So I want to go to Colombia...
May 16, 2006, 9:17 am
#1
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So I want to go to Colombia...
So I have decided that State Department travel warnings aside, I really want to take a trip to Colombia. Doesn't seem to be much of anything written about Colombia on this site. Have any Flyertalkers been to Colombia for tourism? I'd probably want to spend some time both on the coast (BAQ/CTG) and also inland. Between the two major resort cities, which is a better bet? Which of the inland cities (BOG/CLO/MDE) are best for tourism, scenery, cuisine, weather, safety, etc.? I'd appreciate any and all suggestions on what to see and do anywhere in Colombia.
May 16, 2006, 8:21 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 2000
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Lots of people on the board, including me, have been there. It's a wonderful country. I am surprised you weren't able to find anything. Maybe it's in archives or something.
Unfortunately, your question is very difficult to answer. Colombia is not a small country and there are many different cultures, climates, sceneries, etc.
My suggestion is this. Go to Borders or Amazon or wherever and pick up the Footprint Guide for Colombia. Don't under any circumstances get the Lonely Planet. Although I hate the series as a general rule, their South America series is notoriously bad. I have also had good luck in South America with the Rough Guides, though I admit that I haven't seen the one for Colombia.
The Footprint guide will give you a lot of info on what to see, what to do, weather, etc. Bogota, Medellin, and Cali are very very different in climate and culture. Without knowing what you want, it's impossible to make suggestions. After you get an idea of the layout of the country and what the different places have to offer, you will probably get much more specific advise from people here.
You might also want to check out http://www.travelblog.org/ and http://www.virtualtourist.com for more info
Unfortunately, your question is very difficult to answer. Colombia is not a small country and there are many different cultures, climates, sceneries, etc.
My suggestion is this. Go to Borders or Amazon or wherever and pick up the Footprint Guide for Colombia. Don't under any circumstances get the Lonely Planet. Although I hate the series as a general rule, their South America series is notoriously bad. I have also had good luck in South America with the Rough Guides, though I admit that I haven't seen the one for Colombia.
The Footprint guide will give you a lot of info on what to see, what to do, weather, etc. Bogota, Medellin, and Cali are very very different in climate and culture. Without knowing what you want, it's impossible to make suggestions. After you get an idea of the layout of the country and what the different places have to offer, you will probably get much more specific advise from people here.
You might also want to check out http://www.travelblog.org/ and http://www.virtualtourist.com for more info
May 16, 2006, 8:31 pm
#3
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Originally Posted by Herb687
So I have decided that State Department travel warnings aside, I really want to take a trip to Colombia. Doesn't seem to be much of anything written about Colombia on this site. Have any Flyertalkers been to Colombia for tourism? I'd probably want to spend some time both on the coast (BAQ/CTG) and also inland. Between the two major resort cities, which is a better bet? Which of the inland cities (BOG/CLO/MDE) are best for tourism, scenery, cuisine, weather, safety, etc.? I'd appreciate any and all suggestions on what to see and do anywhere in Colombia.
cali, bogota, medellin, baranquilla and cartegena
one of my best friends is married to a woman from cartagena
i have felt safe in all the cities, but there are neighborhoods in every citry that you should not be in
20-25% of the population resides in bogota, so there are a lot of cultural sites and musuems there
ctg is the oldest city in colombia, and has a bit more of cultural activities than brq
May 18, 2006, 11:51 am
#4
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Originally Posted by Darren
Unfortunately, your question is very difficult to answer. Colombia is not a small country and there are many different cultures, climates, sceneries, etc.
My suggestion is this. Go to Borders or Amazon or wherever and pick up the Footprint Guide for Colombia. Don't under any circumstances get the Lonely Planet. Although I hate the series as a general rule, their South America series is notoriously bad. I have also had good luck in South America with the Rough Guides, though I admit that I haven't seen the one for Colombia.
