These are the guides we give our own travelers before they fly, written by the team that runs the tours in each city and checked against primary sources: the parks authority, the airports, the meteorological institute, the police figures and the museums’ own price lists. Every guide is dated, and when a park changes its fees or closes a gate, the guide changes too.
Start with the three at the top, then go to your destinations. Every guide links to the tours we run there, and the Travel Guides menu brings you back here from any page.
Getting between them is its own page: Colombia transfers has every private route we drive, city by city, with the booking widget on it.
How many days do you need in Colombia? A local operator’s 7, 10 and 14-day itineraries: Bogotá, Medellín, coffee region, Cartagena, Tayrona, with the flights.
Bogotá to Medellín, decided the way we decide it for a guest: the busiest flight route in Latin America and its four-to-five-hour door-to-door reality, José María Córdova against Olaya Herrera, the bus operators and their fares, the 420-kilometer road through Honda by private car, what each cost on the day we checked, and why Bogotá comes first.
The best time to visit Colombia, month by month and region by region: IDEAM rain averages, the 2027 holidays and festivals, and what El Niño changes in 2026.
The capital at 2,600 meters: what the city is and where to stay neighborhood by neighborhood, where the night happens and when it ends, Monserrate, La Candelaria block by block, how to arrive, how to move, whether it is safe, what the altitude does to your first day, the weather by IDEAM’s numbers, and the three day trips that leave from it.
The capital by the team that runs nineteen tours in it: what Bogotá is and how to read its grid, where to stay by neighborhood, the museums, Monserrate and the Sunday Ciclovía with 2026 hours and fees, the altitude, the weather, safety with the city’s numbers, Bogotá versus Medellín, and the shape of two, three or five days.
Where to stay in Bogotá, by the team that collects guests from hotels the length of the strip: the neighborhoods one by one with what is wrong with each, what a bed at 2,640 meters does to the first night, how to check a property is legally registered, and what we would book depending on who you are.
Bogotá nightlife by the team that puts guests back at the door at two in the morning: the strip from La Candelaria to Usaquén, the 3 a.m. decree and the nineteen zones that run to five, what is in the glass, the risk by the city’s own numbers, and how you get home when TransMilenio has stopped.
The white church 500 meters above Bogotá: the 2026 prices and hours, cable car against funicular against the 1,605-step trail with the IDRD’s rules, the history from the sanctuary’s own account, the altitude at 3,152 meters, the restaurants and the bird trail at the top, and the day and hour to choose.
La Candelaria as we explain it on the first morning: what the smallest district of Bogotá actually is, the two founding stories and which one is true, the Plaza de Bolívar side by side, nine museums with 2026 hours and prices, the Casa de Nariño and the Teatro Colón, why the walls are painted, what to eat, the rules for the night, and the day in the order we would walk it.
El Dorado airport (BOG) to Bogotá in 2026: the taxi meter and its airport surcharge, TransMilenio from Door 2, the apps, and a transfer with a host waiting inside.
How high Bogotá really is, what the thin air does and to whom, the first 48 hours by the city’s health secretariat and the CDC, the medicine, when a headache is more than a headache, Monserrate by the operator’s numbers, the weather by IDEAM, and the order we give the first four days.
Bogotá’s weather by IDEAM’s numbers: the month-by-month table from the airport station, the two rainy seasons and two dry ones, why the eastern hills get twice the rain of the west and July is their wettest month, the shape of a Bogotá day, the 2026 El Niño outlook, and what to wear at 2,640 meters.
Getting around Bogotá in 2026: TransMilenio and the Tullave card, the metered taxi, the apps, the ciclovía, the metro not yet open, and when to hire a driver.
The church carved 180 meters underground an hour north of Bogotá: 2026 tickets and hours, what is inside, how to get there, and the day that works with Guatavita.
The green lake where the Muisca crowned the gilded chief, 90 minutes from Bogotá: 2026 tickets and hours, the guided walk, the town that moved and the day that works.
The colonial town three hours from Bogotá: the Plaza Mayor, the fossils, Pozos Azules, Ráquira and Iguaque, how to get there, when to go and what a day costs.
The Magdalena river port three hours from Bogotá: a colonial centre of 64 blocks under national protection since 1977, the Calle de las Trampas, Puente Navarro and the subienda.
