Unsurprisingly, a 40-year civil conflict characterised by kidnapping and guerrilla warfare will do little to cultivate a nation’s reputation for beauty – no matter how deserving the latter may be. Just ask Colombia.
For decades, thanks in no small part to Hollywood’s fondness for attributing villains a foreign nationality, this South American nation has been synonymous with extortion and the ruthlessly violent methods employed by its cocaine cartels for decades.
Yet to give everything its due, Colombia is a place of stupendous, often surreal-like beauty. Perched at the land bridge between the South and Central America, it’s the only South American nation with access to both Caribbean and Pacific coastlines, contains sectors of both the Amazon and Andes, and is said to pack in higher levels of biodiversity per square kilometre than any other country.
Add into the mix stately Spanish architecture, a temperate year-round climate and infectious local exuberance for living life, and it can prove very hard indeed to reconcile the destination with the insufferable horrors it had endured during the 90s.
‘You can pull up a flower’ so goes one popular local saying, ‘but it won’t hold back Spring’. And with the FARC opting for peace and more and more of the country being brought under security, it looks like Colombia’s beauty is finally coming into bloom.
View my guide to going backpacking in Colombia and discover some of the things that make the country such a damned pretty place to explore.
Colombia Travel Resources
These are my favourite companies to use when I travel.
• Find cheap flights with Skyscanner.
• Get the best deals on hotels on Booking.com.
Colombia Tours
One of the safest and stress-free ways to discover the highlights of Colombia is by booking an organised tour. I recommend adventure tours with G Adventures or Contiki – both offer multiple itineraries for Colombia and South America.
Top Things to Do in Colombia
If you’re travelling around South America, you’ll often here other travellers talking about what a great destination Colombia is and there are many reasons why.
Spend your time here exploring charming crumbling colonial cities such as Cartagena, relaxing on its beautiful beaches, trekking through the rainforest or discovering ancient archaeological ruins.
Go Sightseeing in Bogota
You can’t leave Colombia without first stopping by its capital, Bogotá. This city has both the largest land size and largest population of any city in Colombia. View my Bogota travel tips.
Discover Cali
Cali is known as the salsa capital of the world, and with good reason! People from Cali eat, sleep and breath these Latin moves, and travellers from all over are now flocking to Cali for a piece of the action.
The popular dance was introduced to the city around the 1960s, and the Caleños were quick to adopt the trend and make it their own. They upped the pace, upped the tempo and upped the beats, introducing faster moves and more energetic spins. The rest is history, and salsa remains one of the most popular and traditional activities in the city.
Dance the night away in one of original establishments, Siboney Club, which runs their famous Martes de Salsa. Colombia is also famous for its production of Aguardiente, an alcohol made from sugar cane and anise seed. If it’s not to your taste though don’t panic, Cali also serves up rum in abundance!
Incredible Cartagena
Known as ‘the Jewel of the Caribbean’, Cartagena, on the country’s northwest coast, is almost too beautiful for belief.
Quiet cobblestone laneways weave between pastel painted dwellings, bougainvillea drapes across ornate balcony alcoves and the world’s most glamorised sea sparkles just beyond the fortress walls.
The whole thing feels rather like wandering through a romantic film-set, so exercise extreme caution on evening strolls with a partner – you could well find yourself proposing.
Caribbean Beaches
Head further east from Cartagena and you’ll hit the cute-as-can-be little fishing village of Taganga. Keep going, and you’ll hit Tayrona National Park; an outlandishly gorgeous tract of dense tropical rainforest, hidden coves, golden sands and turquoise waters. Set out north from Cartagena by yacht and you’ll eventually reach the blinding white sands and palm tree lined shores of San Blas Island. Point the compass west from Cartagena and I’m not too sure what beach you’ll end up at. But it’s bound to be beautiful.
La Zona Cafeteria
Coffee production is also big business in Colombia, and the verdant hill country in which the crop is produced is exceptionally scenic. Manizales, Salento and Armenia are the principal hubs. And aside from being picturesque towns in their own rights, the surrounding rolling hills and gullies, coated in lush greenery year-round, make for a very attractive backdrop.
El Dorado
If the legendary gold-gilded town of El Dorado does exist, and really is that much more beautiful than the rest of Colombia, we’re probably not ready for it yet.
Hike to the Lost City
La Ciudad Perdida, or the Lost City, is a mystical experience you’ll never forget. Nestled in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia, the trek offers some of the best views of the lush Colombian landscape as well as opportunities to interact with indigenous communities that live in the area.
Far from the noise of Colombia’s boisterous cities, the journey to the Lost City is the perfect chance to disconnect and fully immerse yourself in the sounds of the jungle. The adventure takes place within Teyuna National Park, therefore it’s important to book with a registered travel company who can provide the permits and professional guides for your own safety.
Overall the trip takes 4 days and is suitable for anyone with a decent fitness level – the hardest part is the final 1200 steps built by the Tayronas which you will need to ascend to reach the Lost City. This really is one of the hidden gems of South America.
Plan a Trip to Colombia
For years Colombia has been tormented by drugs, crime and violence and until recently it was not visited by many foreigners due to these threats, however things are improving and travellers are just beginning to discover what they’ve been missing all this time. Go visit for yourself, you won’t regret it.