The country of Colombia is known for its great coffee, music, and people! But through our visit we learned that “The Gateway to South America” has even more to offer! From mountains, beaches, and deserts to coffee plantations and Amazon rainforest, Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world!
To be honest, before traveling to Colombia, one of the main things I knew about the country was about its past turmoil. However, in recent years the country has become a hotspot for tourism. Like any place, it is always important to do your own research and make sure to stay safe, but our experience in Colombia has made us really excited for a return visit!
When I picture Colombia I think of coffee plantations, but the country offers a little bit of everything. It is true that it has a lot of coffee. Colombia is the world’s 3rd largest exporter of coffee, but it is the 2nd largest exporter of flowers (right behind the Netherlands)! According to National Geographic, Colombia has less than 1% of the world’s land area, but is home to almost 10% of land species. There are more than 300 ecosystems found in the country, so you don’t have to go far to experience something new and exciting!
Although there is so much to see and such an inviting culture, tourism is fairly new in Colombia. But I think that the secret is already out. I read that in the past 5 years, tourism has increased by nearly 50%! Now is definitely a great time to book a flight to see this incredible country.
We unfortunately only had a short time in Colombia, and there are a lot of things we want to experience on a return trip someday. But here are some of our favorite things that we did get to see and experience in Colombia!
Medellin
Our first stop in Colombia was to Medellin. It is sad that when most people hear Medellin, the first thing they think of is the infamous Pablo Escabar. This strong, beautiful city is so much more than the former home of the world’s wealthiest drug lord. Many of the people that live in Medellin have seen the city transform from a battlefield to a thriving, tourist-friendly city.
Located in a valley, Medellin is unlike any other city we have ever seen. Nicknamed the “City of Eternal Spring,” Medellin boasts incredible weather year-round. As with any place you visit, it is always important to be smart about where you stay and go. But today the city is a hotspot for tourists and expats. During our time in Medellin, we got to experience the city’s beautiful art, culture, and extremely friendly people.
We booked our Medellin tours with Tika Travel, which is an incredible family-operated business that does an amazing job of making you feel like part of their family. Caroline, the owner of Tika Travel, is honestly one of the best tour guides that we have ever had. She is also a language expert, being able to fluently speak Spanish, English, and French… and she also studied Portuguese and Italian! The tours are extremely well planned and very informative. It is worth booking a tour even just to make a new lifelong friend! :)
Another thing that really sets Tika Travel apart is their dedication to giving back to the community. Unfortunately, Medellin’s tumultuous past has greatly affected many people in the city. Tika Travel works with and donates a portion of each ticket to various community organizations. One of the organizations is Cultivando Sonrisas, which is a non-profit organization that helps little girls who have been born into a drug and sex trafficking environment. It is truly amazing to see just how much Caroline and the whole Tika Travel team care about the people of their community.
Here are some of the best things to do in Medellin!
1. La Piedra de El Peñol and Guatape
An hour and a half drive away from downtown Medellin is La Piedra de El Peñol, as well as the beautifully colorful town of Guatape. We booked this tour with Tika Travels and this area is definitely worth the drive.
You might have seen this massive rock with its winding staircase in travel photos. La Piedra de El Peñol is an amazing photo opportunity and a great workout all wrapped up into one! The more than 700 winding steps built right into the side of the rock lead to an incredible view overlooking beautiful green hills and a massive lake.
The large rock isn’t the only thing worth visiting in the area. While in the area you can also visit Guatape, a charming little town that is known for its colorful “zocalos.” These zocalos are colorful tiles that the home and store owners decorate their homes with to signify their profession or interests.
Guatape is a great place to get lunch and enjoy the vibrant streets after hiking the rock! (For dessert, definitely try a strawberry or soursop meringue from the local store on Guatape’s main street. The store owner was so kind and the meringue was delicious – and this is coming from a guy who doesn’t normally even like meringue!
We also explored the area by boat on a massive nearby lake in El Peñol. This lake was created as part of a hydroelectric dam. In order to make the lake, they had to flood the old town of El Peñol.
A large cross in the middle of the lake marks where the local church once stood. Today, this lake is a beautiful area with massive homes of famous Colombian soccer players and celebrities.
2. Comuna 13
One of the most amazing stories of transformation can be found in Comuna 13, a district of Medellin that was not too long ago considered to be one of the most violent areas in Colombia. However, in recent years the community has transformed this area into a thriving street art community.
Today, Comuna 13 is the second most popular tourist area in Medellin. It was really inspiring to see the passion and love that the community shared together.
Tika Travel partners with Casa Kolacho to give personal tours of Comuna 13. Casa Kolacho is a community school that provides classes in graffiti, music, and other lessons to the local youth. The Casa Kolacho guides are local street artists who have not only lived through the history of this area, but are an instrumental part in Comuna 13’s continual transformation. Our guide Doc shared is an incredible artist who has a passion for teaching the youth of Comuna 13.
3. Downtown Medellin
The downtown area of Medellin is known as La Candelaria or El Centro. I can’t talk about El Centro without first talking about the metro. As the only metro system in Colombia, it is a topic of pride for locals of Medellin. It is very clean and a great way to get around. (However, taxis are so cheap in Medellin that they are sometimes just as good of an option).
