#WanderlustandWifi guide to travelling in Colombia
okay i travelled colombia for 3.5 weeks and i honestly feel like it’s my new fave country. it was the best part of my whole #wanderlustandwifi trip.
it was like a combo of everything i’d done in central america but like better. adorable colonial towns, mountain towns, buzzing cities, jungles, beaches, hiking, volcanoes. it’s SO diverse, each place from northern coastal colombia to inland coffee country colombia feels like a different world. the people are amazing and the streets have an energy that is next level, it feels just a little more free/vivacious. and i like being free and vivacious. 💃🏼💃🏼
i’ve written detailed posts on each but wanted to do a high-level roundup of the route i did in case anyone wants to do something similar (which you should)!! let me know of any questions you have/anything i should add!
Cartagena
stay at Selina in Getsemani (2 rooftop pools/bars but not a huge vibe) or Republica or Viajero in Old Town. you can’t really go wrong!!
go to Plaza de la Trinidad for people watching. street performers, a pop up flash mob, street food and drinks (frutas mojito, muy fuerte por favor)
any of the rooftop bars around the bell tower
cocktails: alquimico
authentic colombian: la cocina de pepina
salsa: donde fidel or havana club
mud volcano: hilariously weird day trip. wear a dark bathing suit and prepare for some massaging, awkward hovering, and a handsy rinse-off in the river. they charge you $2k for photos, massage, and shower whether you ask for it or not 😂
casa en el agua: hostel on the water converted from someone’s old vacay home. a 2 hour bumpy boat ride from cartagena. sleep in a hammock for $20, boat is $36 usd both ways (v. pricey). no wifi, no running water. i’d go for one night for the experience. do the bioluminescent plankton snorkelling!
Details in my post CARTAGENA I AM OBSESSED.
minca
1 hour shuttle from santa marta
stay in rio elemento or casa viejas, i stayed at casa elemento for the giant hammocks because of, well, instagram, but the hostel is not that nice and that road is HECTIC. prepare for an adventure.
hiked down to Cascada de Marinka, beautiful 1.5 hr hike through the jungle from Casa Elemento and the waterfalls were awesome! muy fuerte.
great food at Lazy Cat omg the quesadilla was so good
Details in my post Colombian Coast: Minca, Tayrona, Costeño
santa marta
i would say this is an optional stop if you need a night to break up cartagena/minca/tayrona
hostels: dreamer santa marta (in mamatoco, right along the highway) republica, la brisa loca
tayrona national park
the park is really beautiful, it’s about a 2.5 hr hike from the entrance to cabo san juan (main beach where there’s a restaurant) i would reco swimming at La Piscina, it’s less crowded and nicer than cabo.
hike is humid af and lots of mud/horse poop
you can stay in a hammock here, i stayed in cabo san juan but my experience was kinda hectic cause there was like a colombian boys soccer team staying overnight, it was packed. i can imagine on a normal night it would be nice and peaceful when all the tourists leave (park closes at 5:30pm) but my reco would be maybe to stay in a hammock on a different beach (cabo was $40k for a bottom hammock or tent and $50k for top hammocks, and on other beaches they are $25k). park entrance is $53.5k and you have to pay $7k for insurance too.
can also just hike in and out for the day
Details in my post Colombian Coast: Minca, Tayrona, Costeño
costeño beach
about a 15-minute $8k moto ride from tayrona
amazing chill beach to decompress/recharge after tayrona
stay at costeño beach hostel. good vibes. hammocks, beach, yoga, surfing, wifi. they just got a new pool and it looks SO SICK.
