Wild Frontiers

Flight Information

There are no direct flights to Bogota from London. The most common routes are Air France via Paris, or Iberia via Madrid; each of these takes around 14hrs.

Useful Tips

• Hire a bike in Bogota: on Sundays 'ciclovia' blocks 120km of the city's roads to cars making cycling a joy!

• Eat at Casa Vieja in Bogota and try traditional dishes such as ajiaco santafereno

• Be sure to visit one of Colombia's 18 National Parks during your stay for scenery and the chance to encounter local traditional communities

• Try to learn a few key Spanish words before you go, they will always be appreciated by the locals

• Get yourself fit before you go to enjoy the fantastic Andean trekking opportunities

Recommended Reading

If you want to read up on your destination we recommend a variety of guidebooks such as Bradt Guides, Odyssey Guides, The Rough Guide and Footprint Guides. All these publications have good general information as well as more specific country information that will help orientate you in the areas you visit.

Good books and maps of Colombia are available at Stanfords in Covent Garden, London or online at www.stanfords.co.uk

Relevant Reading:
We recommend anything by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Laura Restrepo, Fernando Vallejo, or George Franco. We also suggest Colombia: A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture by Colin Harding, which analyses the impact of the drug cartels as well as delving into salsa, sculpture and football and The making of modern Colombia: A Nation in Spite of itself, by David Bushnell tells the remarkable story of a country that has consistently defied modern Latin American stereotypes.

Of course no trip to Colombia is complete without giving mention to Pablo Escobar; you can read all about him in the book Killing Pablo, by Mark Bowden.

When To Go

The dry seasons (December to March and July to August) are the most comfortable times to visit (especially if trekking) although travel is possible at any time of the year. The country enjoys an equatorial climate and can get hot and humid, but thanks to the Andean Mountain range there are many areas at an elevated altitude, which experience a more temperate climate. (It can be very cold in the mountain tops on the Los Nevados day trip). The coastal regions are also cooled by the sea breezes.

Packing List

Below is a list of general items you might take with you on a Wild Frontiers trip to Colombia. With your booking confirmation you will receive a packing list specific to your tour, so please treat this as a general guideline only.

Luggage:
It is best to use a soft bag - rucksack/hold-all/duffel bag - so it can be transported and stored more easily.
On all our trips a small daypack is practical for keeping general items (e.g. camera, books, wallets etc.) at hand when your main pack is out of reach. It is also handy for day trips and excursions.

Clothing:
In general you should bring clothes you feel comfortable with and the main thing to bear in mind while packing is that the weather conditions can be extremely varied. You should therefore pack things for both cold mountain and tropical climates.
Therefore as a guide we suggest a packing list like this:
• 5 Light cotton shirts or T-shirts, short sleeved and long
• 2 Lightweight jumpers or sweatshirts
• 1 Good quality fleece or warm jumper
• 1 Light waterproof jacket/raincoat
• 2-3 Pairs of cotton trousers or shorts. If preferred, women can wear skirts.
• Swim suit, bikini or trunks
• Warm hat and gloves
• Sun hat
• A pair of comfortable hiking boots
• A pair of recreational shoes (adventure sandals, trainers or pumps)

Equipment:
The following is useful extra equipment for your trip:
• Sleeping bag liner (cotton or silk)
• Travel towel, travel soap and toiletries
• Torch (LED head-torch keeps your hands free)
• A bandanna or large handkerchief is useful for dusty tracks
• Pair of good quality sunglasses
• Water bottle
• Plug adapter (see ‘Electricity’ section)

Personal First Aid Kit:
While we do carry a large medical kit on all our group tours, we would still advise that you take some of the basics with you. This should include:
• Any prescription medication required (please inform the tour leader at your pre-departure meeting about these)
• Antibacterial dry hand wash
• Painkillers: paracetamol & ibuprofen
• Rehydration salts (Gastrolyte)
• Malaria Tablets (if necessary)
• Travel motion-sickness tablets if required (e.g. natural ginger tablets)
• Diarrhoea remedies
• Antihistamines
• Cold/flu decongestants
• Mosquito Repellent
• Insect bite cream
• Laxatives
• Plasters/Bandage/Steri-Strips/Blister pads
• Sunscreen (30+ factor)
• Moisturiser/after sun cream/lip balm
• Contact lenses and solution if required
• Tweezers
(A kit with most of this in is available at www.nomadtravel.co.uk)