Tika Travel took us to the highlights of Medellin’s downtown and explained the city’s transformation. Some of the downtown highlights are Plaza Botero, Junnin Street, and several other prominent areas.
Plaza Botero
Plaza Botero’s most iconic features are the 21 bronze statues made by Colombia’s most famous artist, Fernando Botero. These rotund, exaggerated statues showcase Botero’s iconic “Boterismo” style. It is pretty amazing to see so many famous statues on display for free in one of the city’s main squares. The square also houses Museo de Antioquia and Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture.
Junnin Street
No visit downtown would be complete without a visit to the pedestrian-only Junnin Street. There are restaurants, shopping, and pretty much anything else you can think of on this street. Close to Junnin Street is a large fruit market which Tika Travel took us to for some incredible freshly squeezed juice!
Other Places of Interest: Coltejer Building, Monumento a la Raza, and Catedral Metropolitana de Medellín
The Coltejer Building is the tallest skyscraper in Medellin and was designed to represent the city’s textile industry. Monumento a la Raza is a stunning sculpture designed by famous Colombian sculpture Rodrigo Arenas Betancur. It was designed to depict the country’s industrial revolution and is truly an impressive piece of art! The Catedral Metropolitana de Medellín is the main Catholic church in the city. It’s constructed with more than 1 million solid bricks…making it one of the largest baked brick structures in the world!
4. El Poblado
One of the wealthiest, trendiest, and most touristy neighborhoods of Medellin is El Poblado. There are tons of hotels, restaurants, vegan bars, and all the other things you would expect to find in a trendy neighborhood. It is also one of the safest places to explore at night. If you do go out to eat, there is a really good chance that you will see dozens of other North American tourists who are also looking for food! Haha it is a very fun area, but during the day time definitely also make time to explore Comuna 13, downtown, or one of the city’s many other amazing areas.
Cartagena
On the northern, Caribbean coast of Colombia sits the charming, colorful town of Cartagena. The thing that makes this city so unique is its old town, which is situated behind a fortified wall. The old town is filled with tons of bright colored buildings and reminded us a lot of a mix between Chartlesotn, SC and New Orleans, LA. (We ended up doing a lot of extra walking because every time we saw a colorful street we decided to walk down it. Spoiler alert, every street is a beautiful, colorful street. :)
Here are some of the old town highlights: Cartagena Cathedral, Plaza San Pedro Claver, Puerta del Reloj, San Felipe Castle, Getsemani, and Palenqueras. I know that is a lot of different things, but the good news is they are all within walking distance in the same downtown area.
The majority of photos are taken of the Cartagena Cathedral. Looking it up online, we found that a lot of bloggers suggest taking a picture of the Cathedral just outside of Abaco Libros y Cafe. This is supposed to give you a great view of the colorful buildings and the church steeple. Unfortunately, we aren’t exactly expert photographers. All the photos you see online are shot with beautiful lighting and no one on the street. But of course we decided to visit this spot at the hottest part of the day, in really harsh light, and at the same time that all of the cruise ship tours were walking by!
Another great photo spot is on the rooftop bar of Movich Hotel (this is the first picture in our blog post). It is a great place to see the juxtaposition of the old town with the new. Just go up, get a drink and take a look around the colorful city!
To be honest, you really can’t go wrong with just wandering around old town Cartagena. In most squares you can even spot Palenqueras, which are women wearing colorful clothes, selling fruit, and speaking Creole!
The city itself is on a beach, but the city itself is definitely not worth visiting for the beach. If you want to go to a nice beach, drive about an hour south to Playa Blanca – or you can catch a boat to the beautiful Tierra Bomba island.
Bogota
The biggest city and the capital of Colombia is Bogota. And apparently, Bogota and Medellin have a sibling rivalry as to which city is the best. Unfortunately, we only had enough time to visit Medellin this trip, but someday we’ll have to be back to see for ourselves which city is the best!
We actually had a long layover in Bogota and were going to try to make a mad dash downtown for a few hours but instead ended up spending 2 hours going through customs. It is about a 45-60 minute drive to the downtown from the airport, so we decided that it was smartest not to go. But just because we didn’t get to make it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t check it out! I can’t personally vouch for any of these things, but based on our research, here are the top 10 best things to do in Colombia’s capital:
- Catedral Primada: the largest and most popular church
- La Candelaria: a beautiful neighborhood filled with cobblestone alleys, museums, and street art
- Monserrate: a great view of the city, and the famous statue El Señor Caido (of Jesus after He was taken off the cross)
- Torre Colpatria: Bogota’s tallest skyscraper, with a viewpoint on the 48th floor
- La Zona Rosa: an upscale area of Bogota with luxury shops and restaurants
- Simon Bolivar Park: the biggest park in the city and similar to Central Park in NYC
- Museo Botero: an art gallery, funded by a donation by Botero (Colombia’s most famous artist) himself
- Museo del Oro: thought to be the most important gold museums in the world.
- Plaza Paloquemao: market with fresh produce, flowers, street food, and more
- Food! Arepas, bangdeja paisa, sancocho de gallina, and ajaco are just some of the delicious Colombian dishes
Colombia is an incredible country – and now that we have visited, we have a long list of places we know we want to visit on a return trip someday!!
