South America - Questions about Colombia trip

My husband and I will be in Colombia for 10-12 days in July. We've read all of the (little) information available and now have some specific questions.

We will fly in and out of Bogota and will spend a few days there and will spend at least 5 days in Cartagena. What 1 or 2 other places should we add to our itinerary?

Is staying at a finca (coffee farm) enjoyable and can anyone recommend a particular one?

For Cartagena hotels, the Sofitel comes up over and over, but there are some small hotels that look interesting too. Does anyone have information about the Tcherassi Hotel, LM Hotel or Hotel Agua?

What is the best way to arrange a day trip to Baru?

Thank you.

[QUOTE=cakegirl;18067559]
We will fly in and out of Bogota and will spend a few days there and will spend at least 5 days in Cartagena. What 1 or 2 other places should we add to our itinerary?QUOTE]

In Bogota, I really like the Parque 93 area. The Holiday Inn property there is half a block from there and it is an area that you can walk around safely with normal precaution.s

Medellin is a beautiful city and much improved from a safety and security perspective from 10 years ago although you still want to plan your itinerary carefully.

Cartagena is every bit as nice as you have read and I'm sure you will have a great time there.

Jason

My husband and I will be in Colombia for 10-12 days in July. We've read all of the (little) information available and now have some specific questions.

We will fly in and out of Bogota and will spend a few days there and will spend at least 5 days in Cartagena.

I think 5 days is too much for Cartagena, I am going for 4 days next Monday and I suspect that is too much too. The old town is spectacular, Bocagrande is like a pretendy Miami, the beaches aren't particularly great (that's being polite) and the rest of Cartagena is desperately poor and not somewhere you'd want to visit unless you are packing a fairly big lunch. Once you have done a couple of nights of dining, watching street entertainers or seeing the sunset from Pie de la Popa then you have pretty much done the mainstream tourism stuff.

What 1 or 2 other places should we add to our itinerary?

Water down Cartagena by doing an excursion to Mompox, consider also making it three days in CTG

Is staying at a finca (coffee farm) enjoyable and can anyone recommend a particular one?

Hell yeah! El Eje Cafetero is my favourite part of Colombia, beautiful and green and warm and spectacular scenery and superb people. But only consider staying in a working coffee finca if you are prepared to splash some bucks on private drivers (they ain't cheap) You can easily spend 3 days in the coffee zone. Last time I went we had a whole finca to ourselves and did a tour of the coffee process after the workers returned with the cherries, but like I said, it was remote and we depended on a driver, expensive and no means of popping out for a beer in a local tienda.

Consider staying somewhere more accessible, Salento for example, and then adding in excursions to Valle de Cocora (right on your doorstep), Los Termales de Santa Rosa, then for your coffee experience check out Recuca, a bit touristy but with touristy comes accessibility. I'd hate for someone to come to Colombia, spend 5 days in CTG without seeing the coffee zone. If I did that I'd be kicking myself.

For Cartagena hotels, the Sofitel comes up over and over, but there are some small hotels that look interesting too. Does anyone have information about the Tcherassi Hotel, LM Hotel or Hotel Agua?

I just checked out the Sofitel, looks lovely and has a great location. Another option which is one of my favourites is Hotel Tres Banderas. Costly but completely unique and with a nice attention to detail. I wouldn't want to stay in Bocagrande, might as well stay in Miami like I implied, but choose carefully in the old town, some parts get shady after dark.

What is the best way to arrange a day trip to Baru?

I don't know, my business partner arranges them for folks but at the same time says all trips to Islas Rosario and Baru are a bit crap. I will have a word with him and if he happens to have found one that isn't rubbish then I will post again in this thread

Thank you.

De nada

In Bogota, I really like the Parque 93 area. The Holiday Inn property there is half a block from there and it is an area that you can walk around safely with normal precaution.s

Damn you heathen! :p What is the point in coming to Bogotá to hang around in an area that wants to be somewhere else in the world? Lame overpriced food, lame people, screw it. Sophisticated travelers stay in Mid Chapinero, The Hilton still has its great weekend rate offer of $85, Embassy Suites has great advance purchase offers just over the road. Then you have authentic Bogotá at your fingertips and lovely Rosales on your doorstep.