Where Bogotá goes to be warm: the market hall by Leopoldo Rother, a national monument since 1993, the railway that built the town, the bridges and the road that decides the weekend.
Not a desert, and not a UNESCO site. Protected dry forest over a Miocene fossil bed, two museums that most guides merge into one, and a sky with a real Starlight certification.
Six drops, not one, and the 590 metres is the total of all six. The hike, the 2026 tariffs, the three o’clock gate, and a rain calendar that runs opposite to Bogotá’s.
The Yerbabuena museum has been shut since 2012, Andrés publishes no address and no hours, and the Alcaldía puts the drive in at forty minutes at peak against seven to ten clear.
The city of eternal spring: what the city is and how the valley shapes it, what is worth your time, where to sleep and where the night happens, the weather, the airport, Comuna 13, the rock at Guatapé, the coffee town of Jardín and the old capital at Santa Fe de Antioquia.
Medellín as we explain it before you land: the valley and the altitude, the metro line by line and what a foreigner really pays to ride up to Parque Arví, the airport on its own plateau, pico y placa, the neighborhoods, the calendar around the Feria de las Flores, and how many days the city deserves.
Medellin nightlife by the team that collects guests from hotels in every one of the valley’s night districts: El Poblado, Laureles, Envigado and the quiet middle compared, why nobody can give you a single closing hour right now, what you are drinking, and the risk stated plainly.
Things to do in Medellín in 2026, with real prices: Comuna 13, the Metrocable to Arví, Plaza Botero, Casa de la Memoria, Guatapé, the fair and what to skip.
Is Medellín safe in 2026? The homicide rate, the risks that actually reach visitors (drugging, phone theft), the safe neighborhoods and the rules that work.
Medellín weather month by month with IDEAM station data: the two rainy seasons, the driest weeks, what to pack and when to come for the fair or the lights.
How to get from Medellín airport (MDE) to El Poblado in 2026: the flat taxi fare, the 24-hour bus, the apps, private transfers, the tunnel and the fog.
Comuna 13, Medellín: the escalators, the murals and their history, how to get there by metro, which graffiti tour to take, safety and the hour that makes the visit.
How to do Guatapé and the Peñol rock in one day from Medellín: 740 steps, the 35,000-peso ticket, bus vs private tour, the boat, the zócalos and what to skip.
Jardín by the team that runs the day trip from Medellín: the road and when it closes, the coffee farm, the plaza and the basilica after the August 2026 earthquake, the two cables and the one that runs, the birds at half past four, and the risk in the countryside stated plainly.
Santa Fe de Antioquia by the team that runs the day from Medellín: the old capital and its seven churches, the heat by IDEAM’s numbers, the tunnel and the toll, the bridge you walk since the 2024 ban, the museum, the tamarind, what the August 2026 earthquake did, and the risk stated plainly.
The walled port on the Caribbean: what the city is and how to plan it, where the night happens and when it ends, the walled city plaza by plaza and Getsemaní outside it, the castle on its hill, where to stay neighborhood by neighborhood, Bocagrande and its rebuilt beach, the beaches, the islands, the mud volcano and the free town of Palenque, the weather month by month, and the prices as they are.
Cartagena, Colombia, as we explain it to our own travelers before they land: what the city is and how to read it, where to stay by neighborhood, what to do in the order the heat dictates, the calendar, the day trips to the islands, El Totumo and Palenque, how to get in and around, the weather by IDEAM’s numbers, safety with the police’s figures, Cartagena or Santa Marta, and how many days.
Cartagena nightlife by the team whose boats leave from the authorized marina: sunset on the walls, the Plaza de la Trinidad from seven, the Arsenal and the Media Luna, what the chiva decree actually says, why nobody can give you one closing hour, and the bill that goes wrong more often than any robbery.
Things to do in Cartagena, planned around the heat: walls and San Felipe early, museums and food at midday, sunset from the water, Getsemaní, the islands.
The walled city as we explain it on the first morning: what it is and how big, why the walls are there and which stretch to walk, the gate and the plazas one by one, six museums with 2026 hours and prices, the electric carriages that replaced the horses in December 2025, what to eat, where to stay, whether it is safe, the calendar and the day in the order we would walk it.
