video coming soon!
Liked this video? We can be hired as videographers!
ABOUT COLOMBIA
Colombia is a country with an enormous amount of different stimuli. From hikes through dense jungles, dancing in colonial streets, to stargazing on Caribbean beaches. One month, the time we’ve spent here, for sure wasn’t enough to discover all of Colombia. We did have a pretty diverse trip, however. Read on to see what Colombia is all about.
WHAT TO DO IN COLOMBIA
Cabo San Juan, Tayrona national park
Views during the Lost City trekThe first stop of this adventure actually was the capital, Bogotá. We didn’t like this city so much, that’s why we decided to not dedicate a chapter in our blog. If you have some time, nice places to visit are the museum of Gold for history, the La Chorrera waterfall for hiking, or La Candeleria for culture, food and bars.
SALENTO
Salento - a tiny village which border to the famous Valle de Cocora, the main reason to visit this area.
Valle de Cocora is a valley which is known for the highest palm trees in the world, which can grow up to 60 meters! This is because of the wet climate and fertile soil which is perfect for these trees. Another interesting thing about Valle de Cocora are the species of birds which can be found here. One of the most endangered birds roams this valley, the Andean Condor. Quite the view when you see this bird soaring the skies here.
You can do the hike here in 2 ways. You can start left at the valley and hike you way up the mountain here, and go down, and find your way back to the entrance point via the jungle. Or you can do it the other way around, and finish your hike in the valley. This is the option we recommend, since you will be rewarded with the valley at the end of your trip.
We do want to mention that Valle de Cocora is getting pretty touristic nowadays, which kind of takes the magic away here and there. Another option would be mountain biking in a less touristy part, where you will find as many palmtrees as the famous part of this place. If you’re in for a little adventure, this would be a great option. The tour can be booked via Salento Cycling.
Valle de CocoraAccommodation, food and drinks
One of the best places to stay in our opinion is Glamping Lumbre. This spot is not in the town of Salento, where most accommodations are, but on the way to Valle de Cocora, which means you are closer and out of the hustle of all the tourists in Salento. You will sleep in a glass bowl with a 360 view of the sky, in the middle of the nature. A very peaceful place.
Glamping LumbreSome great food/drinks options in Salento are:
Breakfast: Coco Bowl
Lunch: Brunch de Salento
Coffee: Kiwi Café
Snacks: High Tacos
Dinner: Maji by Cerón
Drinks: Everything in Calle Real
Bonus: Cancha de Tejo Los Amigos (if you’re in a for a local game of tejo, very fun on a night out)
MEDELLÍN
Medellín. One of the most dangerous cities in the world. The city of Pablo Escobar, the biggest drug boss that ever existed. The city of the Medellín cartel. The city where countless gangs kill each other every day for drugs, money and women. But that was in the past. Medellín has turned 180 degrees. Where it used to be feared, it is now a haven of creativity and artistic expression. Normally we’re not much of a city type of people, but wow, what a place.
First we decided to go to the Medellín Botanical Garden. A great spot to relax in a bustling city such as Medellín. Afterwards, we took the cable car over the slums of the city, up the mountains. Medellín is built in a valley and completely surrounded by mountains. The cable cars were built 20 years ago to give locals and tourists the opportunity to go through the slums without having to pay the gangs, as was the case in the past. A beautiful view from here over the city. Just the ride is worth the effort.
Comuna 13 and more
The following day was all about tours. The morning started with a Pablo Escobar tour. We were piled into a van and a friend of Pablo's brother took us to 4 historical places from Pablo's life and told us all kinds of interesting facts along the way. One of the places where one (of the hundreds) of the bombs exploded during his terror, El Catedral (the prison he had built himself for his imprisonment), one of the many facilities he gave to the city a football field with a stadium around it, and his grave. It's pretty much like the Netflix series Narcos but much more depth added. Super interesting stuff, but also a very sad story. There is some criticism on these tours, because people think it is not morally right to make money of a notorious drugs lord. However, we think this kind of history should not be forgotten and plays an important role in the history of Colombia, therefore should be told for educational purposes. Up to you to decide for yourself, ofcourse!
In the afternoon the Comuna 13 tour, started. We booked this tour with Zippy tours, which is free of charge (but they do expect a tip). This Comuna was once the most dangerous neighbourhood in Medellín, about 20 years ago (in one of the most dangerous cities at this time, can you imagine), but has experienced a true transformation after an army raid (and 300 deaths later). We have never experienced such an energetic place before. A local showed us around and told us all about it. Everywhere you go, people radiate positivity and authenticity, through murals, dancing, laughing, drinking, interacting with locals, being themselves, you name it. We walked around here for hours after the tour and had an absolutely amazing time. Later at night the tourists leave the area (thinking that it is dangerous at night) and Comuna 13 comes to life even more. We would highly recommend this. Wow!
