Travel Guide to Colombia

Bogotá : Villa de Leyva : Santa Marta and Tayrona National Park : Cartegena de Indias : Coffee region and Los Nevados National Park : Medellin : Casanare : Paipa and San Gil

Bogotá

Founded on 6 August 1538, the capital city is situated on fertile highland plains in the central region of the country.  The city preserves its historical and institutional centres (La Candalaria) with narrow streets lined by churches, colonial mansions and republican buildings that house museums, theatres and institutions, giving the city a pleasant Bohemian and cultural ambience.   Bogotá is also the cultural capital of Colombia and is home to over 40 museums including the famous Gold Museum – housing the largest collection of pre-Hispanic gold in the world. back to top

Villa de Leyva

Declared a national monument in 1945, this magical town has been preserved in its entirety and virtually no modern architecture exists, making it one of the finest examples of a traditional colonial settlement anywhere in the Americas.  At an altitude of 2140m, it enjoys a healthy, mild climate and relaxed atmosphere, making it a popular weekend break for city dwellers.  Each December Villa de Leyva hosts a lively fiesta when neighbouring towns compete against each other with colourful fireworks displays and a street carnival takes place in the narrow cobbled streets. For three days, the city is then dominated by food, drink, music and dance in a fantastic party called La Fiesta de la Luz. back to top

Santa Marta and Tayrona National Park

Santa Marta boasts the accolade for being the oldest surviving colonial town in Colombia.  Established by the Spanish in 1525, it was used as a gateway to the interior of the country and a base for plundering gold from the Tayronas.  After numerous attacks from pirates and some bitter battles with the natives, the Spanish relocated their primary port to Cartegena de Indias.  Today Santa Marta is an attractive and relaxed seaside town and is a stopover point to reach Tayrona National Park and the fishing village of Taranga. 

Situated on the Caribbean coast, where the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (at 5,770m the highest coastal tropical mountain in the world) sinks into the sea and forms bays of indescribable beauty, Tayrona National park is a Colombian gem. The white sandy beaches, mangroves, coral reefs and woods support a staggering array of flora and fauna. Numerous trails in the park offer trekking opportunities, or the chance to snorkel on the coral reefs and relax on the palm fringed shores. back to top

Cartagena de Indias

A fairy-tale walled city of romance and sheer beauty (declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Cartegena is studded with spectacular architecture, cobbled streets, bastions and leafy plazas, making it one of the hottest spots on the coast.  Its strategic location made it a logical choice to use as a port of embarkation for the treasures of the Spanish Crown.  Once established by the Spanish in 1533, the city rapidly gained affluence and as it blossomed, it attracted the attention of buccaneers who were interested in the treasures stored there, waiting to be shipped back to Europe.  After five major sieges in the 16th century, including an attack by Sir Francis Drake, Cartegena upped its security, building a number of strongholds and fortresses.  The increased security lead to successful resistance against invaders and the city went from strength to strength, eventually gaining independence from the Spanish Crown.  Although the city has expanded dramatically since its heyday, the old city is virtually unchanged making it a tantalizing place to explore, relax and enjoy the array of lively outdoor cafés and vibrant nightlife. back to top

Coffee Region and Los Nevados National Park

Colombian coffee is the smoothest in the world and is grown on the fertile lands of the Central cordillera where the coffee bushes are interspersed with a wide variety of native species to create beautiful landscapes full of life and colour.  Los Nevados National Park, situated in this region, enjoys landscapes of immense solitude amid perpetual snows, frailejones and magical lakes. back to top

Medellin

Medellin is the country’s second city and enjoys a pleasant spring climate throughout the year.  It is an important centre for industry, business and, most notably, textiles, and is regarded as the nations centre for fashion. back to top

Casanare district, Meta and Los LLanos

Lying in the Orinoco basin, Los Llanos Orientales are the vast plains stretching from the Cordillera Oriental east as far as the Venezuelan border.  This spectacular low lying savannah covers over 250,000 sq km with a labyrinth of creeks, waterways, islands and woodlands, making it a haven for wildlife.  Over 500 species of birds have been recorded in the region, including scarlet ibis, herons, egrets, cormorants and jacanas, and over 50 species of mammal such as armadillos, anteaters, tapirs, ocelots, caymen, jaguar and capybaras (the world’s largest and oddest looking rodent that weighs up to 60kg and is semi aquatic).  The human inhabitants of the region, the llaneros, are a tough and resilient people who, due to their extreme isolation have developed a distinctive culture, music and folklore of their own, and survive by cattle ranching and farming.  The wet season (April to November) is the more comfortable time to visit, when daily temperatures are 25-28 degrees centigrade and the rivers are high and teeming with life. back to top

Paipa and San Gil

Located in the mountainous department of Santander, the small city of San Gil is a delightful spot to be based whilst exploring some of the numerous activities available in the region.  The town boasts a picturesque 300-year-old square and river-side park, and a variety of eco-adventure tours are available including trekking, rock climbing, white-water rafting, mountain biking and rappelling.  20 kilometres away is the small town of Barichara, famed for it’s beautifully restored whitewashed buildings, stone churches and cobbled streets that capture the essence of the Spanish colonies.  The name Barichara aptly means “a good place for a rest”!  back to top