Why should you holiday in Colombia?

Colombia offers some of South America’s best kept secrets:

Caribbean beaches, snowy Andes mountains, lush coffee plantations, fascinating deserts, colourful and charming cobblestone colonial towns, modern cities and the Amazon jungle.

Discover a diversity in the population, the history, the nature and in the experiences on offer, found in very few other places in the world.

Welcome to Colombia!

Our tours to Colombia

Whatever tour to Colombia you choose, you will come right up close to Colombia’s exciting attractions and Colombian charm. What’s more, all tours can be rounded off with a relaxing beach holiday on beautiful, Caribbean beaches.

Below you can read about some of the highlights you can experience on a holiday in Colombia.

Bogotá

Bogotá is Colombia’s cosmopolitan capital.

The city is situated at 2,600 AMSL, making it the third highest capital in the world.

In Bogotá, you will discover a beautiful mix of modern architecture and old colonial buildings.

The old colonial neighbourhood of La Candelaria oozes history, and with its narrow streets and colourful buildings, the area is just asking to be admired and photographed.

Bogotá’s highlights also include:

• The Gold Museum (Museo de Oro), where you gain an insight into the coming together of the indigenous Colombians and the Spanish colonial power.

• Boteros Museum (Museo de Botero), which boasts a large collection of works by the famous Colombian artist Fernando de Botero, as well as many international works.

• A trip to the top of Mount Monserrate (3,152 AMSL), from which you enjoy a great view of Bogotá

The Coffee Region

A visit to Colombia’s famous Coffee Region is in many ways like coming to a completely different country – a striking contrast to Bogotá’s more hectic city life.

Here, you will find scenic, lush and very green countryside.

The area is, as the name suggests, famous for its coffee, but fruit such as pineapple and mango is also grown here. There are in addition many birds, including hummingbirds and parrots.

Learn about the art of growing coffee on a traditional coffee farm, and activate all your senses as you smell and taste it.

If you’ve not yet had your fill of the Coffee Region, you might like to visit to the impressive Cocora Valley. Discover Colombia’s national tree, the wax palm, or palma de cera, which, reaching a height of 60 metres, is the highest in the world.

Medellín

North-west of Bogotá lies Colombia’s second largest city, Medellín, which is renowned for its mild climate, hence its nickname: the city of eternal spring.

Of all cities, Medellin has undergone a wonderful transformation.

From once having been the capital of the drug cartels headed by Pablo Escobar, Medellín was voted the world’s most innovative city in 2013. And besides being a modern city with abundant art and culture, Medellín is also the country’s financial and industrial centre.

On a guided tour of the city, you will be brought face to face with its amazing transformation in areas such as Comuna 13, where you will gain an insight into the city’s history. Among other things, you will see the beautiful, colourful graffiti walls, where local artists have interpreted the history of Medellin and Comuna 13.

If you have any time left over, you can go for a ride on the city’s metro to Plaza Botero in Medellín’s historic city centre. Here, you will find 23 of the great artist Botero’s spectacular figures. Next to the square is Rafael Uribe’s Palace and the Antioquia Museum.

Cartagena

In northern Colombia lies the romantic coastal colonial city of Cartagena, one of the country’s biggest highlights.

The city is a melting pot of exciting culture, interesting history and picturesque colonial architecture.

Discover, for example:

• the old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site offering a maze of cobbled streets and beautiful architecture from the Spanish colonial era. Go for a stroll down the narrow streets with their ancient churches, monasteries and other bastions, either on your own or on a guided city tour.

• a street food tour where you see another side to Colombian culture. Get right up close to the “real” Cartagena by tasting the city’s delicious specialities.

• The town of Palenque de San Basilio, the African corner of Colombia. The town is interesting because it was the first town founded by the African slaves that managed to escape from the Spanish colonial power. The town is on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage and is home to a variety of styles of Afro-Colombian music.

Cartagena appeals to the senses with Caribbean scents, colours and Cumbia rhythms.

Trek to Ciudad Perdida (Lost City)

Situated at an altitude 900-1,200 metres, deep inside the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mountains in northern Colombia, is Colombia’s answer to Machu Picchu: Ciudad Perdida or Lost City.

Lost City, a pre-Columbian ruin complex, was built in around 800 AD by the indigenous Tairona people. The city, which is only accessible on foot, was abandoned at around the same time that the Spanish colonists arrived in Colombia. It was then forgotten until its rediscovery by treasure hunters in 1976.

This 35-hectare area is made up of a complex system of buildings, roads and stairways, connected by more than 150 terraces, squares and stone roads, scattered up and down the mountainsides.

On the 50 km-long trek to Lost City, you will learn all the secrets of the city and the area. Unleash the Indiana Jones in you as you make your way through thick jungle, up steep stretches and across a number of rivers before finally climbing the 1,200 stone steps to the top, all in the humid, baking heat.

A lost city trek is not for the faint hearted!

But when you reach the top, the trek culminates in the most wonderful view of the ruin complex and its stunning location deep inside the jungle.

Other highlights of Colombia

• The underground salt cathedral is located north of Bogotá in the city of Zipaquirá. Built inside an existing salt mine, the Roman Catholic cathedral is the only one of its kind in the country. There is space for 8,400 people, and exploring the church is a quite unique experience.

• Villa de Leyva, which has in many ways been frozen in time, is one of the best preserved and most beautiful colonial cities in Colombia. Enjoy the distinctive colonial style with whitewashed walls, heavy wooden doors and wooden balconies all over the town. Visit, for example, Plaza Mayor, one of the largest town squares in Latin America.

• Mystery abounds in San Augustín, situated in the archaeological park of the same name, where you will find gravestones and hundreds of religious figures, spread out over a large area surrounding San Augustín. The figures originate from between the 1st and the 8th centuries and depict both humans and animals.

• The Tatacoa Desert, situated between Bogotá and San Agustín, offers a fascinating landscape with rocks and gorges carved out by the rain. Despite its name and the sometimes high temperatures of up to 50°C, Tatacoa is not actually a desert, but a semi-dry tropical forest.

• Santa Marta is one of the oldest Spanish cities in South America, founded in 1525. It enjoys a scenic location by the Caribbean Sea, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range. The city is, among other things, known as the town where Simón Bolivar spent his final days in 1830. Not only is Santa Marta a pleasant city, but it is also a good base for visiting the surrounding attractions such as Tayrona National Park and the trekking excursion to Ciudad Perdida (Lost City).

Combine with a beach holiday

Round off your tour with a beach holiday in Barú.

• Barú is located south of Cartagena, where you can enjoy a few days at Decameron. The resort is located at the water’s edge in the heart of the tropical forest, offering ample opportunity to enjoy the perfect end to your holiday. Relax on the private beach, participate in some of the many activities on offer at the resort and indulge in lots of delicious food.

Any questions?

We’ve put together information and answers to practical questions about Colombia on our practical information page.

You are also very welcome to contact our travel specialists. They are on hand to help you with any questions you may have about Colombia, our tours or our other destinations in South America.

We look forward to sending you on the holiday of your lifetime!

TourCompass – From tourist to traveller