Getsemaní as we explain it on the first evening: what the neighborhood outside the walls is and where it ends, the militia that forced the independence of 1811, the Plaza de la Trinidad and its church, the murals and their date, San Felipe with its 2026 prices, what to eat, whether to sleep here, the rules for the night, the November fiestas and the day and the night in the order we would do them.
The Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, the fort on the hill of San Lázaro, as we explain it before you visit: what it is by UNESCO and the operator, how it was built from the bonete of 1657 to Arévalo’s 63 cannons, the siege of 1741, the fort battery by battery, the 2026 ticket and hours, the visit hour by hour, the rules, and the hour to go.
Where to stay in Cartagena, neighborhood by neighborhood: the walled center and San Diego, Getsemaní, Bocagrande and Castillogrande, Manga, the seafront to the airport, La Boquilla and the Zona Norte, Barú and the islands, with the distances, the 2026 airport taxi fares, the registration every lodging needs, the IVA exemption and the seasons. We name no hotels and take no commission.
Bocagrande, Cartagena, as we explain it to travelers who book a tower with a sea view: what the peninsula is and how it got its name, what the beach is like after the coastal works of 2025 and 2026, Castillogrande and El Laguito, the works on the bay side until 2027, the fixed airport fare, safety by the city’s record, and whether to sleep here or inside the walls.
Cartagena beaches in 2026: Bocagrande, Playa Blanca, Playa Tranquila and the Rosario Islands compared, what changed this year and how not to get overcharged.
Rosario Islands from Cartagena, 2026: private or shared boat, the day hour by hour, park fee and insurance, the rules and the truth about the aquarium.
El Totumo, the mud volcano an hour from Cartagena, as we explain it before you book: what it is by the Servicio Geológico Colombiano, the eruptions of 1999 and 2000 and the 2022 slide, where it is, the visit step by step, what it costs and who the tips go to, what to wear, whether it is safe, the beach afternoon at Manzanillo del Mar, and whether it is worth a day of a short trip.
San Basilio de Palenque, the free town an hour and a half from Cartagena, as we explain it before you book: what it is by UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture, how it became free by the documents, the Palenquero language, how the town lives, Kid Pambelé, the visit hour by hour, how to be a good guest, the drum festival, and whether it is worth a day of a short trip.
Cartagena by IDEAM’s 1991 to 2020 normals: one temperature all year, a dry and windy season from December to April, the rains from May to November with October the wettest month, the sea’s own calendar for the island boats, the honest answer on hurricanes, El Niño for the end of 2026, and the hours of the day we use.
Is Cartagena safe in 2026? The police numbers, the risks in the order they reach visitors (bills, chains, drinks, boats), the neighborhoods, the rules.
Cartagena airport (CTG) to the Old City in 2026: taxi zone fares, the Transcaribe bus one street away, the apps, and a private transfer with a host waiting inside.
The coffee-region capital most people only drive through: what it is, what is open after the August 10 earthquake, the free gold museum, Cocora and the theme parks, El Edén airport, the weather, safety with the police’s figures, where to stay and a plan.
Salento and the Cocora Valley: the wax palm walk, the coffee farm, Filandia, how to get there from Bogotá or Medellín, when to go and what a day costs.
The coffee region’s airport city: what Pereira is like, the hot springs and Cocora day trips, the weather, safety, where to stay and the plan that works.
The salsa capital and the door to the Pacific a month after the earthquake: what the city is, the thirteen things to do in it, the weather by IDEAM’s numbers, and whether it is safe, with the police’s figures and the advisories.
The salsa capital a month after the August 10 earthquake: what the city is, what is open, Cristo Rey and the zoo, the salsotecas and Delirio, the day trips, the airport in Palmira, the weather, safety with the police’s figures, where to stay and a plan.
Thirteen things to do in Cali in the order we would do them, from people who live here: Cristo Rey with its new hours, San Antonio, the river and the cats, the Alameda market, salsa, the zoo, La Tertulia, Pance, the day trips, and the list of what is closed after the August 2026 earthquake.
Cali closes at three. Juanchito is in another municipality and runs to five. The last MIO bus goes at eleven. The heritage listing, the barrio the city is rebuilding, and what is actually open since August.
Cali’s weather from IDEAM’s own station in the city: 30 degrees every afternoon, 19 every night, two rainy seasons, twice the rain in the hills as at the airport, a very strong El Niño for late 2026, and what each month means for Cristo Rey, the river, the whales and the Feria.
