a driver to take us from Cartagena to our hotel in Tayrona Park. (approx. $300 USD). The five hour drive was long but interesting – and it was a nice luxury to be delivered door-to-door rather than trying to manage the local buses and getting into Tayrona Park from Santa Marta.
We stayed at the Tayrona EcoHabs which were an amazing experience. While the accommodations are not the ultimate in 5 star luxury, they are clean, well-maintained, and super cool with a fabulous location – plus the architecture feels very exotic. We loved it. Be aware that there are a LOT of stairs to get to the rooms, but the incredible staff somehow manages to get your luggage up and down to your room for you.
Hotel Room 
Bathroom (under sleeping area) 
Shower 
Hammocks under the sleeping area 
Dining Room 
The rooms are all in 2-story round huts with thatched roofs. There was a queen bed and they added 2 single beds for the girls. The bathroom is actually down the stairs under the bedroom – this was not a problem for us at all, but something to be aware of. There was a hammock in the bedroom as well as two hammocks around the patio on the lower level. We spent quite a bit of time in these hammocks, soaking in the view!
We found the food to be excellent at the hotel restaurant. There are very few options for dining in Tayrona Park, so we were thankful that our hotel choices were delicious. Breakfast was included in our room as well – and we could mostly get through the day with the hearty breakfast, a lighter snack for lunch, and then dinner at the hotel.
Once we got home, we found ourselves showing the picture of the Tayrona EcoHabs to friends and family more often than most of our other trip photos!
Day 4: Tayrona Park Beaches
Our first full day in Tayrona Park was just a day for chilling. Canaveral Beach near the Tayrona EcoHabs is not safe for swimming, so we spent the morning walking up and down the sand as it was so beautiful.
That afternoon, we elected to have a little lunch/snack at the beautiful Piscinita Beach. The Ecohabs have a bar and food service available at this beach as well as towels and a lifeguard. There are loungers and some tables with umbrellas as well. We happily spent the rest of the day swimming, reading, snacking, and drinking at our own semi-private beach!
Day 5: Tayrona Park Hike to Cabo San Juan
After a lovely day of rest, we got up early this day in order to hike to Cabo San Juan Beach. When you see pictures of Tayrona Park, this is usually the beach you see: a crescent of sand with two small hills on either side, one with a thatched hut on top. There’s no denying that it is a beautiful beach…but be forewarned that the hike there is not easy.
Cabo San Juan One-Day Hike Packing List
You want to carry as little as possible – we tried to fit everything into 2 backpacks so we could take turns carrying them. We wore our bathing suits under our clothes.
- Water (one bottle per person – at least!)
- Hats
- Sunscreen
- Travel towels (hopefully you brought lightweight travel towels to Colombia!)
- Mini first aid kit (bandaids, antibacterial gel and wipes, kleenexes)
- Granola bars/snacks (make sure you buy these before you arrive in Tayrona Park! There are no stores or grocery stores in the park).
- Money
- Camera
- Sunglasses
After breakfast, we started off with as little in our backpacks as possible. The start of the hike is an easy 10 minute walk from the Tayrona Ecohabs.
This hike was absolutely spectacular. Every 10-15 minutes, you would suddenly find yourself in a completely different environment – palm trees, pine trees, beaches, jungles, monkeys… it was fantastic. I highly recommend making sure that you take the time to enjoy the hike rather than just focus on the destination.
That said, it was not an easy hike. It was manageable with a general fitness level for sure, but it might have been the hottest I’ve ever been in my life! Add the intense heat to climbing up and down hills and stairs along the coast…this is not for the faint of heart. It took 3 hours there and 3 hours back (6 hours total) and our fitness trackers clocked the entire hike at 72 flights of stairs and 23,432 steps! To be completely frank, we drank all of our water – plus we bought several at the beach when we arrived…and none of us used the bathroom until we got back – 8-9 hours later! Whatever we drank, our body just absorbed! Just be honest with yourself about your fitness level before you decide to go and take it at your own pace.