Details in my post Colombian Coast: Minca, Tayrona, Costeño
medellin
do 3 days here minimum, i stayed a week and it was not enough.
el poblalo is your hood, lots of expats here, pretty safe, beautiful hilly tree-lined streets. provenza is an adorable/vibey street with shops and restaurants.
stay at los patios, possibly my fave hostel experience of life (although budget hack: if you stay next door for cheaper you can still chill/party at los patios). 2 unreal rooftop bars, staff is amazing, super social with a bar crawl every night
day 1: free downtown walking tour with real city tours. super important to get some context on the city you are in.
day 2: comuna 13 free walking tour with zippy tours. used to be the most dangerous neighbourhood in medellin/the world, now is safe, flourishing with incredible street art and galleries, live performers, escalators up the hill. you’ll have a local guide who will have some surreal/tearjerking stories. amazing day.
book both of these online in advance cause they do fill up. they’re tips-based (recommended $20-30k)
day 3: guatape tour. go with van por colombia for an amazing guide, itinerary, FOOD, viewpoint ftom El Penol rock, stroll around adorable Guatape town, best day trip tour i’ve done.
to eat: pizza at Olivia, authentic colombian at Hacienda, healthy at mundo verde. i ate brunch at seré 3 times. sue me. so many good restaurants here.
where to drink: salsa vibes at el social, modern/trendy at alambique, and wherever los patios’ pub crawl takes you!
if you have extra time: take the cable car up to arvi park for views of the city (as you go up, not from the top) — metro system is $2,550 pesos (under $1) and includes the cable cars
i went paragliding it was meh, conditions weren’t great and i was more over the mountains than the city of medellin. but also i’m just bitter because they lost my gopro footage lol. 🙃
some people did a food market where you can try exotic fruits and really liked it
there is some pablo stuff you can do (a tour, visit his nephew’s house with his old stuff) but you can read how i feel about that here
bike tour with capture colombia (tour group in los patios) was super fun and a great way to get the lay of the land in medellin
make sure to slot in plenty of time to nurse your hangovers. it’s a challenge to not go out every night here!!!
Details in my posts:
salento
took an 8 hr bus from medellin with flota occidental, or you can fly into pereira or armenia (1-hr drive to salento)
stay at Coffee Tree Boutique Hostel. it’s beautiful, the owner Eddie is awesome, and you’ll need it as a recharge after Medellin.
2 main things here are a coffee tour (by horseback — i heard ask for Oscar for a good tour. just ask people for Oscar. it’s a small town) and Cocora Valley
i spent 1 day exploring the teeny cute town, colourful buildings, adorable shops, had an acai bowl at coco bowl
Cafe Alma was the BEST — tiny corner bar, so intimate you are basically sitting on each others’ laps, there was live latin acoustic music that made me feel all the feels
good healthy food at Veggie (thai noodles or quesadilla)
play tejo: throw shit at a block filled with gun powder and try to make it blow up. #colombia
cocora valley: home to the world’s tallest palm trees and my new favourite hike
take a jeep from the main square at 6:30am. go early to beat the crowds for your insta photo, and also to beat the rain which comes every afternoon. also heads up it’s chilly in salento in general!
pay $8k round trip. park entrance is $4k. acaime (hummingbird farm where you stop for coffee, or in my case, hot chocolate and cheese) is $5k. then some random charged us a bogus $3k to exit the park
the hike is a loop, but start at the far entrance by the palm trees. this will ensure you get your insta before it starts raining, and also you’ll be going downhill in the ending jungle part which is much easier.
the hike is GORGGGGGG. and perfect level of difficulty. you’ll go through the valley of palms which is stupidly pretty. cloud forest, jungle with hanging bridges over rivers, and farmlands at the end. it takes 5-6 hours round trip.
Details in my post Salento, Colombia: Coffee Country + Cocora Valley
The Amazon
I flew into Leticia, the gateway to the Colombian Amazon tucked in the corner between Peru and Brazil.
Did a 3-day, 2-night tour with Amazonas Fronteras
On both ends of my tour i stayed at Amazon B&B, which isn’t the most budget friendly but it is absolutely worth it — trust me, you will want a nice room and bed after sleeping in the jungle!
Saw sloths, grey and pink dolphins, a chopped up anaconda, salamander, chameleon, scorpion in the sink, rat in the bathroom, parrots, monkeys, caimans, the works.
Wear long pants and sleeves but as breathable as possible, bring extra mosquito repellent (you will be bathing in it), a hat, and tall boots. expect to sweat a lot. the jungle is no joke!
Details in my post That time the Amazon chewed me up and spit me out