The honest answer on Cali’s safety in 2026, in two halves: the crime, with the police’s homicide and theft numbers and the comunas they belong to, and the earthquake, with what to ask a hotel and what to do if it shakes; plus the British and American advisories and what they mean for the whale and river days.
Two UNESCO listings, and not the one most guides give it. What Colombian law actually protects, how the processions work, and why a colonial centre looks freshly rendered.
The department inland from the Caribbean that Colombians themselves go to: San Gil and its rivers, Barichara on its ridge above the Suárez canyon, the pre-Hispanic stone road down to Guane, and the Cañón del Chicamocha with the cable car that crosses it.
San Gil, Barichara and the Cañón del Chicamocha by the team that runs six tours in them: what each town actually is, the park’s 2026 prices and the four daily windows the cable car runs in, the IDEAM rainfall that makes Barichara thirty-two days a year drier than San Gil, the police numbers municipality by municipality, and why you should sleep in Barichara rather than San Gil.
Barichara by the team that runs three tours around it: why the town looks the way it does and which of it is law rather than taste, the pre-Hispanic stone road down to Guane and how to walk it, the thirty-two fewer days of rain a year that make it the place to sleep in Santander, the founding record from 1702 onward, and what a day there actually costs.
The river city on the Caribbean: the working port that the Colombian coast actually runs on, the Gran Malecón and the wheel that opened on it, the mouth of the Magdalena at Bocas de Ceniza, the food, the stadium and the carnival that stops the country for four days.
Barranquilla by the team that runs four days in it: what the river city actually is, the Gran Malecón and the wheel that opened in December, how you reach Bocas de Ceniza now the train is gone, the Metropolitano and its November final, what you eat, when Carnaval falls, and the risk by the police’s own numbers.
The oldest city in Colombia, the park that closes three times a year, the cool village above them both, the beach at the end of the road, the four-day trek to the Lost City, the airport and whether it is all safe.
The base for Tayrona, Minca and the Lost City: what Santa Marta is, the old city and the Quinta, the beaches, the airport, safety, weather, where to stay and a plan.
Simón Bolívar airport, 16.5 km from the center: the airlines, the taxi desk and the district’s fixed fares, the apps, the bus on the highway, the transfer with a host waiting inside, and the drive to Tayrona, Minca and Palomino.
The police figures for 2025 and 2026, what actually happens to visitors, the sea and its rules, Taganga, Tayrona, the Sierra behind the city, health, and the habits we use every day.
The park with an opening calendar: the four gates, the hike to Cabo San Juan, 2026 fees and insurance, hours, closures, weather and the Santa Marta days around it.
The village in the Sierra Nevada foothills above Santa Marta: the waterfalls, La Victoria coffee farm, the endemic birds, the road up, the park you cannot enter and a plan.
The beach village at the end of the Tayrona road: the sea and what it does, the river and the tubing, the Kogui valley, the Mendihuaca bridge, when to go, where to stay and what it costs.
Teyuna by the archaeologists who run it, the four days as they really go, how hard they are, what our trek costs and includes, the weather month by month from IDEAM’s stations on the mountain, the yellow fever rule, the four peoples’ rules, whether it is safe, and the October 1 to 31, 2026 closure.
The desert at the top of the map: Cabo de la Vela, Punta Gallinas, the salt flats, the flamingos, the Wayuu and their rules, the weather by IDEAM and the three days we run from Santa Marta.
The desert at the top of the map, by the census, the court and the parks authority: who the Wayuu are, why the car stops at Uribia, Cabo de la Vela, Punta Gallinas, the salt flats, the flamingo sanctuary and the Macuira, the weather by IDEAM, a night in a hammock, whether it is safe, and the rules of the land.
The river with one door: Leticia, the vaccine and the tax at the airport, the two seasons of the water, the national park, the dolphin lakes and the four days we run.
Leticia and the river by the authorities that run them: the yellow fever certificate and the airport tax, the high-water and low-water seasons by IDEAM’s numbers, Amacayacu and its fees, Puerto Nariño and the Tarapoto lakes, malaria and the rules of the communities, and our four-day program.
If you would rather we plan the whole trip, write to us on WhatsApp with your dates and we build it around these calendars, or start with our Colombia tours.