Once at Cabo San Juan, we immediately jumped in the crystal-blue water to cool off and then settled ourselves on the beach to enjoy the atmosphere. This is a huge backpacker destination. There is an entire hut of hammocks where you can stay overnight – as well as a field full of tents for rent. There are toilets, a restaurant, as well as vendors who walk up and down the beach selling snacks. While it is definitely busy, it didn’t feel overwhelming at all. There is a swamp area between the two beaches – it’s worth a peek – we saw a caiman lying in the sun while we were there!
The lifeguard at Piscinita Beach (near the Ecohabs) finishes at 4pm, so we made sure to leave Cabo San Juan in time to jump in the water there after our 3 hour hike back. A cold beer and a jump in the ocean was a perfect end to this challenging – but beautiful – day!
Day 6: Travel Day to Salento
The Tayrona EcoHabs had been able to pre-arrange a private car to drive us to the Santa Marta airport for our flight to Pereira. When we arrived at the airport, we were disappointed to see that there were actually direct flights from Santa Marta to Pereira which I wasn’t able to find from Canada for some reason. When we booked our flights, we could only find options that flew over Bogota, obviously adding a few hours to our travel times. Look carefully before you book! Of course, it was fine, but rather than an entire day of travelling, we could have been in Salento by lunch!
Our Salento hotel also arranged a private driver to pick us up at the Pereira airport. This all went off without a hitch and we were gazing out at the hills of Salento from our hotel by mid-afternoon.
We loved our little hotel, run by a German couple – clean and quiet! The beds were a little firm, but so peaceful!
We struck out into town where we climbed the stairs at the end of Carrera 6 for a photo op with the Salento sign and a view of the town. Then off to the town square and an amazing dinner at La Herreria (at the end of Carrera 5). This was actually one of our favourite meals in Colombia – a great night out!
Day 7: Salento & Valle de Cocora
Early the next morning, we wandered down the colourful streets to the main square where we bought tickets for a “Willy” jeep to take us to the Cocora Valley – home of the giant wax palm trees. Erik didn’t fit in the jeep so he stood off of the back bumper while we sat inside.
A beautiful drive led us to a magical valley dotted with Dr Seussical palm trees. We wandered around, taking way too many photos and enjoying the views. This is a must-see in Colombia!
After the bumpy ride back to town, we loved the vegetarian “Coco Bowl” for lunch where we sat on swings and drank pink smoothies.
The afternoon was for wandering the touristy shops and buying souvenirs. Of course we fit in an afternoon coffee at the “famous” Cafe Jesus Martin as well.
After freshening up at our hotel, we returned to Salento for dinner and were amazed by the rancheros on horseback for a “night on the town.” It was a Friday night and it was an incredibly lively place and so fun to watch!
Don’t Miss:
- Valle de Cocora
- Salento Sign at the top of the steps (Carrera 5)
- La Herreria Restaurant for dinner
- Coco Bowl for lunch
- Cafe Jesus Martin
Day 8: Travel Day to Jardin
Today was a lesson in taking a deep breath and remembering that things often take longer than you think in Colombia.
We were about to start our private 4-day tour with Palenque Tours (highly recommended!) and our driver arrived right on time to drive us the first leg of the journey from Salento to Jardin. All of the searches I had done on google maps at home indicated that this was a 4-5 hour drive. Long, but totally manageable for Canadians used to having to cover large distances! Well…that didn’t account for the fact that the 4-5 hour route required a 4-wheel-drive vehicle and all other vehicles had to take the longer route! Or that there would be construction on the entire length of the highway. Or that the roads are so incredibly windy that if you get stuck behind a truck, you would be stuck behind them for at least half an hour or more.
It took us 8 hours (non-stop!) to get from Salento to Jardin.
Thankfully, the scenery was absolutely breathtaking the entire time. We passed rolling hills and mountains with bananas, rice, and coffee plants. You could see beautifully maintained and colourful fincas (farms) up in the hills and we passed many small towns where we could glimpse into the day-to-day life of locals. Admittedly, I wish the trip had been 5 hours instead of 8…but there are worse places to spend an extra 3 hours!
We finally arrived at our lovely hotel with plans to meet the driver again the next morning and took a few minutes to freshen up before going to explore.
As we began to wander around the quiet streets, we very quickly fell in love with Jardin.