The Footprint guide will give you a lot of info on what to see, what to do, weather, etc. Bogota, Medellin, and Cali are very very different in climate and culture. Without knowing what you want, it's impossible to make suggestions. After you get an idea of the layout of the country and what the different places have to offer, you will probably get much more specific advise from people here.
My suggestion is this. Go to Borders or Amazon or wherever and pick up the Footprint Guide for Colombia. Don't under any circumstances get the Lonely Planet. Although I hate the series as a general rule, their South America series is notoriously bad. I have also had good luck in South America with the Rough Guides, though I admit that I haven't seen the one for Colombia.
The Footprint guide will give you a lot of info on what to see, what to do, weather, etc. Bogota, Medellin, and Cali are very very different in climate and culture. Without knowing what you want, it's impossible to make suggestions. After you get an idea of the layout of the country and what the different places have to offer, you will probably get much more specific advise from people here.
, etc. But I also love natural scenery and would want to get into the countryside and/or mountains (staying safely away from any FARC gunfights!), take some nice hikes, enjoy the scenery, etc. Lastly, I am also a beach person so BAQ and CTG have definite appeal too.A secondary attraction, though not the main reason for wanting to go there (well ok maybe it is
) is that the Colombian women I've met have happened to be some of the most beautiful, sweet and interesting women I've ever encountered.
May 19, 2006, 10:51 am
#5
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Originally Posted by Herb687
Thanks. Guess my next step will be a trip to the local bookstore to invest in a travel guide or two. I left my question very open-ended because I'm interested in many different things. I like cosmopolitan, urban settings so I would like to see a major city or two and sample its museums, cafes, bars, plazas, architechture, cuisine, bars, get a feel for its history, check out its bars , etc. But I also love natural scenery and would want to get into the countryside and/or mountains (staying safely away from any FARC gunfights!), take some nice hikes, enjoy the scenery, etc. Lastly, I am also a beach person so BAQ and CTG have definite appeal too.
A secondary attraction, though not the main reason for wanting to go there (well ok maybe it is ) is that the Colombian women I've met have happened to be some of the most beautiful, sweet and interesting women I've ever encountered.
, etc. But I also love natural scenery and would want to get into the countryside and/or mountains (staying safely away from any FARC gunfights!), take some nice hikes, enjoy the scenery, etc. Lastly, I am also a beach person so BAQ and CTG have definite appeal too.A secondary attraction, though not the main reason for wanting to go there (well ok maybe it is
) is that the Colombian women I've met have happened to be some of the most beautiful, sweet and interesting women I've ever encountered.better put there are beaches in CTGbut you wont want to be on it except maybe to watch a sunset. You'll see people swimming in it, I didnt nor do I suggest that you or anyone else do for that matter. Far from being clean.
May 22, 2006, 11:41 am
#6
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in this case, it depends on what kind of girls (meaning what look) you like. medellin (antioquia) is more fair skinned and blonde than the rest of the country. cartegena has the carribean black girls. what they have in common is that the girls are super hot and nice everywhere!
i am sure you will enjoy your trip
i am sure you will enjoy your trip
Originally Posted by Herb687
A secondary attraction, though not the main reason for wanting to go there (well ok maybe it is ) is that the Colombian women I've met have happened to be some of the most beautiful, sweet and interesting women I've ever encountered.
) is that the Colombian women I've met have happened to be some of the most beautiful, sweet and interesting women I've ever encountered.
May 30, 2006, 7:58 pm
#7
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Some of the best beaches are in Santa Marta. Its on the Carribean coast
Cartagena has some beaches but they have a zillion vendors trying to sell crap. The beaches are OK nit great but not poor. I didn't try going into the water. There are a bunch of islands called Isla Del Rosario that claim to have great beaches. Great meaning the water is crystal clear. The sand area tends to be small and the full of still more vendors. Its ok if you have a sweetie with you, boring without one. Cartagena has much more foreigners (American) than any other tourist. Santa Marta has mostly domestic tourists.
