In this Colombia journey information, I’ll inform you about a straightforward route that’s good for a shorter trip. Think of this as a “best of Colombia” journey, supplying you with a sun-and-fun-filled expertise.
If you’ve gotten 1 week in Colombia, your finest guess is to give attention to one space of the nation. Some in style focal factors are Bogota, Medellín, and Cartagena. Each of those cities is exclusive and allows you to discover their surrounding area. This itinerary focuses on Cartagena and the north of Colombia.
1 Week Itinerary
In this 7 to 10-day journey, you may discover the gorgeous colonial metropolis of Cartagena, benefit from the tropical seashores of the Rosario Islands, and go to espresso farms and expertise the Colombian jungle in Minca.
It features a little bit of every thing, it’s straightforward to do, and it’s in part of Colombia identified for having excessive security ranges. It’s supreme for first-timers in Colombia, {couples}, and households as properly.
Accommodation and actions could be simply booked by means of on-line platforms linked right here. In different instances it’s simpler to do by means of native brokers (e.g. purchase bus or ferry tickets straight on the terminals).
You can comply with this normal define:
You can lengthen the journey by staying two nights in Medellin or Bogota, which can be mentioned later.
Day 1 + 2: Cartagena
Arriving in Cartagena, you’ll be instantly struck by the gorgeous colonial structure and heat Caribbean ambiance.
But first let’s talk about some logistics. Flying into Cartagena is your only option, as it’s going to will let you actually take advantage of your one week in Colombia. When planning your journey, bear in mind each the price and journey time required to get from place to put.
The airport is just quarter-hour from the town heart and there can be loads of taxis ready for you, however don’t allow them to rip you off. It is usually that when Colombian taxi drivers see gringos the worth magically doubles and even triples typically.
The worth must be round 15,000 COP (≈ 3 USD) and would possibly go up a bit extra relying on the place you’re staying, however not more than 20,000 COP.
To get the total expertise and ambiance in Cartagena I like to recommend staying in one of many lovely colonial lodges. Casa Morales is my favourite lodge in all the outdated city, with its attractive colonial-style structure and fashionable facilities. You can settle down from the tropical local weather within the pool or take pleasure in your espresso on the personal balconies.
(Book Casa Morales at Expedia, Booking, or Hotels.com.)
Once settled in, head out to discover the town.
The City of Cartagena
Cartagena was based in 1533 by Spanish settlers and have become a commerce hub for gold and slaves within the seventeenth century. The metropolis’s afro-Caribbean affect could be traced to its colonial historical past.
The city nonetheless has many colonial treasures to discover, such because the well-known Walled City. With its brightly coloured buildings, quaint plazas, and charming cobblestone streets, Cartagena is ideal for wandering round and getting misplaced on goal.
So let’s get on the market and begin exploring!
For Day 1, I like to recommend doing a tour centered on the Walled City. This offers you some important historic background however can even assist together with your normal orientation.
You will get to discover all the principle points of interest inside Cartagena’s colonial heart, together with Plaza Bolivar and San Felipe de Barajas Castle.
A bit additional exterior the outdated city (however nonetheless inside strolling distance) is the San Felipe fort, the most important colonial Spanish fortification in South America.
How to guide: guide this personal tour of the Walled City at GetYourGuide, which incorporates an English-speaking information and visits to the colonial city plus the vigorous barrio of Getsemani.
Alternatively, guide this personal tour through Viator. This features a shorter strolling tour within the outdated city however you’ll even have a automobile with driver, so you may see sights additional away just like the hilltop Popa Convent and the San Felipe fort.
Cartagena is a well-liked vacationer city, so be ready to be approached by road distributors promoting fruit, Panama hats, or souvenirs. Occasionally they do get annoying, however don’t let this deter you from having fun with your time in Cartagena. Simply ignoring them often works finest.
To get away from the hustle and bustle of the road sellers head to the Getsemani neighborhood, which is a colourful space stuffed with bars, cafes, and artwork retailers.
