unleashlife

I've been reading through threads on here, received a lot of good information on Colombia. Before I get down there, I wanted to see if there's any additional suggestions.

Likes: Off the beaten path, nightlife, good photography spots, food, exotic animals

Here's my itinerary:

11/24 - Fly into Bogota (arriving in evening)
11/24 - 11/26 - Stay in Bogota
11/26 - Fly to Cartagena
11/26 - 11/29 - Stay in Cartagena
11/29 - Fly to Medellin
11/29 - 12/03 - Stay in Medellin
12/03 - Leave Medellin (early AM)

On the way back, I have a 8 hour layover in Panama, I've read other threads on getting picked up at the airport and having a guide for a few hours, so I'm planning on that.

A few specific guiding questions:

Which airline is inexpensive to fly between cities? Does it require advance booking, or can I buy a ticket the day of at the airport?

What foods and drinks (alcohol and non-alcohol, except I don't drink coffee) are absolute must try?

Would it be possible to squeeze in a day trip to the Amazon/Monkey Island from one of those cities? Which would be the easiest, and how would I get there?

I know overall it's dangerous - is there possibility of a day trip to anywhere relatively safe in Venezuela for fairly inexpensive?

I've read about the Pablo Escobar tour. Any recommendations on which company/guide?

Any and all help is appreciated. I look forward to visiting this beautiful country!

redtailshark

Bogota: gold museum. Natural history museum. Ride the llamas by the catedral and the Monserrat funicular. Monserrat is OK, if you haven't been before, you should check it out. Cable car is much better than the funicular if both are operational. Food....Andres Carne de Res, north of town, everyone raves about it. I didn't try it. There were plenty of hole in the wall eateries to sample la cocina Colombia.

BOG is cold - 9000 ft plus - so you will need heavy sweater and rain-resistant outer coat.

Andean flora is awesome...all kinds of interesting species that don't seem to grow so well in the Shark oasis here in the desert....

Cartagena: love it. Get your pic taken with one of those hot Colombian chicas proudly wearing their "Welcome! US Secret Service " T-shirts! Muahaha! Eat at a restaurant on the ramparts. This place has the air of uno pueblo magico.

CTG and all coastal areas/terrain <3000 ASL is very hot and humid.

Zipaquira: Ms. Shark had great and unwarranted fear of Colombia. But by day 3, she rode the Transmileno and then the colectivo to Catedral del Sal. A little hokey and touristy but still impressive. Zipa is a nice town, relax after in the zocalo.

You must ride the colectivo or your experience will not be complete.

Tayrona: espectacular! Another must-see. Don't submit to the ripoff tours. Drive your car past SMR and then along the highway. The PNNT turnoff is not well (at all, if I remember) signposted so you won't know until you reach the Petrobras gas station and the cuota that you've gone too far. You will need some time for this.

However SharkJr. was not able to find more remains of the TITANOBOA, to his disappointment.

Car rental: if you use National's franchise in SMR, or rather, at the resort town, then ensure they have your reservation. I had to sit there for almost two hours while they first claimed I had no reservation and then called through to BAQ for a vehicle.... in the end, it arrived.

Watch the airport at CTG. It's a tiny strip around which the entire city has grown and it is not easy to find when driving first time. Very few signs. Imagine SJU shrunk 100-fold and hidden in the Puerto Viejo architecture. Car rental is not obvious. It's by the baggage claim, which is not very accessible from landside unless you can explain in Espanol to the guard. One agent services multiple franchises and is not on duty after 6pm or on Sun - arrange your drops here with care to avoid unserviced hours. BAQ is much bigger but far fewer tourists venture there.

Cheap flights: Yes. CM can be fuel-dumped intra-Colombia. If you have to ask what that means, don't worry about it. If you know what it means, PM me and I can provide more info.

And BA Avios are also very useful here on LA.

coolcoil

Take a look at this site:

http://medellinliving.com/

Lots of good budget-conscious ideas for Medellin and the rest of the country.

JohnnyColombia

Everywhere is off the beaten path Go beat that path

Nightlife, cool areas in Bogotá are around mid Chapinero not the international feel of Zona Rosa or Parque 93. In Medellín, Envigado and Laureles are more authentic for watering holes than Poblado. CTG Getsemaní of course, Tasca Maria and the wee restaurants off Calle Media Luna.

Photography. We run photo courses here, let me know what you fancy and I can steer you in the right direction. Café del Mar for sunsets in CTG is unmissable. If you want to take snaps off our office terrace in BOG then FTers are always welcome.

Here is one I made earlier


Bogotá panorama by The Colombian Way, on Flickr

LAN Colombia had a one day sale today, everywhere from 20 bucks

Too many to mention really. Any clues as to what you would like to try?

Not really. You could have a night in Leticia but Amacayacu is currently closed so you wouldn't see any jungle. Isla de los Micos you could get to but this isn't a natural monkey island, better to invest a week there are hope to see some real monkeys.

You could fly to Cúcuta and run across the border just to say you have been, alternatively fly to SMR and take a bus to Maracaibo. Flying internationally costs major $$$

You are not going to win any Colombian friends doing such a tour. Way better options for MDE are Parque Arví, Santa Elena, Santa Fé de Antioquia, Guatapé and El Peñón etc.

Jenbel

And one thing to note - the area around Medellin is beautiful. No-one told me that before I went to do some work at Rio Negro, and I was blown away by it.

Never made it into Medellin city, Cartagena is a blur of seafood, rum and salsaing and a way too early start the next morning with an awful hangover (I could recommend a bar called the Pelican, but I'm sure the locals will sneer ) Fortunately, everyone I was working with was rumming and salsaing and they were just impressed three of us made it out to the work site for 6 am.

We also stayed at the 15th century convent hotel (it was a sofitel then). Fabulous.

magsmeplease

I don't know what your time frame is but I would highly recommend Santa Marta and in particular, Parque Nacional Tayrona!

It's absolutly stunning... spend the night sleeping on a hammok on a rock overlooking the water... wow.