Colombia travel guide
Colombia has coasts on both the Caribbean and the Pacific, three ranges of the Andes, a share of the Amazon and an extraordinary range of wildlife. Travellers come for the colonial walls of Cartagena, the coffee farms and wax palms of the Coffee Region, the energy of Medellín and Bogotá, and treks to ancient ruins in the jungle. It suits active travellers, food and music lovers, and anyone who likes variety.
Places worth the trip
Cartagena
A Caribbean port with a walled old town of colourful balconies, plazas and churches, guarded by the huge San Felipe fortress. The Getsemaní neighbourhood has street art and nightlife, and boats leave for the beaches and coral of the Rosario Islands.
The Coffee Region and Cocora Valley
Green hills of coffee farms around Salento, Filandia and Manizales, where you can tour a finca and taste the harvest. The nearby Cocora Valley is home to the Quindío wax palm, the national tree, which can grow taller than any other palm.
Medellín
A city in a valley, linked by a metro and cable cars that climb the hillsides. Comuna 13's escalators and street art, the Botero sculptures in Plaza Botero and day trips to the giant rock of El Peñol near Guatapé are the favourites.
Bogotá
The high-altitude capital has the historic La Candelaria district, the Gold Museum with its collection of pre-Hispanic gold, the Botero Museum, and Monserrate, a mountain reached by cable car or funicular with views across the city.
Ciudad Perdida (the Lost City)
A multi-day guided trek through the jungle of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta to the terraces of an ancient Tayrona city, built centuries before Machu Picchu and rediscovered in the 1970s. Expect river crossings, heat and mud.
Tayrona National Park
Beaches backed by jungle and boulders on the Caribbean coast near Santa Marta, reached by walking trails. Some beaches are too rough for swimming, so follow the signs. The park closes for some periods each year for environmental and cultural reasons.
Villa de Leyva
A colonial town of whitewashed houses and one of the largest cobbled squares in South America, a few hours from Bogotá. Fossils, wineries and desert-like landscapes surround it.
Caño Cristales
A river in the Serranía de la Macarena whose bed turns red, yellow and green when aquatic plants bloom, usually in the second half of the year. Visits are by guided tour only and depend on the season.
Interesting facts about Colombia
- Colombia is the only country in South America with coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
- The country has more recorded bird species than any other in the world.
- The Quindío wax palm, Colombia's national tree, is the tallest palm species in the world.
- Bogotá's Gold Museum holds tens of thousands of pre-Hispanic gold objects, and the legend of El Dorado grew from a ritual at Lake Guatavita near the city.
- The Nobel Prize-winning novelist Gabriel García Márquez grew up on Colombia's Caribbean coast, which inspired the town of Macondo in One Hundred Years of Solitude.
Best time to visit Colombia
Colombia is close to the equator, so temperatures depend on altitude rather than season: hot on the coasts, mild in Medellín and the Coffee Region, and cool in Bogotá. The drier months in much of the Andes are roughly December to March and July to August, which are also busy holiday periods for Colombians. The Caribbean coast is driest from December to April. Rain is possible year-round, and the wetter months make jungle treks such as Ciudad Perdida muddier.
Getting around
Mountain roads make bus journeys slow, so domestic flights are the practical way to cover longer distances, for example between Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena and Santa Marta. Long-distance buses and minibuses are frequent and good value for shorter trips. Medellín has an efficient metro and cable car system, and Bogotá relies on the TransMilenio bus network. In cities, use ride-hailing apps or official taxis rather than hailing cars on the street at night.
Practical details
- Capital
- Bogotá
- Currency
- Colombian peso (COP)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Plug types
- A, B
- Voltage
- 110–120 V, 60 Hz
- Emergency
- 123 for all emergencies
- Driving side
- right
- Tipping
- Restaurants often add a voluntary service charge (propina voluntaria) to the bill; you can accept or decline it. Tipping guides on tours is customary.
Staying online in Colombia
Mobile coverage is good in cities and towns and along main roads, with 4G widely available. Signal is weak or missing in the Amazon, on parts of the Pacific coast, on the Ciudad Perdida trek, in Tayrona's more remote corners and in some mountain areas. Hotels, hostels and cafés usually have Wi-Fi. Keep your phone out of sight on busy streets, download offline maps, install an eSIM before you fly and switch it on when you land.
Colombia eSIM plans
1 GB
1GB eSIM Data for 7 Days for Colombia
Unbegrenzt
Unlimited eSIM Data for 1 Day for Colombia
2 GB
2GB eSIM Data for 15 Days for Colombia
3 GB
3GB eSIM Data for 30 Days for Colombia
Useful apps
- Uber: Widely used in Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena and other cities.
- DiDi: Another popular ride-hailing app across Colombian cities.
- Rappi: A Colombian delivery app for food, groceries and pharmacy items.
- Google Maps: Directions and public transport routes; download offline areas before treks and rural trips.
- WhatsApp: The standard way to contact hotels, guides and tour operators.
Colombia travel FAQs
Many travellers find it so: distances between highlights are manageable with domestic flights, and there is a lot of variety. Use the same care you would in any big city, and check your government's travel advice before you go.
Bogotá sits at around 2,600 metres, so some visitors feel breathless or tired at first. Take it easy for a day, drink water and limit alcohol until you adjust.
Yes. Coverage is good in cities and towns, but patchy in the jungle, on treks and in remote regions. A travel eSIM gives you local data for maps and ride-hailing while your home number stays active.
It usually takes four to five days with a licensed guide, covering steep, muddy trails in heat and humidity. A reasonable level of fitness is needed, but no technical climbing.