Medellin is a beautiful city and much improved from a safety and security perspective from 10 years ago although you still want to plan your itinerary carefully.

Medellín is certainly a bit different but I wouldn't go out of my way to visit it unless I wanted to spend a couple of days ogling Colombia's most chestiest girls. Santa Fé de Antioquia is nice though and a bus ride away from Medellín. There you can get a day pass in a hotel and spend a day by the pool. If you do you to Medellín then get an evening flight back to Bogotá. Get the taxi to pick you up and stop for a couple of hours in Santa Elena on the way back to Rio Grande. It's a spectacular little town with cool (in a nice way) roadside bars and restaurants. Perfect for dinner on the way to MDE.

We spent 3 days in Medellin last month on a South America trip and really enjoyed it. Highlights were the lovely botanic gardens and its Orquideorama plus a fabulous up market and beautifully located but reasonably priced restaurant there, In Situ; swinging over street life and enjoying great views on the world's longest urban cable cars; hiking in Parque Arvi above the city; people watching in the bustling downtown streets. Care is obviously needed but we found people very friendly and helpful. Considering going back for the Flower festival in August sometime plus to visit the nice colonial towns nearby.

Damn you heathen! :p What is the point in coming to Bogotá to hang around in an area that wants to be somewhere else in the world? Lame overpriced food, lame people, screw it. Sophisticated travelers stay in Mid Chapinero, The Hilton still has its great weekend rate offer of $85, Embassy Suites has great advance purchase offers just over the road. Then you have authentic Bogotá at your fingertips and lovely Rosales on your doorstep.

I know what you are saying and would certainly defer to your knowledge.

I, too, like the Rosales area, Zona Rosa, and the area around there. My only point would be that Parque 93 might not be a bad area for gringos who want a safe local environment where they can walk over to a place like El Gato Negro at night on their own.

But, next trip, I'm checking out the Hilton on your recommendation!

Jason

I know what you are saying and would certainly defer to your knowledge.

I, too, like the Rosales area, Zona Rosa, and the area around there. My only point would be that Parque 93 might not be a bad area for gringos who want a safe local environment where they can walk over to a place like El Gato Negro at night on their own.

But, next trip, I'm checking out the Hilton on your recommendation!

Jason

Actually El Gato Negro was the first place I went to in Colombia. Back in 2005 I got off a MAD flight and got dragged there immediately for cocktails. Still quite a nice place.

In terms of safety, it is 6 of one and half a dozen of another. If you were a wily Colombian crook would you peddle your trade in Ciudad Bolívar where nobody has anything worth stealing or would you go scamming in the wealthy areas where monied people believe it is safe? I know what I'd do and I know of one particularly well known lady that got scammed to the tune of €1500 in broad daylight in that park.

The US embassy doesn't help much with its "advice" but if you head to an area where real middle class Colombians drink and dine then you are in a much safer more honest area, will get a warmer welcome, better value for money and in my view it is safer too.

I have mentioned here before, the areas around Parque de la 93 are high rise trendy apartments where the wealthy live and they buy into the 90's notion that Colombia is unsafe for them. In doing so they actually make it unsafe in that area because nobody walks anywhere and it is dead from 9pm onwards. Shame, because Bogotá really is a vibrant city ripe for tourism right into the areas you would not have dreamt of going 15 years ago and its ironic that the supposedly safe areas are becoming relatively less so because the locals refuse to put their shoes on and walk 5 blocks.

I walked from Parque de la 93 to la Zona Rosa down la Carrera 11 a few weeks back and it was completely dead on a Saturday night. Compare that to the Septima where partygoers wander about until 3am. I know where I would rather be.