Comuna 13 and Pablo's football fieldAccommodation, food and drinks
Our hideout in Medellín was Refugio del Jaguar, which is located in el Poblado, commonly known as the safest area in Medellín. For food and drinks we recommend the following:
Breakfast: Betty’s Bowls
Lunch: Restaurant Kaime
Snacks: Bonhomía
Dinner: Alambique (you might want to make a reservation)
Drinks: La Octava Bar
MINCA
Minca is a small jungle town, situated more in the north of Colombia. To get here from Medellín, we recommend taking a plane to Santa Marta (since taking a bus takes a very long time) and take a taxi to Minca from here. Most of the accommodations here are situated in the jungle around Minca, so consider that when choosing your next place to stay. We chose Finca Carpe Diem, which is a very chill jungle hideout about 45 minutes from Minca town.
What makes Minca so nice is the fact that is situated between two interesting treks, the Lost City Trek and Tayrona National Park.
The Lost City Trek / La Ciudad Perdida
After some mixed stories from fellow travelers, we decided to take on this challenge. 4 days, from 5 am to the late afternoon, hiking to a lost city deep in the jungle. We had to cover a total of about 70 (!) km in these 4 days, uphill, downhill, in a very humid environment.
But what a trip this was. Fortunately, a very nice group and very nice guides, which is quite decisive for the trip. You experience all kinds of things every day through the jungle. The views are spectacular, the food and the sleeping spots are very good according to the circumstances. The city itself was beautiful and the communities that live there are completely self-sufficiently which is very impressive to experience. We booked our tour with Magico tours. Ask for señor Walter, he is considered a legend of this trail, since he was one of the people that rediscovered the Lost City back in the 80’s. He will tell you all of these legendary stories during the trek.
The Lost City from aboveTayrona National Park
Tayrona is a fairly large park in the North of Colombia. It consists of both jungle and Caribbean sea area, which makes it the ideal habitat for many special animal species, such as many exotic bird species, fish, capuchin monkeys, spiders, snakes, caymans and even jaguars.
There are two entrances (by land) into the park, el Zaíno and Calabazo. Opinions are divided on which entrance is ‘the best’. Both have their advantages and we will explain why. El Zaíno is the entrance that most people take. The first part up to Cabo San Juan is very easy and doesn’t feel like hiking at all. This is why it is popular among many day visitors. You’ll end up at a beautiful beach called Cabo San Juan where you have the option to sleep in a hammock or a tent (book at the entrance). If you decide to do this, you will outlast all the day visitors and remain with the people who decide to sleep here as well, which are significantly less.
The next day you will wake up in a beautiful place and from here on you can continue your hike onto the more challenging left side of the park. From here on you have 2 options; hike to Playa Brava and sleep here at Playa Brava Teyumakke (and hike to the Calabaza entrance the dat after), or hike to Calabaza straight away.
If you have just one day, we recommend starting at Calabaza since this is the more beautiful side. It all depends on the time you have.
Tayrona National Park
PALOMINO
Palomino is a perfect spot to chill after an intense period of hiking or being active in general. We found that Palomino was the most laid back spot in Colombia we have visited. Even though you can walk around the whole town in an hour, there are some activities to do here. The most famous one is tubing on the river that leads to the sea. At first this sounded pretty touristic and boring, but this turned out to be the opposite. A very gentle and relaxing experience, this is exactly what we needed (and probably you too, if you follow the same path) after some very intense treks.
We didn’t spent more than 1,5 day here, mainly to chill. Below our recommendations for Accommodation, food and drinks:
Accommodation: Atalaya del Mar
Breakfast: La Panadería Francesa
Lunch: Gracias Vida - Holss
Dinner: SUA restaurant
Drinks: Bars on carrera 6 (close to the beach)
Bonus: Dogshelter Café Palomino
CARTAGENA
Cartagena is perhaps the most beautiful city of Colombia. The colonial influences mixed with the warm weather and Colombian culture makes the perfect Caribbean cocktail. This hasn’t gone unnoticed and you will probably find Cartagena the most touristic spot of Colombia as well. But no worries, we got you covered.
Everything we recommend here is within the barrio of Getsemani, since this is the dafest area of Cartagena and the place where it all happens.
Walking around Getsemani is treat in itself since it is so beautiful around here. You can see lots of interesting buildings around here, and when the night falls you will encounter street artists from every species. Cartagena comes alive at night.
Accommodation, food and drinks:
Accommodation: Hostal de las Americas (simple but great!)
Breakfast: Beiyú
Lunch: Época Café Bar
Dinner: Terraza Municipal
Drinks: Plaza de la Trinidad
Bonus: Restaurante Coroncoro (local food, cheap, delicious)
ROSARIO ISLANDS
2 hours by speedboat from Cartagena resides a unique hostel: Casa en el Agua. This is, as the name suggests, a house built on the water, in the middle of the sea on a shallow spot. We stayed here for 2 nights and this was a really special experience. Normally we’re not so much into party hostels, but this looked so cool, we had to go to this one.
And amazing it was (see photo at the bottom of the page). It feels like the ultimate Caribbean escape. You can chill here as you have never chilled before, and dance from sundown till sunrise.
They offer private rooms, dorms, or hammocks. The freshest fish (or veggie) can be ordered every day. If you want to do something, you can visit Islote del Santa Cruz. This is a well-known island: this man-made island has the largest density per m2 in the world where 600 people live on a very small island. You can also go snorkeling or watch bioluminescence algae. The perfect ending of your trip through Colombia!
Hi, we are Bren and Tess! We travel to the most beautiful places in the world, and with our video's, we hope you feel inspired to do the same.