Head to one of many native spots for a cheeky 15,000 COP (≈ 3 USD) menu del dia. These day by day set menus are widespread in Colombia and often embody a soup, recent fruit juice, and a predominant plate with meat or fish and patacones (fried plantain slices). The menus del dia are a enjoyable and cheap technique to get acquainted with the native meals. Alternatively, take pleasure in my favourite ceviche place, La Cevecheria for a number of the freshest seafood within the metropolis.
On Day 2, head to the Totumo mud volcano. This is the right exercise for teenagers as they will climb within the mud and run round. Just beware that it will get very messy!
It is a couple of half hour to the volcano and I like to recommend taking a half-day tour to take advantage of your time on this distinctive location. There are departures at 7.30 AM and 1 PM. For an early begin, take into account getting the 7.30 AM tour. You can guide this expertise at GetYourGuide or at Viator.com.
After getting again into city and washing up — which you’ll actually need to do after having mud in your entire nooks and crannies — you may spend the remainder of your day additional exploring Cartagena by yourself, or hitting up one in every of its many seashores.
Now is the time if you wish to take some snaps for social media. Cartagena has so many lovely partitions with road artwork, colourful buildings, and vintage doorways that make for nice backdrops for portraits.
Cartagena is plenty of enjoyable to wander round as there are quite a few boutique retailers, cocktail bars, and specialty cafes. Colombia is, after all, famed for its unbelievable arabica espresso beans — and nowadays they do an incredible job roasting them as properly.
My favourite place for a batch brew or V60 is Café La Manchuria, which additionally sells its personal beans and different artisanal native merchandise.
Craving some seaside time? The hottest seaside is Playa Blanca, which has lovely white sand and turquoise water. If you desire a extra secluded expertise, head to Boca Chica or San Lázaro as an alternative. These are a lot much less crowded so it is possible for you to to calm down and benefit from the views in peace.
For the night, head to the highest 10 bars within the WORLD which is positioned in Cartagena. Alquimico is a three-story bar with one of the best cocktails and is a can’t-miss evening out in Cartagena. The afrobeats, reggae and salsa music will get you dancing very quickly.
Day 3 + 4: Rosario Islands
After just a few days in Cartagena, it’s time to get away from the crowds and head to the Rosario islands. This is a small cluster of islands simply off the coast of Cartagena, which provides you a real tropical getaway.
Loads of vacationers go to the principle island of Isla Grande just for the day, however I don’t advocate it. With the seashores in Cartagena being fairly crowded, I counsel staying on one of many islands for not less than one evening. This means you may actually calm down and luxuriate in this lovely tropical oasis.
The white sand and turquoise water seashores are unmatched by Cartagena, making it the prime spot to sit back and calm down or attempt your hand at water sports activities like kayaking and scuba diving.
Getting to the Rosario Islands is kind of straightforward. You might want to head to Muelle de la Bodeguita to catch one of many ferries. The journey to Isla Grande solely takes round 45-60 minutes, and all ferries depart no later than 9:30 within the morning. The tickets for the ferry vary from 55,000 COP to 90,000 COP (≈ 12 to 19 USD). The final ferry from Cartagena to Isla Grande leaves at 09:00 within the morning, and the final ferry from Isla Grande to Cartagena leaves at 15:00.
Considering the ferry schedule, in the event you did a day journey you’d solely have 6 hours of enjoyable within the solar, which is why it’s nicer to spend two days there.
Hotel Isla Bella is the right place to remain on Isla Marina, an unspoiled smaller island subsequent to Isla Grande, with a spread of bungalows positioned proper on the beachfront. You can take pleasure in waking up every morning to the sound of the waves, swinging in your personal hammock in your balcony and taking within the tropical vibes.
Spend your days exploring the island, renting one of many paddle boards or kayaks and hitting the waves, or attempt your hand at snorkeling and diving within the crystal blue water. And don’t neglect to take a sundown stroll alongside the seaside!
And in the event you’re feeling adventurous, head out for an all-day journey by yourself personal yacht. You will be capable to snorkel, take pleasure in your lunch and calm down on a stupendous seaside, all whereas floating alongside the large blue sea.
