Russians do not need a visa to Colombia; without it you can stay in the country for up to 90 days. When traveling to the Caribbean coast and Tayrona Park, it is recommended to get vaccinated against yellow fever.
How to get there
There are no direct flights; getting to the capital, Bogota, will require a transfer. The cost of a round-trip air ticket starts from 68,000 rubles* per person.
It is better to plan a trip for winter or August. Colombia is located on the equator, so there are no traditional seasons, there are dry (December–January, July–August) and rainy (April–May, October–November) seasons.
The local currency, the Colombian peso (COP), is valued at around two pennies per unit. Locals denote it with a $ sign, but do not confuse it with the dollar. Check the current rate before your trip.
What to see in Colombia
When you arrive in the country, take into account the large time difference – minus eight hours from Moscow – and possible jet lag. I advise you not to plan a busy program with travel for the first days in order to have time to recover after the flight.
Bogota
The eleven million capital of Colombia is located in the Andes at an altitude of 2610 m. This is — a melting pot where colonial estates and slums coexist next to shiny skyscrapers.
It is more convenient to move around the city by taxi: there is Uber and the local service Cabify. It’s not worth renting a car for this purpose, since Bogota is a traffic jam city with crazy traffic.
Where to stayin Bogota
Close to the main attractions, hotels are located in the safe areas of Candelaria (historic center) or Zona Rosa (fashion district). We have selected convenient options:
Selina La Candelaria Bogotá – from 1800 rubles* per night for two;
Ibis Bogota Museo – from 2300 rubles* per night for two;
El Yarumo Hostel – from 2800 rubles* per night (family room).
Day 1
Photo: OSTILL is Franck Camhi/shutterstock.com
We begin our acquaintance with Bogota from Plaza de Bolívar. There is a monument to the first president of Colombia, Simon Bolivar, a cathedral and the Presidential Palace.
We walk through the Candelaria district with colorful colonial buildings to the funicular to Mount Montserrat, from where the best view of the city opens. The climb costs 13,000 COP*, you can go down on foot. Then we go to the Journalists’ Park (El Parque de los Periodistas), where the free walking graffiti tour starts from. Graffiti is part of Colombian culture, and in the capital it is allowed at the government level.
Photo: De Jongh Photography/shutterstock.com
Museum lovers can check out the Gold Museum (4000 COP*), National Museum (3000 COP*) and MAMBO Museum of Contemporary Art (12,000 COP*). The first features 36,000 gold artifacts, the second tells the history of Colombia, and the last exhibits works by Warhol, Picasso and Dali. Also worth a visit is the Fernando Botero Museum (free), the most famous Colombian artist and sculptor.
Villa de Leyva
In Bogota, we rent a car for two days and go to see the surrounding area – the city of Villa de Leyva, where colonial architecture of the 16th century has been preserved. You can rent a car on OneTwoTrip in a couple of clicks – it costs from 3,700 rubles* per day.
Day 2
The first stop, 50 km from Bogota, is the sacred lake Guatavita, at the bottom of which, according to legend, El Dorado is located. Nearby is a town of the same name with houses with white facades and clay tiles, it is also worthy of attention.
Next – transfer to Villa de Leyva (130 km). The architecture of the city has not changed over time, therefore, wandering through the narrow streets, you get the feeling that you are in the colonial era. The main attraction is the stone-paved central square, which covers 14,000 m², making it the largest of its kind in South America.
Villa de Leyva is also interesting for its paleontological finds: ammonites, skeletons of pliosaurs, an 18-meter land lizard and a kronosaurus were found here. You can see some of the exhibits in the Dinosaur Park (entrance 16,500 COP*).
Where to stay in Villa de Leyva
We chose atmospheric hotels with courtyards, arches and balconies:
Hotel Plaza Mayor – from 2800 rubles* per night for two;
Casa San Nicolas – from 3800 rubles* per night for two.
Rakira
Artisan village 25 km from Villa de Leyva.
Photo: Mark Pitt Images/shutterstock.com
Day 3
After breakfast we leave for Rakira, the craft capital of Colombia. Each house in the city is unique: on the ground floors there are pottery and ceramic workshops and shops, and the upper floors are decorated with fancy patterns and attributes. This is where you should look for original and cheap Colombian souvenirs, for example, colorful hammocks or ponchos.
It’s better to leave for Bogota at noon in order to be back before the evening traffic jams. We rent out the car and fly to Pereira in the morning on local airlines. Flight cost – from 3500 rubles per person*.
Salento
The city is located in the “coffee triangle” – an area where there are many family grain farms called “finks”. Some can be visited with a guided tour.
Day 4
At Pereira airport we rent a car again, this time for five days. Our final destination for today is Salento, but on the way into the city we will make a detour and stop by the Parque Nacional del Cafe. This is an amusement park and open-air museum that tells the story of Colombian coffee (ticket with unlimited skiing – 59,000 COP*).
Salento is a small, vibrant city. The most popular activities here are tours to coffee farms and plantations (Finca Don Eduardo, Finca El Ocaso Salento and Finca Las Brisas), as well as hiking in the surrounding valleys and national parks.
Where to stay in Salento
Hotel Camino Nacional Salento – from 2300 rubles* per night for two;
Hostal Tralala Salento – from 1500 rubles* per night for two.
Cocora Valley
The valley with the tallest endemic palm trees is part of the Los National Park Nevados in the Andes. 11 km from Salento.
