Two coasts, three Andean ranges and the Amazon, in a country that has gone from avoided to essential in twenty years. The best hostel scene in South America, and the most welcoming people on the continent.
Colombia spent decades as the country people were told to avoid, and it is now the one everybody on the South American trail talks about. The transformation is genuine, the hostel scene is the best on the continent, and Colombians are disarmingly pleased that you came.
The geography does the rest. Three Andean ranges run up the country, which means Bogotá at 2,600 metres, Medellín in a permanently spring-like valley, and coffee farms on the slopes between. The Caribbean coast has Cartagena's walled city and the Tayrona jungle beaches; the Pacific side has whale watching and almost no infrastructure. The Amazon and the Llanos plains fill the east.
Three weeks is the realistic minimum: Bogotá, Medellín, the coffee region and the Caribbean. A month lets you add the desert at La Guajira or trek to the Lost City.
Domestic flights are cheap and save enormous amounts of time. Buses are comfortable but slow.
The city of eternal spring: cable cars over the valley, Comuna 13, and the biggest hostel scene in the country.
Medellín as a whole is a beautiful city with so much to do so this hostel being in the el poblado makes it very convenient.
A traveller, on Hostelworld
The capital at 2,600 metres: La Candelaria's colonial streets, gold museum, and a serious food scene.
Planning to come back again. Nightlife is nothing I've ever experienced. Colombia is known for it. Loved the country too
A traveller, on Hostelworld
A walled Caribbean city of colour and heat, with islands offshore. Beautiful and priced for it.
Cartagena is full of history, culture, great food and excitement. We visited for 3 days, which was an ideal amount of time to see the city and take a few day trips (the best of which was Palenque). The only downsides are the constant street vendors trying to sell trinkets and the unbearably hot and humid weather, but it’s definitely worth the trade off to see what Cartagena has to offer.
A traveller, on Hostelworld
The base for Tayrona national park, the Lost City trek and Minca in the hills above.
Great city, loved the sunset views while running at the pier. Close to Minca (which I completely loved) and Taganga which was nice. What I loved the most is the people I've met there. Friendships for life!!! Local buses take long to arrive which is a bummer and weather is really nice.
A traveller, on Hostelworld
The coffee region: wax palms in the Cocora valley, farm tours and the prettiest town in Colombia.
Sale to is a really nice town, tons of cafes and places to eat. Nice shopping here. Easy to walk around.
A traveller, on Hostelworld
The world capital of salsa: classes by day, salsotecas by night, and the Feria de Cali every December.
The most vibrant place in Colombia. Pure culture of rhythm,dancing and music.
A traveller, on Hostelworld
A whitewashed colonial town with a vast cobbled square, fossils in the hills and the best escape from Bogotá.
Nice town, I have been here previously and will stay another week in the town. I enjoyed the rural sights and sounds
A traveller, on Hostelworld
A laid-back Caribbean village where you float down a jungle river to the sea, two hours from Santa Marta.
It felt like Tulum before it was overly touristy. Friendly people, tasty food, beautiful mountains, hikes, beaches, and the tubing is a must
A traveller, on Hostelworld
Colombia covers everything, which is why people who plan two weeks stay for six.
Jungle treks, paragliding and the second most biodiverse country on earth.
Caribbean sand and a Pacific coast almost nobody reaches.
Salsa, reggaeton and a country that dances properly.
Fruit you have never heard of, and a €3 set lunch.
Colonial cities, gold museums and recent history told honestly.
Medellín is where most people fall for the country. The Metrocable, built as public transport rather than a tourist attraction, runs up the valley walls to neighbourhoods that were cut off during the worst years, and Comuna 13 — once among the most dangerous places in the world — now has escalators, murals and guided walks led by people who grew up there. Take one of those rather than a generic tour.
The Lost City trek near Santa Marta is four days through jungle to a Tayrona site older than Machu Picchu, done only with licensed guides and booked locally.
In the coffee region, Salento sits beside the Cocora valley, where wax palms sixty metres tall stand on open hillside, and the farm tours around it explain why Colombian coffee is what it is. Cartagena's walled city is the most beautiful in the country and the most expensive place in it.
The menu del día is the backbone: soup, a main with rice, beans and plantain, and a fresh juice, for €3 to €5 at lunch in any neighbourhood restaurant. It is what most Colombians eat and it is the single best value meal on the continent.
The fruit is the revelation. Lulo, guanábana, granadilla, feijoa, maracuyá and a dozen more appear as juices at every corner, usually for under a euro, and most have no English name.
Bandeja paisa is the Antioquian mountain of beans, rice, pork, chorizo, avocado, plantain and a fried egg — try it once and plan nothing afterwards. Arepas, coffee and street empanadas fill the rest. Coastal food is different again, with coconut rice and fried fish.
