Colombia is probably one of the richest countries when it comes to natural diversity. The country is full of nature, diverse vegetation, different climates and landscapes. Traveling through the country you’ll be able to visit national parks, beaches, mountains, deserts, jungle, rivers ….the list goes on.
Although the country has a very rough recent history, drug wars, guerrilla groups, political issues, we found it very easy and safe to travel through the country in 2019. Colombians are very open and welcoming.
These must be some of the many reasons the country get’s a lot of visitors. Colombia seems to be currently one of the most hyped travel destinations, expect to see and meet a lot of travelers.
We spent in total 3 months in Colombia and got to see a big part of the country. Below is our travel map. If you want to read in more detail about the places we visited, we will soon upload posts about all the spots you see below.
- Ipiales / Popayan / Cali
- Eje Cafetero (Salento / Filandia)
- Medellin
- Pacific Coast (Bahia Solano)
- Cartagena /Santa Marta / Minca / Tairona / Palomina
- La Guajira (Riohacha)
- San Gil / Barichara / Villa de Leyva
- Bogota
- Leticia
For everybody that would like to have some general information about Colombia’s prices, public transportation and accommodation, we put together some info for you, so that you have an idea of what to expect.
Food: The main dishes are pretty basic. In the sense that most meals consist of meat, beans, cooking banana and rice. If you are close to the ocean you can expect to get some very good fish dishes. For vegetarians there are not many options, but you won’t be starving either. Prices vary, there are enough options to keep the costs low. The best option is eating at market places where you will be paying in between 2-5€ per dish. Nearly every city/town has a market.
The cheapest option – as always – is cooking and buying your veggies and fruits at markets. Colombia has a huge variety of fruits and vegetables, if you cook yourself you can benefit from that. Why colombian restaurants cook mostly without veggies is still a mystery to us, especially if you have seen the incredibly wide selection in markets!
Transport: Public transportation is pretty affordable. There are countless of bus companies to choose from when you travel from city to city and you can always try to negotiate if there is more than one company going to your desired destination. To have an idea: For a trip from Medellin to Cartagena (630km) you can expect prices in between 8-15€ (it all comes down to your Spanish + negotiation skills). Inside the cities you can either go for collectivos (tiny buses/vans) or in bigger cities (Bogota, Medellin) you can use Uber. Officially it was illegal taking an Uber in 2019 in Colombia, but the app works and the prices are definitely lower than taxis (expect to pay 2-3€ for 15-20min ride in Bogota). As the prices are fixed, you can’t get screwed.
Accommodation: Hostels in Colombia can get a bit pricier than in other latin countries, the main reason for that is simple: there is a lot of demand. A dorm bed in the nicer hostels can cost in between 10-15€ and a private 20€ or more. But the good news, there is generally also a lot of supply. Therefore you can always find cheaper deals too. We spent on average 15-20€ and stayed mostly in private rooms with shared bathrooms.
Visiting Colombia was simply amazing, we saw a lot in 3 months, the country is big and offers so much. We definitely look forward coming back one day and exploring even more of this incredible land!