Alternatively, take into account any of these Rosaria Island excursions which is able to take you to one of the best bays and islands.
Day 5 – 7: Minca
After stress-free on the islands, it’s time to go inland and discover Colombia’s lush inexperienced mountains.
Minca is a small mountain village positioned 1 hour away from Santa Marta. It’s one in every of my favourite locations in Colombia, identified for its unbelievable views of the Caribbean and its surrounding jungle.
It’s an ecotourism hotspot, dwelling to some gorgeous eco-lodges, nice mountaineering trails, waterfalls, and bird-watching spots.
Getting to Minca takes a little bit of time and somewhat effort however it’s 100% value it. You might want to take the bus from Cartagena to Santa Marta, which prices round 80,000 COP (≈ 17 USD). The bus terminal in Cartagena is positioned on the outskirts of the town, so anticipate a taxi there from the middle to take about half-hour. The bus journey to Santa Marta can take 4 to five hours relying on site visitors. It takes some time, however on the plus facet, the journey is fairly snug and also you’ll get to see a few of Colombia’s pretty landscapes from the window.
Once you arrive in Santa Marta, the best and most handy technique to get to Minca is by taxi, it takes about 45 minutes and can price round 80,000 COP. You also can take the native bus, which is less expensive however will take about double the time.
There are a ton of wonderful locations to remain in Minca — from high-end eco resorts to extra budget-friendly hostels and leases — however the one place I extremely advocate staying is Masaya Casas Viejas.
This lovely jungle lodge is ideal for these trying to escape the town and luxuriate in nature within the coronary heart of Colombia. And the infinity pool overlooking the jungle is the right place to chill off and calm down.
(You can guide Masaya at Expedia, Booking, or Hotels.com.)
Spend Day 1 in Minca stress-free after your lengthy journey, and take within the lovely views out of your lodge. Consider a stroll into Minca city for a meal at the Lazy Cat, some native specialty espresso at Caficosta, or some amazingly yummy artsinal icecream at WAIRA.
On Day 2, it would be best to be sure to discover the encompassing space. There are tons of nice hikes that lead by means of espresso fields or up waterfalls, together with zip strains and horseback driving excursions for these searching for somewhat extra journey.
All these actions can both be finished independently or could be booked at native brokers without having to pre-book on-line. If you’re unsure what to do, go to Jungle Joe in town’s predominant road the place you may collect all the data.
In the afternoon, be sure to go to the Pozo Azul, a stupendous set of waterfalls and two pure swimming holes to chill off in after a day of mountaineering.
Minca can be a terrific place to expertise many various unique birds of their pure habitat, making it the right vacation spot for birdwatchers. Jungle Joe’s bird-watching tour is unbelievable, providing the prospect to identify the elusive toucan and lots of different creatures.
And no journey to Minca can be full with out visiting a espresso farm. Colombia is among the prime coffee-producing international locations on the earth, so don’t miss out on taking a tour of one in every of its many native plantations. You will learn the way they make their distinctive espresso processing and luxuriate in a cup of their freshly brewed brew.
On Day 3, I counsel both doing extra actions round Minca, or to take your probability to see one of the crucial lovely locations in all of Colombia, Tayrona National Park. This large 1,200-hectare park stretches alongside the coast of Colombia and is dwelling to gorgeous seashores and unbelievable wildlife.
The hottest technique to discover Tayrona National Park is by a day journey from Santa Marta. So you’ll need to make your means again to the larger metropolis and head to one of many many tour firms. You also can contact your tour supplier and ask if they provide a pick-up from Minca. This is the preferred tour choice on Viator, whereas you may get an analogous Tayrona tour by means of GetYourGuide.
They will prepare for a roundtrip transport and entrance charge into the park, in addition to providing a number of completely different mountaineering excursions all through the jungle areas inside Tayrona National Park.
Start your day with a fast 1-hour hike by means of some dense jungle-lined paths till you attain Cabo San Juan seaside. This gorgeous tropical white sand seaside is a must-see, and one of the crucial lovely in all of Colombia.
