Colombia | optimiza tu viaje

Colombia

Guide to places to travel

ColombiaIt is a sovereign country located in the northwestern region of South America. It is a politically organized republic en thirty-two apartments decentralized and the Capital District of Bogota, headquarters of the National Government. Including la malpelo island, el snorer fell and the serrana bank, covers an area of 1,141,748 km², so it is the seventh largest in America. Limit to East with Venezuela and Brazil, al south with Peru y Ecuador and to the west with Panama; in terms of maritime limits, it borders with Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic y Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea y with Panama, Costa Rica and Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. It is crossed by the mountain range of los Andes and the Amazon plain and is the only country in South America with coastlines on the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

How to get to Colombia

Plane: it has a national line that operates internationally and nationally such as Avianca; Other Airlines frequently arrive in the country and are also a good option. From Europe it can take between 10 to 16 hours depending on where you are. From North America from 4 to 8 hours and from countries in South America between 6 to 8 hours arriving in the Capital – Bogotá.

By land: there is only one true road connection between Colombia and Venezuela and between Colombia and Ecuador; from some ports of nearby countries, the vehicles are transported by boat. There is no railway that you can use to enter the country.

Boat: This means of transport is not very common for passengers, it is widely used for cargo. In recent years the income of Cruises has increased a lot, having as destinations the ports of Santa Marta and Cartagena. Regarding transportation by rivers, although is not very common for passengers, it is used between small towns and it is possible to enter by this means from Brazil and Ecuador .

How to get around Colombia

Plane. To do this, you have to book it in advance and look for the best deals offered by the low-cost company Viva Colombia. There are other national companies that offer ticket prices for low cost budgets: ADA, Avianca, Copa Airlines, Easyfly, LAN and TAM, Satena or TACA. Almost all cities have an airport, as do many smaller and more remote towns.

Bus: it is the main means of transport between cities, and it reaches practically everywhere. It offers a lot of flexibility to move around the country despite the distances and travel hours. The largest companies are Expreso Brasilia, Berlinastur and Expreso Bolivariano. In large capitals, the public transport network works very well, such as buses. In Medellín the metro, in Bogotá the TransMilenio metro bus or in Cali the MIO mass bus service.

Boat: There are fast motorboats between Turbo in northern Antioquia and the towns of Capurgana and Sapzurro on the Caribbean, and between Bahía Solano and Nuquí on the Pacific.

Taxi: convenient use it only in some of the most important cities in the country since in the cities it is very difficult to drive due to the large amount of traffic. In general they are safe and cheap.

What to see in Colombia

Bogota

Bogota is the capital of Colombia and is located in the center of the country, in a region known as the Sabana de Bogotá on the eastern Andes mountain range. It is the third highest capital in the world (after Peace y Quito), since it is located at an average of 2.625 meters above sea level. It has a length of 33 km from south to north, and 16 km from east to west. As the capital, it houses the highest-ranking agencies of the executive branch (Presidency of the Republic), legislative (Colombian Congress) and judicial (Supreme Court of Justice, Constitutional court, council of state and the Superior Council of the Judiciary).

Candelaria neighborhood:A town made up of six neighborhoods located in the heart of Bogotá takes us back to the colonial era. In 1963 the area was declared a site of historical and cultural interest, being a small memory of what Bogotá was during the colony and subsequent republican times. Its narrow streets full of shops selling emeralds and handicrafts lead to places of cultural interest, such as the Gold Museum and the Botero Museum, libraries, universities or restaurants in unique buildings.

Bolivar plaza:It is the most important square in Bogotá; always lively corner of the city and where are the most emblematic buildings of the city such as the Primate Cathedral, a large temple of Neoclassical style dating from the 18th century, the Palace of Justice, the National Capitol and the City Hall. Located in the heart of historic Bogotá, between 7th and 8th streets with 10th and 11th streets. In its surroundings there are some important public buildings and places of historical interest in the city and in the center stands a statue of Simón Bolívar sculpted in 1846. The character of the square has changed considerably since its beginnings when it was surrounded by colonial houses and It was the headquarters of market where the peasants brought their products to sell.