The colourful square is so charming, the brightly painted buildings so beautiful, and the hotel we stayed at (Casa Passiflora) was so lovely that I was not ready to leave after one night. If I were to do this trip again, I would spend 2 nights in Jardin and skip over Jerico. (If time was not an issue, I would go to both with at least two nights in Jardin!).
We first headed over to Dulces Del Jardin that is on all of the blogs about Jardin…and maybe we were missing something but we found the staff to be incredibly inattentive and the desserts just…OK. I don’t know if I would make the special effort to get to this place if you have limited time.
We definitely much preferred sitting in the square, drinking coffee and watching the people go by. As it was the weekend, there was a small market set up (mostly food) and lots of families and couples strolling around.
The name “Jardin” (garden) is certainly apt since the flowers in the square were beautiful and well-maintained.
Highlights:
- My new favourite coffee shop in the world: Café Macanas Parque Principal. Located right beside the church in the main square, you have to walk through the door to discover the various rooms, quirky décor, gorgeous wall of planters…and of course…sample the amazing coffee.
- De los Andes Café has a fantastic vantage point over the square. Lovely clean and modern space.
- Café Europa – while we didn’t actually eat here (the line-up was too long!) everyone we met recommended it
- Loved our hotel: Casa Passiflora. Clean and modern with a traditional feel, we loved the courtyard in the back with a hot tub and areas to sit and play cards – all within a block from the main square. Highly recommend staying here.
Day 9: Jardin, Cave of Splendor (?) and Travel to Jerico
In the morning, we were picked up by our tour guide Louise who took us to the Cueva de l’Esplendor. You need to be on a tour to get to this spot and I highly recommend it.
We started by jumping into another “Willy” Jeep and bumping along to the top of one of the hills surrounding Jardin. The views were stunning.
When we arrived, we were given a lovely snack and drink before heading to the hike through jungle fauna and across streams. After about 45 minutes, we arrived at a cave where a waterfall fell through a hole. It was pretty awesome. There was also a living waterfall “wall” and some people on the tour swam here…although it was too cold for me!
After the hike back for another delicious snack, we climbed back into the Willy Jeep to return to Jardin. We had enough time for an amazing lunch at Roots and a coffee at Macana’s before heading off to Jerico.
After about a 3-4 hour drive, we settled into a lovely traditional style hotel (El Despertar) in Jerico and then out for wonderful dinner at a typical Colombian restaurant, upstairs at “La Gruta” (Carrera 4, #7-48 – right beside the church). After a delicious meal, we headed over to the town square where we had a drink (typical “Aguardiente”) and enjoyed the ambiance of a summer weekend.
Day 10: Jerico, Coffee Finca & Travel to Medellin
We happily wandered around Jerico the next morning stopping in the main square and the botanical gardens. There was a photo to take everywhere you looked! Jericho is known for leather satchels called “carrieles” which were typical for ranchers and farmers in the area. You can stop in some of the workshops to see them make these bags. Try to walk up or down one of the sets of stairs between Carrera 4 and Carrera 3.
We spent some time in the MAJA Museum – small but quite good for such a small town. After a few last photo ops with the colourful streets and a last stop in some shops for souvenirs, we were off again to our next adventure: a coffee plantation.
We all absolutely loved this experience. Our tour guide had organized for us to be picked up in another Willy Jeep and driven to a coffee plantation where we were given a homemade (delicious!) lunch and then led through the process of coffee production.
This included picking coffee beans ourselves with traditional baskets on the hillside overlooking a valley with coffee plantations as far as the eye could see. The “Juan Valdez” mountain was even in the background. We were taught how to dry and roast the beans and then given a taste test to see which one we preferred (my husband and I failed miserably!). This was one of our favourite experiences in Colombia.
Back to the van for a drive to Medellin. We stayed at Sites Hotel which was excellent but a bit far from some of the shops and restaurants of Poblado. That said, we were thankful that there was a wonderful pizza place across the street where we happily ordered-in and relaxed in our 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom, kitchen & living room space after a wonderful day!
Don’t Miss:
- Botanical Gardens were actually lovely
- La Gruta Restaurant
- Coffee or a drink on the square
- Walking up (or down!) the stairs between Carrera 4 & 5
Day 11: Medellin
As part of our tour with Palenque, our guide Louise took us on a walking tour through Medellin. We began at the Pueblito Paisa which is a reconstructed typical Colombian town square at the top of a hill. It has a great view overlooking the city to give you an understanding of the size of the city!