Optional Extras:
• Ear plugs (if sharing a room / camping)
• Alarm clock
• 3-4 plastic carrier bags are very useful for dirty washing, dirty shoes and rubbish
• Binoculars
• Small packs of tissues
• Money belt or secure pouch for money and passport etc.
• Eye patches if light affects your sleep
• Sewing kit/scissors
• Writing materials
• Spare batteries/camera memory cards
• Swiss Army knife
• Calculator (for currency conversion)
• Trekking poles
• Lyons coffee bags if you cannot survive without ‘proper’ coffee.
NB: If you wear glasses, it is advisable to bring a spare pair since opticians are rare. If you wear contact lenses you may find that climatic changes and dust can create visual irritation, therefore, it is advisable to bring a pair of glasses.

You might be tempted to buy a few souvenirs here and there, so leave a little room for those extra purchases!!

Hand Luggage:
Although it is very rare that luggage goes missing on flights, it has been known to happen and so it’s a good idea to carry a spare top, toothbrush, wash kit, underwear and any other essentials in your hand luggage so that you can at least freshen up while waiting for your bags to catch you up. If you wear your sturdy shoes/boots it will also reduce weight in your luggage and keep them safe.

Practical Information

Time:
Colombia is 5hrs behind GMT.
A useful website to check the time zone differences is www.worldtimezone.com

Food and Alcohol:
Food and drink play a big part in Colombian culture " please do not expect to lose any weight on this trip! But do just be prepared as breakfast can be a bit repetitive " if you don’t like eggs, then bread and coffee it is!

Electricity:
Those bringing video & digital cameras that require battery chargers should also bring a 2-pin European-style adapter. In most hotels you can charge from the mains using a travel adaptor plug.

Money:
In Colombia the unit of currency is the Colombian Peso.
To check out the latest exchange rate for the places that you are visiting you can go to www.oanda.com
A few points to help you plan:
• Payments are mainly made in cash.
• Only the few large hotels and banks accept credit cards and Travellers Cheques so they are basically useless.
• If using ATM machines, be sure to notify your bank before you travel. Colombian transactions can seem ‘suspect’ and your card otherwise be stopped.
• Bring the contact number for your bank in case this happens.
• It is strongly recommended you utilise the availability of ATM’s to withdraw cash when in country. If also bringing cash then US dollars is the most convenient to exchange.
• It is useful to bring lots of small denomination notes.

Language & Religion:
Colombia’s official language is Spanish although those dialects and languages spoken by other ethnic groups are also considered official in their territories. The dominant faith in the country is Catholicism and although the country has a very colourful history they are often very devout in their beliefs.

Cultural Sensitivity:
At Wild Frontiers we are very aware of the ethical impact tourism can have on ancient cultures. We realise that taking a group of tourists through such a region can have a negative impact on the lives of those who live there and on all our tours we therefore go to great lengths to minimise the negative and accentuate the positive…after all, there are also many good things that the tourist can bring.

To help this process we ask that our clients do not hand out pens or sweets to children. As one sign in Egypt emphatically put it, ‘Please don't make beggars out of our children!' No matter how well intentioned, in our opinion the dolling out of free gifts fosters a ‘beggar mentality' that is ultimately extremely destructive to a society. In addition we do not condone giving out money to beggars or ‘students'.

However, we also realise that we are exceptionally privileged to be travelling in areas where most of the people have far less than us and that the desire to ‘help' can be very powerful. As a result we ask that you refer to your trip dossier for information on the Wild Frontiers Foundation which supports specific projects in the areas where we travel.

Photography:
Please remember, we are guests in the countries through which we travel and we may sometimes inadvertently cause offence by taking photographs without first asking permission.

Also many countries have very strict rules about taking photos of army, police or any official personnel; restrictions apply at borders, bridges and any government building. Please exercise care in this regard as the penalty may be to have your film and/or camera confiscated.