Georgie’s Wanderlust

Have you always wanted to visit Colombia, but aren’t quite sure where to go? I spent a fabulous month in this colourful, playful and musical country.

The main cities of Colombia – Bogota, Medellin, and Cartagena – are well known, and are great to visit for their own qualities. Think lots of history, tours and museums, and delicious restaurants. They also give access to some lesser known or more off the beaten path visits. So I will give you a run down on those places instead!

Here are my best places to visit in Colombia:

San Andrés Island

San Andrés Island is a small tropical island in the Caribbean Sea. Actually closer to Nicaragua than it is to Colombia, you will need to take a flight to get here. Luckily flights within Colombia are pretty cheap! I went to San Andrés for one week and took just a carry on bag to lower my costs of travelling there.

The island itself is quite small, the main town in the north of the island is quite busy but has gorgeous beaches. The south west of the island is fantastic for snorkelling right from the edge as it’s a bit rockier. It is also quieter for people down here with a more relaxed vibe. I stayed away from the hustle and bustle which was my favourite, check out Casa de las Flores Tropical for a south island stay. If you want to be closer to the action, check out Blue Reef. They are right in the heart of San Andres downtown, offering very comfortable accommodation with full kitchen facilities, close to all amenities and popular beaches.

You can dive, snorkel, hike around, rent a golf cart, check out the botanical gardens, eat Colombian food, party hard, and chill even harder on the beach in San Andrés.

Los Nevados National Park

The perfect place to visit and hike in the Colombian Andes. Los Nevados National Park is accessible from Salento, an ever growing and popular “instagrammable” small town. I spent 3 days in Los Nevados, check out my write up on Paramillo Del Quindio to learn more about this fantastic park!

Definitely one of the best places to visit in Colombia! Get those hiking boots on!

Minca

Minca is a small jungle village about 45 minutes inland by bus from Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast. It boasts hiking, waterfalls, bird watching, incredible sunsets and sunrises, and cute cafes and bars. I loved this small town, you could spend a week there with loads to do! It is also an access point for the Ciudad Perdida trek (The Lost City trek) if this is of interest to you. I missed it this time giving me a great reason to go back.

I stayed at Jungle Joe’s Ecolodge and Casa Loma in Minca, both were comfortable hostels with fantastic views.

Read up on Bird Watching to learn more about this must do activity in Minca!

The Tatacoa Desert

This was one of my favourite stops in Colombia! It is not too touched by tourists, and has some of the most fascinating plants and animals I have seen. Colourful birds and lizards call this region home, you can go lay down at the astronomy tower and learn about the solar system while you lay under the stars. Drink frozen fruit drinks to cool down while you tour the red and grey deserts of Tatacoa. This place is really special and I’m so glad I made the effort to visit for a few days. Check out my write up on the Tatacoa Desert to learn how to get there and read more!

Tayrona National Park

The lushes place that is Tayrona on Colombia’s Caribbean coast has warm waters for swimming and jungle hills for hiking. You can spend the day here or a few nights. Close to Santa Marta, this is a popular spot for locals on holidays. The jungle was full of monkeys, birds and lizards, and the beaches were stunning. Tayrona is definitely one of the best places to visit in Colombia.

I spent 3 days and 2 nights hiking here, read about how I did this self guided with my friend in my Tayrona National Park write up!

El Peñol de Guatapé

If you like climbing 708 steps to get to fabulous views on top of a giant rock, then Guatape is the place for you. A couple hours by bus from Medellin (or 3 if you are like me and go over the Colombian Christmas holidays), this enormous, monolithic, granitic rock is at the edge of the dam of Peñon de Guatapé.

Stunning 360° views can be seen from the top, and once you’re back down you can get a tuk-tuk or bus into the main town centre. From there you can enjoy a delicious meal and admire the murals painted throughout the colourful streets.

Summary

I hope you enjoyed reading my best places to visit in Colombia. I also hope it gave you some ideas for your adventure there, and that you enjoy every second of this beautiful country!