Colombia, Colombia

Discovery · Colombia

Colombia

Andean cities, Caribbean ramparts, coffee slopes and a ‘liquid rainbow’ river — Colombia changes music, food and climate with every shift in altitude.

Travel by Ildy tip

Highlights

In Santander, stay in Barichara, a national-monument town built of yellow stone, then walk to Guane, 9 km away, whose small museum tells the story of the Guane people.

Best time to visit

Best time to travel

Rainfall varies by altitude and coast rather than one national season; December to March and July to August are drier in many Andean areas.

Travel tips

Travel by Ildy tips

  • In Bogotá, spend a Sunday or public holiday on the Ciclovía: main roads across the city close to cars and fill with cyclists, walkers and skaters. Hire a bike and ride a stretch of the 120-odd kilometres of closed streets.
  • In Bogotá, order ajiaco santafereño: chicken soup thickened with three kinds of potato and scented with guascas, served with capers, cream and avocado on the side.
  • Plan Caño Cristales in the Serranía de la Macarena between July and November, when the aquatic plant Macarenia clavigera turns the riverbed red, yellow and green.
  • In the Cocora valley, the slender Quindío wax palms are Colombia’s national tree and the tallest monocots on record, growing to about 45 metres; they have been legally protected since 1985.

Travel by Ildy recommends

Follow the rhythm of the place first, then shape the journey around the experiences that feel most like your own.

Location

Colombia on the map

Colombia

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Where to stay

Stay ideas — Colombia

Colombia, Colombia

Colombia

Colombia