When we would tell people we were heading to Colombia everyone would ask "why there?" My answer always was, "Why not!?" Colombia is full of culture, amazing landscapes, amazing food and IT'S SO CHEAP.
We did go during the 'rainy season' in November but that meant rain for 30 minutes a day and extreme humidity. The forecast showed thundershowers all day everyday but the locals say 'only God knows when it will rain.'
Medellín
We flew into Bogota and went directly on another flight to Medellín. As soon as got our of the airport there were tons of cabs offering to drive us, we originally were going to bus but after our 18 travel day of getting there we were happy to pay the $20 into the city. We stayed at Rango Boutique Hostel which we paid $68 per night for a private room. This hostel was gorgeous, clean, had a rooftop pool & bar and had the nicest staff. It was located walking distance to everywhere you'd need to go and surrounded by many different parks.
Our favourite part of Medellín was the food scene. We've never eaten at so many tasty, unique restaurants before. For a nice dinner, cocktails, appetizers, wine + main dishes, we'd be paying $50 for the 2 of us!
We originally were planning to do some Pablo Escobar tours, however once we arrived we learnt that the locals actually frown upon those tours because he was such an evil man and did so much damage, those activities are like rubbing salt in the wound. Instead we did a Comuna 13 tour. Comuna 13 was known as one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in the world back in the 80's-90's due to drug trafficking, gang violence, murders and kidnapping. Once new government took over they made it their mission to revamp this area. It's now known for the art and creative scene. The graffiti here tells the story of Comuna 13 and how it became the place it is today.
Guatapé
Guatapé was about a 2 hour bus ride from Medellín. We did book a tour for this one which also included a night lakeside glamping. For the both of us we paid $350 and it was absolutely worth every penny.
The bus picked us up from Medellín and brought us to El Penól also known as 'Big Rock.' There are 649 steps to take to get up to the top but the views are absolutely worth it. You can grab some drinks/snacks while catching your breath and admiring the gorgeous views.
We then went into the town and it was SO CUTE! Guatapé is known as one of the most colourful/beautiful towns in the country. We strolled around, had some local food, took some pictures then we met our boat driver to head to the glamping spot.
The tent was placed on a dock in the middle of the lake and it was surreal. They supplied us with all of our meals, coffee, drinks, kayaks, paddle boards, anything you'd need to have a great time. The boat picked us back up the next afternoon then we caught the bus back to Medellín.
Cartagena
We took a 13 hour overnight bus from Medellín to Cartagena which costed us about $30 each. The bus was honestly very comfy but was FREEZING. It also stops a lot to pick up/drop off other passengers so I'd recommend a sleeping mask & ear buds.
Once we got off the bus in Cartagena we felt the coastal heat immediately. We cabbed into the walled city where our hotel was. We stayed at Hotel Don Pedro De Heredia which costed $116 a night. This was cheaper than most hostels and it was in a great spot with air conditioning.
Cartagena was stunning. You could get lost for hours just wandering the 'walled cities.' The buildings are painted vibrant colours and the architecture was so unique. We spent our first day wandering the city, hopping from bar to restaurant.
The next day we did a Rosario Island tour and I would highly recommend visiting these islands! We went snorkelling and visited 2 different islands where we ate and drank with other travellers.
Minca
The last stop of the trip was Minca. We took a bus from Cartagena to Santa Marta which took 4 hours and costed $15 each then we grabbed a cab to Minca for $20 (we could've grabbed a smaller local bus but they stop running at 5pm and we arrived at 5:30pm lol.)
We stayed at Casa Loma Minca which was $25 per night for a private room. We arrived into the town and walked up the mountain to the hostel (was honestly quite the trek haha). Our room was basically a large tent with a mosquito net so it felt like you were sleeping the jungle which was really cool.
The town of Minca is definitely more on the 'hippie' side of things. The town is covered with vegan restaurants and yoga practices. But it also has lots of hikes, waterfalls and coffee farms.
We hiked up to the Marinka Waterfalls which was about an hour climb from town. There's huge hammocks to relax in, a large, cold swimming spot and a restaurant. The views up here were gorgeous and it was refreshing to dunk in the water after the hike in the heat and dirt.
After our amazing time in Minca we cabbed back to Santa Marta where we caught our flight to Bogota to make our way home.
To sum up Colombia:
- They use the local currency of COP (Colombian pesos) most places accept credit cards, except for Minca. Very cash heavy town!
- Generally very, very safe country
- Eat all the Arepas and Empanadas
- If you are uncomfortable with the buses, Ubers are great here and super cheap!