What to do in Salento: 10x the best tips
March 6, 2023
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Whether we have helpful tips for traveling through Colombia? Obviously! Taking a trip through the South American country of Colombia guarantees an insane adventure. Colombia is a diverse destination and offers something for every traveler. Whether you are looking for vibrant cities, lush jungle or tropical beaches, you will find it all in Colombia. We have made a wonderful tour of Colombia and collected a lot of tips. Want to travel well prepared? These are our tips!
1. Is Colombia an affordable vacation destination?
It makes a destination extra attractive if it is easy to pay for, and Colombia is just fine. In fact, Colombia is one of the cheapest countries in South America to travel. If you go backpacking, you can already book a private room in a hostel inexpensively. And you can also score a delicious meal for a few. Excursions are also often good value.Â
Always have enough cash on you during your trip. The best way to withdraw the Colombian Peso is at the bank. The best bank to do this is Davivienda because here you can withdraw an amount of €450 at once. This is more than at other Colombian banks.
2. What is the best way to travel to Colombia?
Flying to another continent often comes with a nice price tag, but the earlier you book the cheaper the plane ticket is. There are two interesting options from the Netherlands to fly to Colombia.Â
KLM flies from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport directly to Bogota and often with one stopover on to MedellÃn and Cartagena. This is also the reason why our itinerary through Colombia started in Bogota and ended in Cartagena.Â
AirEuropa also has a very good flight network between Europe and South America, but you always have a stopover in Madrid with AirEuropa. AirEuropa's tickets are often cheaper than KLM's, though.
3. Tips for touring Colombia
Good to know is that Colombia is a very easy country to travel around. Public transportation is well organized and you can travel between almost all destinations by bus. Although it might be more relaxing to take the plane for some distances. Always check the price difference between bus and air travel, because sometimes flying can be much more attractive.
If you travel on fixed dates, it is wise to book your airline tickets in advance. This way you will most likely score a cheap ticket and you will not be delayed in your trip. Local airlines we have flown with in Colombia are VivaAir and Avianca, but LATAM is also a good airline.
An organized trip to Colombia
Do you dream of traveling through colorful and surprising Colombia, but don't need to plan it all in detail? Then a Colombia roundtrip via Van Verre a fantastic choice. This tour operator knows the country inside out, from the bustling cities to the hidden gems in the jungle. They will help you put together an itinerary that really suits you, with atmospheric accommodations and unique experiences that you might not find on your own. This way you can enjoy everything that makes Colombia so special.
4. How safe is traveling through Colombia?
We have found traveling through Colombia to be safe, but there are definitely parts of the country that you should not visit as a tourist. There is still a lot of crime in certain parts of the country, but the vast majority of the country is safe to visit. Be extra vigilant in the larger Colombian cities like Bogota, MedellÃn and Cartagena where crime is more likely to occur. If you want to know more about safety in Colombia, which places you are advised against visiting, take a look at the Dutch government website.
5. Sign up for the Facebook group Colombia Backpackers NL
On Facebook there is a group 'Colombia Backpackers NL' that you can join. This way you can ask questions to other Dutch people before but also during your trip. A very useful group to get inspiration and collect tips for Colombia. You can register via this link for the Facebook group.
6. Check the holidays in Colombia
Colombians themselves like to travel around the country, and they do so especially on weekends and holidays. Places that can get incredibly crowded on these days are: Salento, Valle de Cocora and Tayrona National Park. Try to avoid these as much as possible on these days. Here you will find an overview of all Colombian holidays of 2023.
7. Purchase a SIM card in Colombia
Something we almost always do immediately upon arrival at a destination is to purchase a SIM card. It makes traveling through a (still) unknown country a lot easier. It allows you to look up reviews of restaurants, order a cab and use Google Maps to navigate. It's also nice that you can kill time on a bus, for example during the ride from Salento to MedellÃn.Â
Claro is the best provider in Colombia, and you can buy a SIM card at many different stores. Look for a Claro store or ask your hotel for the nearest location. Tip: Do not buy a sim card at the airport, here the prices are much higher.
8. The best period to travel through Colombia
Colombia is a large country and because of the many differences in altitude, the weather at a destination can change quickly. So it can also happen that one place is a lot more pleasant than another. A handy packing tip, therefore, is to work with layers.Â
As for the best time to travel through Colombia, that is the dry season. This is from December through February and the months of July and August. The months beyond this is the rainy season and there can be a lot of rain. In particular, October and November are considered the wettest months. However, we traveled through Colombia during the month of October and had almost no rain except for a few tropical showers.
9. Learn a word of Spanish prior to travel
Although Colombia has become an increasingly popular destination in recent years, few Colombians speak English. It is therefore useful and fun to learn some Spanish prior to your trip. A great app to use is Duolingo. Buena suerte!
10. Taste the tastiest Colombian fruits
We knew before we traveled to Colombia that, among other things, avocados here are much bigger and also taste much tastier. But that we were going to discover some new fruits here, that was a (tasty) surprise.Â
It's easy to get your daily dose of vitamins in Colombia because you can literally buy fruit everywhere. One new fruit we discovered during this bicycle tour of Bogota was Lulo. A small fruit that has a sour and sweet taste. It tastes like a combination of kiwi and passion fruit. Very tasty and it is often made into a juice.Â
Are you also so fond of passion fruit? Then you will find passion fruit as it grows in Colombia so much more delicious. Maracuya, as the passion fruit is called here, is yellow in color and the flesh is whitish. The fruit is larger and tastes much sweeter than the passion fruit in the Netherlands.
Then there is another fruit that we have come to love in Colombia, and that is Uchuva. This is a small orange fruit with a fresh yet reasonably sour taste. You may know this fruit because you see them more and more in supermarkets in the Netherlands. In fact, the fruit is also known as "goldenberry.
11. 6 reasons why you want to travel through Colombia
Are you still hesitating to book your plane ticket to Colombia? Here are 6 reasons to book that ticket!
Colombia has a very interesting history, learn more about this during your trip;
You can have crazy adventures (like paragliding in MedellÃn);
You will find beautiful tropical beaches and islands;
The country is rich in beautiful nature (Valle de Cocora and Ciudad Perdida);
Big cities are incredibly vibrant;
You will find the most beautiful street art;
Traveling around Colombia is very affordable.
12. Create a round trip using our ideal itinerary through Colombia
When you follow our itinerary through Colombia, you will see how versatile this destination is. You will alternate cozy cities with beautiful nature and you will have plenty of time to unwind during the round trip. The itinerary is perfect if you have 3 weeks, but you can also easily shorten or expand the route. In our article about the ideal itinerary through Colombia we also give you the best tips for this.Â
Take a tour of Colombia
Do you want to travel around Colombia, but don't quite know how to go about it? And are you in doubt about the itinerary and destinations? We are happy to help you on your way. During a 1-on-1 video interview we will map out your wishes and advise you on the most beautiful places that suit you. Would you rather leave it all up to us? No problem! We organize your trip completely customized. Ask for a travel proposal for your round trip through Colombia.Â
Lois Weeterings
A dreamer and adventure seeker, always on the lookout for new experiences. But also a hard worker with a thousand ideas racing through my mind. As a personal travel consultant and travel blogger, I share my passion for faraway destinations, thrilling adventures, and winter sports. With deep knowledge of places like Namibia, Colombia, the ABC Islands, and the Middle East, I’m here to help you craft a trip you’ll never forget. Through my personal stories and expert tips, I aim to inspire you to explore the world your way. Always with my camera in hand, I’m determined to capture every magical moment and share it with you.
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