Colombia dances, and not decoratively — salsa, reggaeton and vallenato are social skills here, and people will pull you onto the floor whether or not you can do it.
Cali is the salsa capital of the world and has the clubs and schools to prove it. Medellín's Poblado is the backpacker centre and Provenza the polished end; Bogotá's Zona Rosa and Chapinero cover everything from craft beer to enormous clubs.
Aguardiente, the aniseed spirit, is drunk in bottles shared around a table rather than by the glass. Beer is €1 to €2 in a shop and €2 to €4 in a bar. A night out here costs a fraction of what it does in Europe, which is part of why people stay longer than planned.
The Andes make everything slow. Bogotá to Medellín is 400km and nine hours by bus on mountain roads, or an hour by plane for €30 to €60 with Avianca, Latam or Wingo. On the long legs, fly.
Buses are comfortable and cheap for shorter hops, and night buses cover the coast. Colectivos and shared jeeps handle the last stretch to smaller towns.
In cities, use apps — Uber operates in a legal grey area but is widely used, and Cabify and DiDi work too. In Medellín the metro and Metrocable are cheap and safe. Avoid unbooked street taxis at night in Bogotá, which is where most travellers have trouble.
Colombia is among the cheapest countries on the continent. Dorms start around €8, a set lunch is €3 to €5, a beer is €1 to €2 from a shop, and long-distance buses cost very little.
A comfortable day runs €25 to €40. Cartagena is the exception across the board — it is a cruise and honeymoon destination, and prices there are close to double the rest of the country.
The main one-off costs are the Lost City trek at around €350 to €450 for four days including everything, domestic flights, and diving or paragliding. Carry cash in smaller towns, though cards work widely in cities.
Colombia is far safer than its reputation and still requires more awareness than most of this guide. The local phrase is no dar papaya — do not give anyone the opportunity — and it is the right frame.
Phone snatching and armed robbery happen in cities, particularly in Bogotá and parts of Medellín and Cali. Keep phones out of sight in the street, use apps rather than hailing taxis, and do not walk home alone late. If robbed, hand things over.
Drink spiking with scopolamine is a real and specific risk, often through dating apps or drinks accepted from strangers, and it has led to serious incidents involving foreign travellers. Never leave a drink, and be cautious about meeting strangers alone.
Some rural areas remain affected by armed groups and coca production, and government advice restricts several departments. Check current advice, and stick to established routes.
Most European, UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens enter visa-free for 90 days, extendable to 180 in a calendar year at a Migración Colombia office.
Passports need six months' validity, and you may be asked for proof of onward travel — airlines check this more often than immigration does.
Colombia introduced a digital entry form, Check-Mig, to be completed online in the 24 hours before travel, and it has been updated more than once. Complete it before checking in.
Colombia sits on the equator, so altitude decides temperature rather than season. What changes is rain, and the dry months are December to March and July to August.
Average highs for Bogotá at 2,600m, which barely changes all year — it is cool and grey rather than tropical. Medellín sits around 22°C permanently, and the Caribbean coast is 30°C plus year-round.
Pick how you travel and how long for. Per night, for one person, in euro equivalents of pesos.
Cartagena runs roughly double these figures. The Lost City trek at €350–450 and domestic flights sit outside them.
Two of these are among the biggest street parties in the world, and both fill their cities completely.
Staff pick
Feria de Cali in Cali, Colombia, is a world-renowned celebration of salsa music and dance that transforms the city into a lively street party…
Staff pick
The Cali International Book Fair is a major cultural gathering in Cali, Colombia, bringing together readers, writers, publishers, and cultural leaders for a celebration…
Staff pick
FAREX in Cartagena de Indias brings together 250 carefully selected exhibitors, showcasing the finest in Colombian and international creative arts, crafts, and design. Visitors…
Staff pick
Gran Fondo Nairo Fest brings together cycling enthusiasts and sports lovers in Cartagena, Colombia, for a dynamic festival led by renowned cyclist Nairo Quintana.…
Staff pick
Electric Daisy Carnival brings its legendary celebration of electronic music and creativity to Medellín, Colombia, transforming the city into a hub of dance, art,…
Staff pick
Sucursal Fest in Cali, Colombia, is a dynamic urban arts festival designed for new generations, offering a platform for music, dance, graffiti, and digital…
Staff pick
Ritvales is a major electronic music festival in Medellín, Colombia, that transforms El Parque Norte into a vibrant gathering of sound, art, and community.…
Staff pick
Auto Fest in Barranquilla, Colombia, is a dynamic gathering where automotive enthusiasts, dealerships, and financial institutions connect to showcase the latest in cars, motorcycles,…
The highest-rated hostels in the country, live from Hostelworld. Medellín has the largest scene on the continent, with Bogotá, Cartagena and Santa Marta close behind.
The ones we get asked most.
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