Gold Museum: is a public institution whose purpose is the acquisition, conservation and exhibition of pieces of gold and pottery from indigenous cultures of the pre-Columbian period. It has more than 30,000 pieces made of gold, 20,000 lithic, ceramic, stone and textile objects belonging to the Quimbaya, Calima, Tairona, Zenú, Muisca, Tolima, Tumaco cultures, among others, most of which were discovered and excavated in Colombia. There are three floors full of objects collected from pre-Hispanic cultures, each one focused on a different theme, we will see jewelry, masks, bowls, offerings and armor.

cultural block:It is made up of the Miguel Urrutia Art Museum (MAMU), the Casa de la Moneda Museum and the Botero Museum. Fernando Botero is one of Colombia's most famous artists, known for his unique style as he depicts people and animals with large, exaggerated, and voluminous features. In addition to Botero's work, you will be able to see pieces by Dalí, Degas and Picasso. The museum is located in a colonial house in the heart of the La Candelaria neighborhood, and admission to the museums is completely free and does not require a prior appointment.

Other Places: Plaza de Armas, here is located the building of the Presidency of the Republic of Colombia (Casa de Nariño) as well as one of the facades of the National Capitol; Commercial Zone, Calle del Divorcio, Parque de la Mariposa, full of shops and clothing malls; Botanical Garden of Bogotá, the largest and most diverse in Colombia, with flora from all climates and regions of the country;The Church of San Francisco, located in Santander Park, is the oldest church in Bogotá and is dedicated to San Francisco de Asís; theSanctuary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel,dedicated to the Virgin Mary known for its Gothic and Florentine style; The Usaquén neighborhood, a town with colonial architecture that today is just another neighborhood in the big city; Monserrate Viewpoint, located on Cerro Monserrate, which rises no more and no less than 3,152 meters above sea level.

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Medellin

MedellinIt is the capital of the mountainous province of Antioquia located at 1,495 meters above sea level in the widest part of the natural region known as Aburrá Valley, in la central mountain range de los Andes. It is extended to both shores of the medellin river, which crosses it from south to north and is the main municipality of del Metropolitan area of the Aburrá Valley. It is nicknamed the "City of Eternal Spring" for its mild climate. Es the most populated city of the department and the second of the country after Bogota. The modern Metrocable connects the city with surrounding neighborhoods and has views of the Aburrá Valley below.

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How to get to Medellin

Plane: the international airport of José María Córdova is located 30 kilometers from Medellín in a municipality of Rionegro that serves international flights and from the main cities of the country. The city also has a local airport called Enrique Olaya Herrera that receives flights from secondary cities and some municipalities in the department.

Bus: it has two terminals: the Terminal del Norte, located in the northwest of the city and serving the areas that are mainly close to Antioquia, and the Terminal del Sur: located to the southwest of _cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b- 136bad5cf58d_Medellin.

How to get around Medellin

It has the del SITVA (Integrated Transport System of the Aburrá Valley)which is a MASSIVE public transport system union of the Medellín Metro, Metrocable, Metroplus, Medellín Tram, Integrated Routes and EnCicla. Basically what this union allows is to reduce costs and travel only with la civic card in all of them.

What to see in Medellin

Cisneros Square: Also called Parque de las Luces, it offers a unique urban landscape with a large artificial forest of 300 posts with a maximum height of 24 meters that light up. This public space, which bears the name of the Cuban engineer Francisco José Cisneros, has an area of 16,000 square meters and has water fountains and benches for people to sit down and rest. It bears its name in homage to the Cuban engineer Francisco Javier Cisneros, precursor of the Antioquia Railroad.

Rafael Palace of Culture: former Palace of the Government of Antioquia, it is a public building Colombian located in the center of Medellindesigned by belgian Augustine Goovaerts and where they carry out all kinds of activities and exhibitions. It is located diagonally to the Parque Berrio Station. It is the headquarters of the Institute of Culture and Heritage of the Government of Antioquia and was declared National Monument en 1982. The building was inaugurated in the 1930s, when it was unfinished. Some adjustments were made to the facades in the 1970s, but the work was never completed and only 25 percent of the original design was built.

Antioquia Museum:Located in the center of Medellín, it houses collections with international relevance. It was the first founded in the department of Antioquia and the second in Colombia. It is located in front of Plaza Botero, near the Parque Berrío metro station. It was inaugurated in 1881 and since then it has been a benchmark in Colombia. In 1995 it was declared National Monument. An essential to learn more about Botero's work since here are some of his best paintings.