We continued to the downtown area where we walked through:
- Medellin’s town hall including an interesting sculpture
- The bank Davivienda Ayachucho which was an old train station and now has an old train in the courtyard
- Plaza Cisneros with the Parque de las Luces (Park of the Lights)
- Be sure to have a look at the old buildings at the eastern end of the plaza
- Wandered down the busy pedestrian Avenue Carabobo, people watching, sampling salted mango slices & marvelling at the mix of architecture styles
- Ended at the Plaza Botero with fantastic sculptures by Botero and the stunning Rafael Uribe Palace of Culture
- We didn’t have time to explore it but the Museo de Antioquia (art gallery) is here as well
From Plaza Botero, our guide got us on a local train and whisked us to the gondola system to Comuna 13. Medellin has won an Innovation Award for finding a way to integrate these neighbourhoods high on the hills with the rest of the city by building gondola systems. While Comuna 13 used to be one of the most dangerous areas of the city, they are now revitalizing the neighbourhood with graffiti art, tours and small shops. While I felt entirely safe there, I would recommend a local tour.
The girls finished off the day with a little shopping around the Poblado area. We particularly liked wandering along Carrera 37 & 37a. We all found a few lovely things to take home with us!
For dinner, we thoroughly enjoyed a special treat at Carmen (Carrera 36, #10a-27)!
Day 12: El Penol, Guatapé & Travel to Bogotà
I nearly cancelled this part of our trip but I’m so glad we managed to fit it in – it allowed a glimpse into the smaller towns in the Antioquia area of Colombia.
We packed up fairly early from Medellin and drove with our Palenque tour guides to El Penol – a 200m tall rock that you are able to climb in order to have views of the surrounding area. Interestingly, the lake area that you see is a result of a dam – not originally natural – but it’s still quite beautiful and worth the climb if you’re physically able.
Then, back to the van for a few minutes to the small town of Guatapé. Yes, this is quite touristy now…but it really is a beautiful place. Most buildings are beautifully painted with murals depicting historical moments. We really enjoyed wandering around, taking pictures and, yes, stopping in the tourist shops to get a few last-minute souvenirs from this area of Colombia (and I have to admit that I’m glad we did – Bogota did not have the same types of souvenirs that we had seen so much of in this area).
Finally, a farewell to our guides after being dropped off at the Medellin airport for our flight. We actually found that the souvenir shops in the Medellin airport were quite good if you’re interested in that sort of thing. A clean, modern building too…
Arriving in Bogotà we stayed at the 93 Luxury Suites around the Parque de la 93. It was a great area for our family since there were several restaurants and bars around a green space. The apartment had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, laundry (upon request), a kitchen and a living room – clean and spacious. It was also within 15-20 minute walking distance to the shopping area of El Retiro with a mall and shops lining the streets.
We met up with our friends on our first evening and struck out for dinner around the Parque de la 93. The restaurant we went to appears to now be closed, but there are several options in the area.
Day 13: Bogotà
One thing I hadn’t quite realized before arriving in Bogotà was the size of the city (large!) and the traffic (busy!). It took much longer to move around the city than I had expected – just keep that in mind as you plan your time there.
The first day in Bogotà we spent some time doing laundry and reorganizing our bags as Erik would be returning to Toronto and the girls and I were heading to Costa Rica. Once we felt a bit more sorted, we decided to go down to the Gold Museum (Museo del Oro) and look around the downtown area while our friends were at work. Sadly, I can’t fully recommend this museum as we found the “story” and history of gold in Colombia was a little lost in the displays. While the intricate designs on display were definitely beautiful there are only so many gold objects our kids could cope with. Perhaps this is a museum for a guided tour.
After the the Museo del Oro, we wandered around the area, looking at some of the churches. There’s a fairly touristy souvenir shop across the street from the museum where the girls found some cheap little treasures to take home.
We spent some time shopping in the >>> area. For local artisan shops, I recommend:
- Lemon Tree
- La Percha
- Ciudad Freak
- ?
