A Week in Bogota and Cartagena

Haven't been yet, but my partner-in-crime and I will be heading for Colombia in February (PSA: there's no "U" in Colombia, even if YOU go there...). We're doing two weeks, Bogotá, Medellín and Cartagena.

Advice?

1. Learn how to correctly spell the name of the country you're visiting, for starters - they may take offense. 😎
2. Expect a bit of altitude sickness on your first day or two in Bogotá - it's the 3rd highest capital city in South America (almost 9000 feet!). Take it easy, stay hydrated, easy on the alcohol.
3. Do be careful with your things, stay out of places you shouldn't go to, especially after dark - tourists are targets for petty crime. Don't go looking for trouble (the usual things), there's plenty of trouble looking for you.
4. Expect Bogotá weather to be anything - probably cool, not tropical. Expect steamy tropical heat and humidity in Cartagena.
5. Interesting and beautiful historic old centers in both cities. Stay in the old historic centers if you can.
6. Expect crowds of cruise ship passengers in Cartagena; don't expect beautiful beaches with white sand and turquoise water.
7. Avoid the old tropes and old jokes about Pablo Escobar and the troubles of that era, folks there are trying hard to put that behind them and don't appreciate "narco tourism."

One week is pretty short for a trip there (so is two weeks 🤷‍♂️), so realistically you'll only have a couple days in each city to get a taste. It's a big, diverse country (bigger than most think). Bring your Spanish language and salsa dancing skills. ¡Andale!

It’s been a long time since I was in those two cities though I was in Cali, Popayan, and San Agustin in July. I enjoy bird watching in Colombia which has the greatest number of species of any country.

Bogota - find time for the gold museum and go up the mountain that looks over the center. You can take either a funicular or a cable car. We went up one way and came down using the other. We also took a short day trip to Zipacaria to see the salt caves/palace? Not sure I would recommend staying in the city center but the situation may have changed. Taxis were cheap if I remember correctly and now Uber is available I believe.

Cartagena - I enjoyed walking around the city though we stayed at the Hilton. Felt the taxi drivers were very honest

Even though you are not headed there I really liked Medellin especially the park with all the Botero statues. We also rode the cable cars into the suburbs and did a day trip to Santa Fe de Antioquia

We spent 12 days in Colombia in 2022. 4 days in Bogotá, 4 days in Medellín, and 4 days in Cartagena. It was magical!

Bogotá is super walkable! We hiked up Monserrate and then came down on the cable car. Took day trips to Guatavita and Zipaquira and enjoyed the night life in Zona Rosa.

Cartagena is a party! We loved it so much we went back for a week last year. We stayed in Getsemani for 4 nights on our first visit, and on the second visit we did 2 nights in Boca Grande, and 5 days inside the walled city. For your first time, I'd really recommend staying either inside the city or in Getsemani - if you want to be where the action is! Both are safe and walking distance from each other. Lots of restaurants, bars, live music and free dance shows at all the plazas.

If you want a little more quiet and need beach access, then stay in Bocagrande.

You're going to love Colombia! ❤️

Thanks for the responses. We actually canceled our airfare and other reservations recently due to the U.S. State Department downgrading Colombia to a Level 3 Reconsider Travel. Perhaps we'll make the trip another time. We're now headed to the ABC Islands instead.

We just returned from Colombia last night.

In short, it was delightful. Upbeat, positive, beautiful, full of happy surprises, and yes - safe. People were warm, welcoming, incredibly helpful: any time we stopped and were peering at a map, our guidebook or notes for more than a couple minutes, a stranger would approach asking if we needed any help (these were not con artists or pickpockets; some were uniformed security guards or staff in train stations or other touristy places, mostly just couples or families on the street, sincerely wanting to help visitors). We went to Bogotá, Medelín and Cartagena and had a lovely time in each place. It was easy, and very "Europe-like", but with a decidedly Latin American style and swagger.  We loved it.

Colombia exceeded my expectations. I'll do a trip report if anyone is interested (although seeing as it's not part of Europe, perhaps unwarranted...). Don't be scared away, Colombia is awesome and well worth a visit.

Thanks David and glad you had a great trip! We're probably being overly cautious with our cancellation but moms have a tendency to worry about their sons. Hopefully the ABCs will be exciting.

David, I would love it if you did a trip report.

I would love a trip report as well!!

Done - Trip report posted here: Trip Report: Colombia, February 2024