Spend the remainder of your day absorbing the solar, swimming within the glowing blue waters, or mountaineering to some hidden spots round Cabo San Juan seaside.
I like to recommend attending to the park as early as attainable, because the seashores and trails will begin to get extra crowded because the day goes on. So be sure to get up early, pack a picnic lunch with some recent fruit, and luxuriate in your final day surrounded by untouched nature.
Extending to 10 days in Colombia
If you may lengthen your time to 10 days in Colombia I extremely advocate visiting the town of Medellin. As so many worldwide flights depart from Medellin to locations round on the earth, it’s a good place to cease and take 2 additional days earlier than heading dwelling.
Medellin was as soon as essentially the most harmful metropolis on the earth however is now a bustling metropolis stuffed with attention-grabbing structure, unbelievable museums, pleasant locals, and a lot extra. Due to its tumultuous previous, it’s one of the best place to study Colombia’s latest historical past. The Real City Tour Medellin is extraordinarily informative and eye-opening.
You also can wander by means of the street-art-covered neighborhood of Comuna 13 in your go to, as it’s a actually distinctive expertise. This offers you a style of what Medellin went by means of and the way they’ve come again higher than ever.
Alternatively, in case your flight is through the capital Bogota, you need to use your two additional days in Bogota to go to the spectacular Gold Museum, the Botero Museum, and take a strolling tour across the outdated metropolis. Neither Bogota nor Medellin are lovely like Cartagena, however they will present you much more about Colombian historical past and tradition.
10 days is an ideal journey size for Colombia if you wish to expertise the coast, the jungles, and discover one of many main cities.
But whether or not you’ve gotten 1 week or 10 days, Colombia is the right vacation spot for a jam-packed journey, as this Colombia journey information has hopefully demonstrated. It is an unforgettable nation, so don’t miss out on this wonderful alternative to discover one of the crucial lovely international locations in South America.
Travel Tips for First-time Colombia
Do you want a visa for Colombia?
No visa is critical as most international locations are granted 90 days in Colombia with no visa.
Is Colombia protected?
Colombia is usually a protected nation. While there could also be some dangers in sure areas, with widespread sense and a little bit of analysis it is best to be capable to take pleasure in your journey with none points. It’s change into an enormous vacationer vacation spot lately and has change into very protected for guests to take pleasure in their time right here notably within the identified vacationer spots.
You can learn extra Colombia security data right here. The outdated metropolis of Cartagena, Minca, and the close by seashores and islands coated listed here are identified to be safe and headache-free.
Do it’s worthwhile to know Spanish?
While figuring out some Spanish could be useful, it isn’t completely essential to take pleasure in your time in Colombia. There are loads of English-speaking locals and lots of excursions particularly designed for vacationers within the nation.
However, studying somewhat bit forward of time or utilizing a translation app will help you navigate the town and talk with locals.
What plug sort is utilized in Colombia?
The plug sort in Colombia is the usual North American model with two flat prongs.
How to pay for issues in Colombia?
The commonest choices for paying for issues in Colombia are by money or bank card. Many companies are actually accepting main bank cards, however I like to recommend all the time having money as many native locations and taxi drivers solely settle for money.
There are loads of ATMs everywhere in the nation and you will discover ones with low charges making it straightforward to withdraw money.
The native foreign money in Colombia is the Colombian peso. The Colombian Peso is a really excessive denomination foreign money, however 25,000 COP is the equal of solely about $5.
At first, it could appear insane when a taxi driver tells you your journey is 10,000 COP, however you’ll shortly get the hold of the foreign money and it gained’t appear as daunting.
When’s one of the best time to go?
The finest time to go to Colombia is from December to February when the climate is usually delicate and nice with hardly any rainfall.
However, that is additionally the height vacationer season in Colombia, so if you wish to keep away from crowds and better costs, it might be finest to journey in the course of the spring or fall as an alternative.
Regardless of if you go, with its pure magnificence and vibrant tradition, Colombia is bound to be an unforgettable expertise.
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Posted FEB 15, 2023 · Last Updated Feb 20, 2023