Day 5
Let’s dedicate this day to a walk through the park with wax palms – a symbol of Colombia. These huge trees reach a height of 80 m, and in cloudy weather their tops are lost among the clouds. There are also hummingbirds and rostrums, which can often be seen at the feeders along the way.
We recommend driving to the valley in multi-colored Willis jeeps. They depart from the central square of Salento every hour, catch the very first one at 7:00. A round trip will cost 8000 COP*.
Entrance to the park itself is free, but hiking is paid. There are two marked routes: a short one of 5 km (3000 COP*), which leads directly to a valley with palm trees, and is 17 km long (7000 COP*), covering all parts of the valley.
Afterwards we go to Medellin (260 km).
Medellin
Once a city of drug lords, now a developing metropolis with a metro and modern infrastructure .
Day 6
Today we are walking around the “city of eternal spring”. The program includes Botero Square, the Metrocable cable car over the slums (we don’t recommend walking along them, so don’t go out and come back straight away), Botanical Garden (Jardín Botánico) and the historical village of Pueblito Paisa. It’s convenient to get around the city by metro (fare starts from 2450 COP*, depending on the zone).
Also be sure to take a free walking tour with locals around the 13th commune. Until recently, this was the most criminal area of the city, now it is a district of artists and musicians. There are even street escalators here!
Where to stay in Medellin
We chose hotels in the El Poblado area.
Selina Medellin — from 1400 rubles* per night for two;
Soy Local — from 2900 rubles* for apartments.
Guatape
Artificial reservoir 80 km from Medellin is a popular weekend getaway for Colombians.
Day 7-8
We relax on the lake and admire the landscapes. We’ll definitely stop by to wander the colorful streets of tiny Guatapé and try the local street food. You can rent a kayak (from 50,000 COP*) and a stand-up paddleboard (from 20,000 COP*) in city travel agencies.
At the end of the holiday we return to Medellin, return the car and fly to Cartagena.
Where to stay
We have selected accommodation options with lake views.
Bacoa Hostel – from 2100 rubles* per night for two;
Paradise Lake Hotel – from 4900 rubles* per night for two.
Mount El Peñón de Guatapé, 220 m high – a monolith, at its top 644 steps lead up.
Cartagena
The romantic city on the Caribbean coast used to be the main seaport through which sent goods from all over the continent to Spain.
Flight Medellin – Cartagena: from 2700 rubles per person*.
Day 9
Walk through the cobbled streets of the old town, the historic center of Cartagena, surrounded by a wall to protect against pirates. Visit the Palacio de la Inquisicion (11,000 COP*), fortress Castillo San Felipe de Barajas (25,000 COP*), Barrio Getsemani with colorful graffiti and evening performances by street musicians. Watch the sunset on the roof of Cafe Del Mar, take an evening ride on a chiva (entertainment bar bus with music) and dance salsa at Cafe Havana.
For a day at the beach, take a day trip to the Islas del Rosario. You can get to them with a tour on motor boats (from 8,600 rubles). There are clean white sand beaches, blue water and beautiful reefs.
Where to stay in Cartagena
We chose the option in the historical center of the city.
Hotel Casa de la Tablada – from 3800 rubles* per night for two.
Minka
Eco-village in the Sierra Nevada mountains 20 km from Santa Marta – an ideal place to escape from the bustle of the city.
From Cartagena we go to Santa Marta (230 km): by regular bus or rented car. Further from the central market by collective (minibus) to Minka for 7000 COP (21 km).
Day 10-11
Cascading waterfalls, mountain air, jungle trails with monkeys, coffee plantations, hummingbirds and toucans make Minka a paradise for nature lovers. The roads here are difficult to access, tourists travel by motorbike taxis or jeeps.
Here we go on a tour of the 130-year-old coffee farm La Victoria (15,000 COP*), we take a walk to the Pozo Azul and Las Cascadas de Marinka waterfalls, hiking along the Los Pinos route, bird watching (from 25,000 COP*), We meet the sunset in a hammock over the abyss at Casa Loma. You can also go trekking to the peak of Cerro Kennedy.
Where to stay
We chose hotels in Minka itself, from where it is convenient to get to all the attractions.
Casas Colibri Hostal Minca – from 1300 rubles* per night for two;
Rio Elemento – from 1700 rubles* per night for two.
At the La Victoria farm before The coffee processing machines that were brought in in 1892 are still in use.
Tairona Park
National park on the Caribbean coast 30 km from Santa Marta.
Day 12-13
There are two ways to get to the park. Boats from Santa Marta (one hour, from 60,000 COP*) will take you directly to the popular San Juan beach, where there are overnight campsites and cafes. If you want to explore the park, you can take a bus from the Santa Marta market to the main entrance of El Zaino (45 minutes, 7000 COP*), from where to the beach it’s a 2.5 hour walk through the jungle and along the sea. To get the most out of the park in two days, download maps.me.
Admission to the park is paid (66,000 COP, plus insurance 2500 COP per day), You need to buy tickets in advance on the website to get into the quota and avoid queues.
Bring your passport, yellow fever vaccination certificate, water and snacks. There are several cafes and food stalls on the territory, but the prices are high.
Where to stay
You can spend the night in the park in specially equipped parking areas in hammocks (from 15,000 COP*) or tents (from 30,000 COP*). They are occupied in fact
After rest, we return to Bogota by plane from Santa Marta (from 3400 rubles* per person).
Text author: Kristina Boyko
*Prices valid at time of publication
If the article does not convince you to start planning a trip to Colombia now, go to the material in which we briefly tell which countries Russian tourists can go to and what the entry rules are for them valid.