CTG has great night life and you can have some real fun. CTG has things to see but not a whole lot. Walled cities and forts are interesting. Check out the Inquisition Museum
Medellin has even less to do than Cartagena but the women are amazing. The Dancing midgets at Mangos night club are not to be missed. Medellin is a big industrial city so don't expect alot of touristy stuff. No touts justr a great time.
Hope this helps
Cartagena has some beaches but they have a zillion vendors trying to sell crap. The beaches are OK nit great but not poor. I didn't try going into the water. There are a bunch of islands called Isla Del Rosario that claim to have great beaches. Great meaning the water is crystal clear. The sand area tends to be small and the full of still more vendors. Its ok if you have a sweetie with you, boring without one. Cartagena has much more foreigners (American) than any other tourist. Santa Marta has mostly domestic tourists.
CTG has great night life and you can have some real fun. CTG has things to see but not a whole lot. Walled cities and forts are interesting. Check out the Inquisition Museum
Medellin has even less to do than Cartagena but the women are amazing. The Dancing midgets at Mangos night club are not to be missed. Medellin is a big industrial city so don't expect alot of touristy stuff. No touts justr a great time.
Hope this helps
May 31, 2006, 2:27 pm
#8
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Originally Posted by arfgoblue
in this case, it depends on what kind of girls (meaning what look) you like. medellin (antioquia) is more fair skinned and blonde than the rest of the country. cartegena has the carribean black girls. what they have in common is that the girls are super hot and nice everywhere!
I met the woman of my dreams (and not just because she matched the physical description - petite, fair skinned, black hair - that I prefer) when I was in Quito, Ecuador studying Spanish. She was a native of Manizales, a smaller city in Colombia somewhat close to Medellin. Sadly, I've already lost touch with her. But all of her countrywomen that I've met sure seem like sweethearts so hopefully I can meet the woman that makes me forget all about her!
Running out of vacation time for this year so I will probably have to postpone my dream vacation of 2-3 weeks traveling around Colombia until sometime next year. I want to make sure that when I go I have enough time to explore different regions of the country. Thanks to all who have offered suggestions (especially the less obvious beach suggestions - I'll investigate Santa Marta in more detail. I see that AV flies there from BOG. Being a history buff, CTG sounds cool too).
Originally Posted by TheKnife
Medellin has even less to do than Cartagena but the women are amazing. The Dancing midgets at Mangos night club are not to be missed.
May 31, 2006, 2:42 pm
#9
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Dallas
Posts: 27
Colombia? Most definitely!
Hey bud!
I'm in the Dallas area so if you ever need any information just email me.
I've been to BOG, CLO, MDE, Tunja and Ibague. There are pretty ladies in all cities. Your best selections are obviously in the big cities. Your money goes a long way also. ^ A good place to meet Colombian ladies is on amigos.com and it's not expensive to be a silver member. Just browse the Colombian photos and you will be amazed what chicks are available.
See you later!
I'm in the Dallas area so if you ever need any information just email me.
I've been to BOG, CLO, MDE, Tunja and Ibague. There are pretty ladies in all cities. Your best selections are obviously in the big cities. Your money goes a long way also. ^ A good place to meet Colombian ladies is on amigos.com and it's not expensive to be a silver member. Just browse the Colombian photos and you will be amazed what chicks are available.
See you later!
Jun 1, 2006, 8:11 pm
#10
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Originally Posted by Herb687
Ok, I gotta ask. Dancing midgets???
Mangos is in Medellin , not Cartagena
3 weeks might be too much in Colombia. Seriously 5 -6 days at any spot might be the limit if you aren't bringing sand to the beach
Jun 1, 2006, 8:23 pm
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I spent one night in Barranquila, by accident, and it's wasn't anything I'd want to repeat. Way too hot for me. However, I'd love to go to some of the other cities that are a little more temperate.
I know a number of people who go there, and as long as you use common sense about what areas you go in, you should be fine.
I know a number of people who go there, and as long as you use common sense about what areas you go in, you should be fine.