Metropolitan Cathedral: is the Metropolitan Basilica Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, is a cathedral church cult Catholic. In neo-Romanesque style, it contains a religious museum, with paintings and sculptures from the colonial and modern times. It is located in the downtown area of the city de Medellin in the Villanueva neighborhood, on the north side of the Bolivar Park. It is the main temple of the Archdiocese of Medellin, headquarters del archbishop, as well as del Metropolitan Chapterand headquarters of the "Parish of the Cathedral". In 1948, the dad Pius XII gave the temple the liturgical title of minor basilica by brief of June 12 of that same year.

Church of La Candelaria: It is a temple of colonial architecture dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the invocation of the Candelaria. It draws attention for its neoclassical style with the façade in immaculate white. It is located in front of Parque Berrío, another of the neuralgic points of Medellín. Fue Cathedral de la Archdiocese of Medellin between 1868 and 1931, when this title passed to the Basilica Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. It is a colonial construction, style neoclassic, rectangular plan, with three naves and transept.

Commune 13: is one of the 16 city communes de Medellin. It is known by the name of "The cradle of Pablo Escobar", where long ago it was an epicenter of violence and the drug trade. The Las Independencias neighborhood, in Comuna 13, after being one of the most violent areas, became a walking art gallery, a colorful place, full of life, music, open-air cafes, tourists and a medium of communication created by a system of escalators that are recognized as the only ones in the world installed in a marginal neighborhood. Thus, the neighborhood ceased to be the violent reference to become the meeting space for great urban artists and hundreds of tourists who, through word of mouth, have made the tour of Comuna 13 an inevitable visit plan. to Medellin.

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Other Places: Museum of Modern Art of Medellín permanent and temporary exhibitions and cultural events.

The Joaquin Antonio Uribe Botanical Garden: located next to Parque Explora which has a tropical forest, a Garden of Palms, a butterfly garden and an orchid exhibition.

Avenida Carabobo: pedestrian and commercial avenue in the center of Medellín.

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Cartagena de Indias

Cartagenais a port city on the Caribbean coast of Colombia founded in 1533 by Pedro de Heredia. Next to the sea, is the walled Old City, which was founded in the 16th century, with squares, streets of cobblestones and colorful colonial buildings that transform it into the most charming area in all of Cartagena. In its time it was one of the most important ports of the Spanish Empire, which can be seen in its large amount of architectural and cultural heritage, which is why it was declared a World Heritage Site. With a tropical climate, the city is also a popular destination for its beaches.

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How to get to Cartagena

Plane: the fastest option and also the most comfortable to enter the city is through the Rafael Núñez international airport, being able to fly to the city from most of the main airports in Colombia.

Bus: it is another option to travel to Cartagena although, depending on the origin, the journey can be very long and waste a lot of time.
The city has a land transport terminal, where buses arrive from: Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Cali, Medellín, the entire Colombian Caribbean Coast, Caracas (Venezuela) and Maracaibo (Venezuela).

clock tower: is part of the walled enclosure of the Historic Center and is the architectural symbol of the founding city. Construction began around 1631 as a requirement for a main entrance that connected the city with the Getsemaní suburb through a drawbridge over the Anastasio canal. The clock is still existing from the beginning of the 18th century. It is the main and oldest entrance to the Walled City, a meeting point for tourists and locals. Very close to here we have several important places in Cartagena de Indias such as the Museum of Art, Plaza de los Coches, the Palace of the Inquisition, the Museum of History, Plaza Santo Domingo, Plaza de la Aduana and the popular neighborhood of Gethsemane.

Car Square: annexed to the Clock Tower and entrance to the walled city. This place was also known as the "Slave Square" since here slaves from Africa were traded. The place is surrounded by beautiful colonial palaces where the "Portal de los Dulces" stands out, which is a porticoed façade on the side of the square. Its real name is "Plaza del Ecuador", so named in commemoration of the border treaty between Colombia and Ecuador of 1519.

Gethsemane neighborhood: located on the outskirts of the walled city with alleys of colorful houses and urban art that are _cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58 its great attractions. In recent years it has become very fashionable, so the wide variety of bars and restaurants have been joined by places more focused on tourism and therefore more expensive. Its epicenter is located in the Plaza de La Trinidad, where se people gather to drink beer and listen to street artists grilled arepas in the adjacent stalls. The nearby streets, also known for their picturesque murals, feature lively pizzerias and restaurants serving Colombian dishes.