For dinner we had wanted to eat at the famous Andres Carne de Res but kids under 18 weren’t allowed, so we explored our friends’ neighbourhood of Neuva Granada which had some great restaurants as well. We were spoiled at El Chato (Calle 65 #4-76) and ended the evening enjoying a beer at the ubiquitous chain the “Bogotà Beer Company” facing the Parque de la 93 after dinner.
Day 14: Bogotà
We were able to spend most of this day with our friends which made things easier to figure out how to get around the city. The girls wanted to eat at Crepes and Waffles, so we started our morning there for brunch. Then, off to wander around the Candelaria area with all of the old buildings and small shops. This area is just shifting to a touristy area and not as “beautiful” as the smaller towns of Jardin or Jerico, but perhaps authentic?
Don’t Miss:
- Plaza Bolivar
- Museo Botero – definitely a hit with our whole family. Unique and pleasing art in a lovely building. Highly recommended.
- Plazoleta Chorro de Quevedo (historic plaza where it is said that Bogotà was founded)
- La Calle del Embudo/Carrera 2 (small, graffitied street)
- La Puerto Falsa (a little touristy and while we didn’t love the combination of cheese and hot chocolate, this restaurant has been here for 200 years and is one of those “things to do” in the area)
- There are also several other excellent museums in the area – best to look at a guide and see if any are of interest to your family:
- Bogotà Museum (History of Bogotà)
- Santa Clara Museum (Art museum in a former church)
- Museo de la Salle Bogotà (Natural History)
- Independence Museum
- Museo Colonial
- Military Museum
- Museo de Trajes (Ethnic costume museum)
- Copper Museum
- Archaeological Museum
After getting lost in the streets around the Candelaria, we took a taxi over to the Monserrate gondola in time for the sunset. What a magical way to end our Colombia trip. The sun sets over the city and the lights come on – including colourful lights on the church at the top of the mountain. A perfect vantage point. After having exhausted our cameras with shots of the setting sun and twinkling city, we walked over to the Restaurante Casa San Isidro (at the top of Monserrate) for a traditional Colombian meal in an historic building. Delicious and more great memories made.
Day 15: Leaving Colombia…
Somehow two weeks had flown by and we were leaving Colombia. We all agreed that this had been one of our favourite trips. As our first time in South America, we were intrigued by the new cultures we were discovering. The people had been incredibly welcoming and friendly. We felt safe the entire time. The landscapes were varied, gorgeous, and ??. We all agreed that more travel to South America would be in our future.
Erik was returning to Toronto to go back to work but the girls and I were off on another adventure in Costa Rica where we were going to volunteer with a turtle conservation organization.
Click here to read about our Costa Rican Turtle Adventure!
General Colombia Tips
- It is really helpful if someone in your group can speak Spanish. Tourism is still somewhat new in some areas of Colombia and while the main hotels in the tourist areas have English-speaking employees, we found that most taxis and many restaurants were Spanish-only. I have always wanted to learn Spanish and took this opportunity to learn what I could on Duolingo – and I highly recommend it! I committed to 15 minutes a day for the 6 months leading up to our trip – and by the time we arrived in Colombia, I could decipher menus, ask for directions and have mini conversations with the taxi drivers (mostly about how cold it was in Canada in the winter!).
- Not once did I hear anyone say “Hola”! Everyone simply said “Buenas” – not buenas dias or buenas noches… just “Buenas” – I loved this as a catch-all greeting to everyone!
- Local busses are definitely a cheaper option – and an authentic experience (!) – but due to our limited time in Colombia, we found that hiring a private driver was actually easy, safe and helped us maximize our vacation time. I don’t know how hard it would be to book something last-minute, but our hotels were amazing at setting drivers up for us ahead of time. Since we weren’t renting a car, and travel expenses were generally much less in Colombia, this was an expense we were willing to budget for.
- Try to aim to be in the smaller coffee towns (Salento, Jardin, etc) on a weekend. The atmosphere was authentically charming as we watched the locals come into town for dinner or a night out. Some rode their horses right into the square and there were ruanas (Colombian poncho-type coats) and cowboy hats everywhere you looked.
- Interestingly, Colombians feel that North Americans slam car doors too hard! Be aware when you are closing a taxi door to do it as gently as possible. (or was that Costa Rica)?????????