Colombia Travel Guide
From literature to politics and everything else in between, Colombia is
definitely a place which will intrigue you up to no end. Colombia is the only
country in South America with coastlines on both North Pacific Ocean and
Caribbean Sea. Their capital city is Bogota and it's also the center of the
country's commerce. First off, most citizens in Colombia speak Spanish, even
hotel receptionists, tour guides, travel agents, cab drivers and many more; it
is advisable to learn some basic Spanish phrases to maximize your vacation. Best
time to visit is during their dry season which is between December and March.
The holiday periods are during the last two months of the year and Semana Santa
is usually during March or April (celebrations in towns of Mompos and Popayan
are most famous and visited). Other major fiestas are held during June and July.
There are around 200 festivals held throughout the year, so unless you plan to
stay for the whole year to enjoy all of them, choose some which your trip will
allow you and which interests you most.
Some events worth witnessing are the Carnaval de Barranquilla during February or
March, the Carnaval de Blancos y Negros in Pesto during January, Festival de la
Leyenda Vellenata in Valledupar for April, and Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro
held in Bogota during March or April and lastly, the Feria de las Flores in
Medellin parades during August.
If you are into natural parks and wildlife, Colombia has 34 national parks
scattered across the country. Some of them may be easily accessible and others
are remotely located. The most visited parks are Parque Nacional Tayrona which
is popular for beach bums, Parque Nacional El Cocuy which is famous for fresh
alpine air and glacier-wrapped peaks and Parque Nacional Santuario de Iguague
which is closer to Bogota and offers some fine hikes to a group of alpine lakes.
Laguna de Guatavita may be ideal for a day trip while budding vulcanologists
might want to visit Manizales for the Parque Nacional Los Nevados. It houses
several volcanic cones, some of which are active. If you are looking for some
hardcore jungles, there's no place for you to visit but Parque Nacional
Amacayacu. It's directly in the country's Amazon Basin and simply a wonder to
behold.
If you are not into festivities and nature tripping, you can bask in the culture
by going to heritage sites and architectural wonders. Bogota has the most
stunning collection of old Spanish churches, including the monumental Catedral
Primada and the incredibly detailed Iglesia de San Francisco in Popayan. In
terms of overall beauty, they say the walled center in Cartagena is unbeatable.
UNESCO has already declared it a world heritage site for its captivating
balconies. Other equally beautiful and preserved towns are Mompos, Villa de
Leyva, Barichara and Giron. These towns are located in the northern part of
Colombia and they are famed for their particular style of architecture - arquitectura
momposina.
After all those endless list of things to enjoy in Colombia, we are sure that
you are seriously looking into those flights to take you there. Regular
international flights reach the major cities including Barranquilla, Cartagena,
Cali and Medellin. With the right amount of careful planning and low key
traveler's attitude, a trip to Colombia is going to be more than worth your
while.
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