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Cartagena Cathedral: Located in the Plaza de la Proclamación near de la torre del reloj it is the most important church in the city and one of the oldest in South America. Its dome can be seen from various points of the city. This Cathedral called Catedral Basílica Metropolitana de Santa Catalina de Alejandría, is a church of Catholic worship dedicated to Santa Catalina de Alejandría and is the episcopal seat of the Archbishop of Cartagena de Indias, one of the oldest episcopal seats in the New World. The cathedral is in the Herrerian style, characteristic of the reign of Philip II, which corresponds to the third and last stage of Spanish Renaissance architecture.

Castle of San Felipe de Barajas: is outside the walled city, built by the Spanish in 1657 and is located on top of Cerro San Lázaro to protect the city. In 1984, Unesco included the historic center of the city of Cartagena de Indias, the set of its fortifications and the San Felipe de Barajas castle on the list of World Heritage Sites. It was It is considered one of the seven wonders of Colombia, a recognition that accredits it as one of the largest structures built in Colombian territory. It is also part of the historical and cultural heritage of Colombia, according to the Ministry of Culture

Historic museum:former seat of the court of the inquisition of the Catholic Church whose building was built in 1770 in colonial and baroque style. In 1953, it became the headquarters of the Historical Museum of Cartagena where all the moments in the history of Cartagena are shown, from indigenous culture to the presence of the conquerors and the controversial establishment of the Tribunal de la . They include temporary and permanent exhibitions. It is currently undergoing a museum renovation process, the first results of which are the new Inquisition Rooms.

The walls: stone construction that runs 11 km around Cartagena and with sunset views. They are the most preserved and complete in South America, one of the best walls in the world and one of the most important attractions in Cartagena, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The walls were a project that took almost two centuries to build in order to defend the city from the continuous pirate attacks it suffered. Its construction began on September 8, 1614, after the attack by the legendary Sir Francis Drake and by order of King Philip III and was completed in 1796. In addition to the wall, the bastions complete the landscape and the fortresses that with artillery and cannons could repel pirate attacks.

La Serrezuela Shopping Center: There are several shopping centers in Cartagena but this one is quite interesting and it is also in the center of the city. It works in the old La Serrezuela bullring built in 1893. Due to the advanced deterioration of the existing construction, it was impossible to recover its original structure since At the beginning of the 20th century, the original structure had to be dismantled, but the new +design recalls that original ring. In the center a wooden structure for events has been built that recalls the square. While the original housed 4,000 spectators, the new one can hold close to 2,000.

Beaches: the beaches in the city are not pretty: dark sand, unattractive sea, many buildings. The closest to the center are on Avenida Santander, they are a series of 4 or 5 beaches. If we want slightly better beaches we have to move away from the city center, either to the area of La Boquilla, which is located about 6 km from the historical Center. It is an extensive beach, with simple restaurants and several exclusive 4 and 5 star hotels and suitable for windsurfing and kitesurfing or Bocagrande beach which is the busiest and tourist area of Cartagena in a neighborhood of large residential buildings and hotels. It is comfortable and safe, a few minutes from the historic center, with dark sand. What all the beaches in Cartagena do have in common is that the water has a warm temperature, ideal for enjoying the sea all year round.

Rosario Islands

group of 28 islands, most of them very small, located off the coast of the Department of Bolívar, about 100 km southeast of the Cartagena coast, with a land area of 20 hectares. They are part of the Corales del Rosario National Park, which also includes the San Bernardo Islands (further south), and are the most visited since they are not far from Cartagena. They are known for their white sand beaches, clear blue waters, and coral reefs. The best activity is snorkeling or diving but also, why not, sunbathing on the beach. In them is located one of the natural national parks of Colombia, created to protect one of the most important coral reefs of the Colombian Caribbean coast.

Isla Grande is the best option to get to know the Rosario Islands for several reasons. The island setting is ideal with its crystal clear waters, palm trees, and few white sand beaches. The island is famous thanks to Playa Blanca, a long white sand beach.

Isla Cholón: it is a peninsula next to Isla Barú where the party reigns. In the morning, private yachts and boats bring visitors from Cartagena to spend the day. All this alongside street vendors selling cold beer, cocktails, and lobsters.