The Hilton is a great location and their weekend rate is unbeatable. Take advantage whilst it lasts

Edit: To add some photo sets

Santa Fé de Antioquia (http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecolombianway/sets/72157629109045691/)
Medellín (http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecolombianway/sets/72157629109031229/)
Cartagena city (http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecolombianway/sets/72157628382410511/)
Cartagena Playa Blanca (http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecolombianway/sets/72157628274577201/)
Coffee Zone, Valle de Cocora, Los Termales de Santa Rosa (http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecolombianway/sets/72157628397134225/)
Coffee Farm in Coloma Fusagasuga (http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecolombianway/sets/72157628382115901/)

Not to threadjack this, but I'm going down to Colombia as well, only in early April. I've been down before to Bogota, Medellin, Santa Marta/Tayrona, and Cartagena, so I'm looking for something different.

The long and short of it is that I want to visit the Zona Cafetera and have limited it down to between Manizales and Pereira. I like outdoor activities, cafe culture, local sites, and a general charm (which can apply to any-sized city). So what is the general consensus on either city? Any opinions would be appreciated.

IaninDC, are you the guy that asked almost the exact same question on the Lonely Planet forum?

What is the best way to arrange a day trip to Baru?


OK I just got back from CTG and it turns out there are three ways to get to Barú

1) The tourist trip that also visits Islas del Rosario then takes you to Barú (Playa Blanca) I quite enjoyed it and it is great value for money. It is a full day which gives you about 6 hours at sea and 2 hours on Barú. Note you get taken to the beach on some sort of beach landing craft which later picks you up and you are in the water almost up to your waist.

2) The fast launch to Barú. Takes an hour each way and gives you all day on Playa Blanca (about 6 hours) costs a bit more.

Options 1 & 2 are bookable at the Marina. To the price of both you need to pay 6000 pesos tax and another 6000 pesos for access to Barú as it is a designated national park.

3) Private car. This costs silly money and takes about 2-3 hours (300,000 pesos each way)

[QUOTE=JohnnyColombia;18165880]OK I just got back from CTG and it turns out there are three ways to get to Barú

1) The tourist trip that also visits Islas del Rosario then takes you to Barú (Playa Blanca) I quite enjoyed it and it is great value for money. It is a full day which gives you about 6 hours at sea and 2 hours on Barú. Note you get taken to the beach on some sort of beach landing craft which later picks you up and you are in the water almost up to your waist.

2) The fast launch to Barú. Takes an hour each way and gives you all day on Playa Blanca (about 6 hours) costs a bit more.

Options 1 & 2 are bookable at the Marina. To the price of both you need to pay 6000 pesos tax and another 6000 pesos for access to Barú as it is a designated national park.

Thanks, that is helpful!

I am just getting back to planning and have a few more questions. Are there any interesting day trips to take from Bogota?
In Bogota, how are the locations of the Sofitel and Hotel Charleston?

I am just getting back to planning and have a few more questions. Are there any interesting day trips to take from Bogota?

Las minas de Nemocón (http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecolombianway/sets/72157628386843117/), Zipaquirá salt cathedral, Parque Jaime Duque (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.277326095644821.74081.267753293268768&type=3), the could forest of Chicaque (http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecolombianway/sets/72157629223173460/), Chía (http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecolombianway/sets/72157628247883067/), La cascada de choachí (http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecolombianway/sets/72157628260058581/) etc etc

In Bogota, how are the locations of the Sofitel and Hotel Charleston?

Sofitel and Charleston in La Zona Rosa, good location, handy for all the nightlife. Charleston Casa Medina is a way cool hotel and opposite the Hilton mentioned above

I think 5 days is too much for Cartagena, I am going for 4 days next Monday and I suspect that is too much too.

I agree 5 days may be too much, I stayed 4 days/3 nights and it was the right time. Probably 5 days is worth it if you want to visit cities near CTG, like Barranquilla or Santa Marta. Anyway Cartagena is beautiful and it's a must.

What about Cali? I've never been there but have read several articles about being a very nice destination.

IaninDC, are you the guy that asked almost the exact same question on the Lonely Planet forum?
Yup, that's me. Got a few good recs, but wanted to check it out here too.