9 stops · 29 days
We stopped in Medellin for two weeks to learn Spanish and stayed in the area of Poblado. While a little overrun by gringos like ourselves, it proved to be a very comfortable and enjoyable spot to base ourselves with more bars, restaurants and coffeeshops than we could afford to enjoy and a perfect climate in the mid 20s every day.
Having heard too many good things about Jardin, we used a public holiday in the middle of the week to travel there for a 24 hour trip. It was well worth the visit and probably the most beautiful town we visited in Colombia (with possibly the best coffee too).
Located in the coffee region of Colombia, Salento is a must visit on any itinerary. Incredible hiking, horse riding, coffee farms, tejo and a picturesque town center surrounded by green mountains.
A day trip and welcome escape from Medellin to some accessible swimming spots. A steep ascent up a 654ft granite rock surrounded by water in a man made reservoir in what looks like a natural archieapelago offer wonderful views and the colourful town is worth a few hours exploring too.
We stayed only one night in Santa Marta using it as a base to visit Parque Tayrona, and then went from Parque Tayrona straight on to Cartagena.
Stretches of golden sandy beach backed by coconut palms and thick rainforest. Behind it all rise the steep hillsides of the Sierra Nevada, the world's highest coastal mountain range. The park stretches along the coast and covers 12,000 hectares of land and 3000 hectares of coral-rich sea. We spent 24 hours here, the best of which were later in the evening and first thing in the morning when we had it almost to ourselves.
A beautiful Spanish colonial walled city with high-end restaurants and plenty of sights. Undoubtedly Colombia's most beautiful city, well preserved lying within 13km of centuries-old colonial stone walls. Cartagena's Old Town is a Unesco World Heritage Site – cobbled alleys, balconies covered in bougainvillea, and massive churches that cast their shadows across leafy plazas.
We only had a short afternoon here as we passed through on our way to the San Blas islands. We had lunch on the beach front and it was certainly enough to give us a taste of what life on the islands was going to be like. We could happily have spent more time here.
Hot and gritty city. We arrived here a little worse for wear after a few days in the San Blas islands and unfortunately weren't fit enough to take part in it's main offering.. Salsa. We didn't manage to learn quite a lot about it nonetheless.
We travelled from Foz do Iguacu via São Paulo via Bogota without giving it much thought. We later calculated it was a distance equal to that of Dublin to Abu Dhabi.
When you hear that a town is located in Colombia’s coffee region, you know it’s an essential stop on your route. It also boasts excellent hiking, stunning scenery and a lively…
Having heard too many good things about Jardin, we used a public holiday in the middle of the week to travel there for a 24 hour trip. It was well worth the visit and probably…
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Before we left, the shortlist for Colombia looked like this — 28 days planned.
Dashed = we never made it there (this time).