Barú is considered part of the Corales del Rosario National Park, although technically they are not part of the chain of Rosario islands since before it was a peninsula until the Spanish in the 16th century crossed it building a channel that separated it from Cartagena in the 16th century. It is the largest and most accessible of the Rosario Islands

San Andres and Providencia Islands

Located far from continental Colombia, this archipelago is located 140 nautical miles from the coast of Nicaragua. We can get there very easily from various cities in Colombia on direct Low Cost flights (from Bogotá, Cartagena, Pereira, Medellín…). These islands are dealt with exclusively in this site

Amazon

TheAmazon jungleIt is one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. It borders with the departments de caqueta y Vaupes; to the east with Brazil; to the south and to the west with Peru, and to the west with the department del putumayo. The 483,000 km2 of the Colombian portion, located on the northwestern edge of the Great Basin, represent 6.4% of the total Amazon biome and 41.8% of the national territory. It is made up of the departments of Amazonas, Caquetá, Guainía, Guaviare, Putumayo and Vaupés. Its main urban centers are Leticia, Florencia, Puerto Asís, Mocoa, San Vicente del Caguan, Mitú and Puerto Leguízamo. To visit it there are very cheap flights from all parts of Colombia with a stopover in Bogotá. Leticia, capital of the district, is located no more than 3 km from the airport and es the gateway to the Colombian Amazon.

The coffee axis

This is how the is knowncoffee regionfrom Colombia. This beautiful rural area is so important that it has been called the Coffee Cultural Landscape precisely because it combines culture, landscape and tradition. Likewise, it was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. It is located in the central western part of the Colombian Andes whose main cities are Manizales, Pereira and Armenia, part of the 62 municipalities of the Coffee Region, where they produce coffee and export to the world. One of the main ones is a visit to Salento, a beautiful town with colorful colonial-style houses that is recognized for the quality of its coffee varieties. The closest is la Finca El Ocaso, a very nice farm that carries out the entire process and has a 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ coffee experience of more than 100 years. The plantation is of the arabica variety and they explain everything from how to plant a coffee seed to how to roast it.

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Santa Marta

Santa MartaIt is a city located in the Caribbean Sea a shores of the bay of the same name. It is the capital of the department de cupcake. It was founded on July 29, 1525 which, according to the texts, makes it the oldest standing city in Colombia. It is located on the banks of the bay of the same name. It is a busy port that was also the first Spanish settlement in Colombia. It is the access road for excursions in theTayrona National Natural Parkand for the guided tours of several days through the archaeological site of theLost City (Teyuna) in the Sierra Nevada of the Santa Marta mountains. Among its cultural and historical attractions are the Customs House, la Cathedral basilica, the Bank of the Republic Library, the San Juan Nepomuceno Seminary, Paseo Bastidas, la Fifth of San Pedro Alejandrino, la Bolivar plaza y the newlyweds park.

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Colombian gastronomy

The gastronomy of Colombia is the result of the fusion of foods, practices and culinary traditions of the local Indo-American, European and African cultures.

Bandeja Paisa: white rice, red beans, ground or minced meat, plantain, chorizo, corn, pork rinds, fried egg, arepa and avocado, traditional food from the cities of Medellín, Santa Fe de Antioquia, Guatape and Jardin.

Lechona: mixture of chickpeas, pork, spices and occasionally rice (depending on the area) often served with an arepa originally from the Tolima region, which is southwest of Bogotá and contains the main cities of Ibagué and Espinal.

Ajiaco – white soup made with chicken, a variety of two or three types of potatoes, corn, sour cream served with white rice and avocado, originating from the Bogotá region and the Andes Mountains of Colombia.

Sancocho: fish from the coast and different types of meat from other regions, with cassava, corn, potatoes and plantains; it is usually served together with white rice and originates from the Valle del Cauca region that contains the cities of Cali, Buenaventura and Tuluá.

Fritanga: variety of grilled meats (chicken, beef, pork rinds, chorizo) served with a variety of different types of potatoes, arepas, plantains, and corn.

Big Ass Ants: a large, leaf-eating species traditionally found in this region and eaten for its flavor. They can be served fried or roasted in salt shredded or kept whole; They are originating from the cities of Bucaramanga, Barichara, San Gil and Floridablanca.

Pandebono: traditional bread originating from the Valle del Cauca region in Colombia, made with corn flour, cassava starch, cheese and egg.

Mamona: beef (often cooked over a barbecue or fire) served with potatoes, plantains, yucca and topped with chili pepper, native to the Los Llanos and Meta regions of Colombia.

Wafer: typical street dessert found throughout Colombia that is made from two round wafers interspersed with a variety of fillings, such as arequipe, jam, chocolate, sprinkles, or sugar.

Sudado chicken: chicken (often legs) that are boiled with potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and red peppers and served with rice. Traditional dish from the coastal city of Barranquilla

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