Colombia: The Best and Worst
Posted on 06. Dec, 2011 by Steph in Advice, Destinations, South America
Trying something new here, let me know if you like it….
Total Days in Colombia-59
Total Days it Didn’t Rain: 8
Amount Spent: $2254
Average Cost per Day: $38 (when you factor in the free accommodation we got for house sitting for 3 weeks, I think $50 a day is probably a more realistic number).
Places Visited: Bogota (39 nights), Villa de Leyva (2), Santa Marta (3), Tayrona National Park (2), Cartagena (3), Medellin (4), Salento (2), Popayan (2), Ipiales (1)
Biggest Misconception: There are a lot of things people assume about Colombia that simply aren’t true. It isn’t super dangerous , cocaine isn’t everywhere (didn’t see it once) and it’s not hot and steamy all the time- I was actually pretty chilly quite often!
Colombia was also more expensive than expected. Although cheaper than the US, I would not call it a budget travel destination: food, entertainment and transportation in particular were pricey.
Favorite Food: Look, nobody comes to Colombia for the food. It’s just… not the highlight of the place. Nonetheless, in addition to the wide world of fruits, I fell a little in love with Colombian hot chocolate and cheese. Yes the cheese goes IN the hot chocolate.
Least Favorite Food: No question: Arepas. Dry crumbly flat-cakes made of cornmeal. Pretty much tasteless and dryer than the sahara. They are a staple served at nearly every meal but I just don’t get them at ALL.
Most Memorable Moment(s): Watching the stars in Tayrona, getting a “mud massage” at the mud volcano outside Cartagena, listening to live music at an impromptu concert outside the old town of Popayan.
Favorite Night Out: Halloween in Bogota was a crazy experience that rivals even the states. Thousands of people flooded the streets in elaborate costumes to drink and club the night away.
Soggiest Moment: It rained on me a LOT- as usual. Since we unfortunately chose to travel during the rainy season (and during an El Nino year), it rained at least a bit every day, usually in the afternoon or evening. The worst was when we were caught in a downpour in Medellin on our way to meet friends. I don’t know why we didn’t bring umbrellas, we were absolutely soaked through in only 5 minutes.
Most Annoying Thing: The bus rides. This is probably a pan-South America thing (I’m actually told they get much worse) but almost every single bus ride was a nauseating, hair raising experience that took at least 2 hours longer than we expected. The worst was trying to get from Villa de Leyva to Santa Marta. It involved 3 bus changes (including one at 3 am) and constant stops. The entire journey took over 24 hours!
Favorite Place: I really enjoyed Medellin, but my absolute favorite was the little city of Popayan. We were only there for two nights but I really loved this beautiful place, known as the White City. The food wasn’t bad either which was a big plus after weeks of chicken and rice.
Least Favorite: Villa de Leyva- there’s nothing wrong with it, I just didn’t find it worth going out of our way for. It was pretty but dull. Wished we’d went up to San Gil instead.
Biggest Regret: Not leaving enough time at the end to properly see southern Colombia. We spent 5 weeks in Bogota, and by the end it was a race to get out of the country before my visa expired. Would have loved to spend more time in the coffee country (the rain prevented us from even seeing a coffee plantation), to visit San Augustine and to really take my time and enjoy places like Popayan.
Best Advice: Don’t believe the hype about Colombia being a dangerous place. During my time their I never felt unsafe or threatened (which is more than I can say about Quito where I am currently writing this). Colombian’s are some of the nicest, most welcoming people and all of the bad stuff happens far away from anywhere you’d want to visit. It’s too cool a country to dismiss because of bad information!
And don’t go during rainy season. Seriously don’t.
Bogota
Would I Come Back? I was pretty eager to leave after two months and to experience something else, but yes, I’d love to go back and spend more time in Medellin and the south. Also to visit all my new friends in Bogota!
Have you been to Colombia? What were your impressions?
46 Responses to “Colombia: The Best and Worst”
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[...] Many travel bloggers offer their overall impressions of countries they visit, I do it myself sometimes. I chose this piece by Stephanie though for its unusual style and great information captured within. Colombia: The Best and Worst [...]
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Sarah
06. Dec, 2011
I like the new post lay-out!
Except for the whole raining-for-51-days-while-you-were-there thing…..
Luisa
06. Dec, 2011
I agree, I love the new layout. Easier to read and just looks nicer
Steph
09. Dec, 2011
thanks!
Steph
09. Dec, 2011
Story of my life. story of my life.
Geoff
06. Dec, 2011
Totally agree with you re. the arepas, I could never understand why so many of my fellow travellers loved them.
As for the buses – they don’t necessarily get worse, in fact the buses in Peru, Chile & Argentina in particular are way, way nicer than anything I came across in Colombia, only the Bolivian buses were worse, and even then not much so.
Steph
09. Dec, 2011
The worst bit abuot the colombian buses is that they were crappy AND expensive. Blech.
ElizabethJ_Bird
06. Dec, 2011
I love these “wrap up” posts. Gives a lot of really good info for those thinking of going themselves.
BTW, how did you get the house sitting gig? Is that something that is hard to set up?
Steph
09. Dec, 2011
This one was actually a friend of ours, but we are signed up for several house-sitting sites. Nothing has panned out yet b/c most gigs seem to be in Europe.
Adventurous Kate
06. Dec, 2011
You had me at “They put the cheese in the chocolate.”
I agree with Elizabeth — big fan of the wrap-up posts! Learning a lot about Colombia from you.
Steph
09. Dec, 2011
Anything with cheese and chocolate is a win for me.
Scott
06. Dec, 2011
I wasn’t a huge fan of Bogota when I was there but didn’t stay long. Ciudad Perdida trek out of Santa Marta was great though (much like the Inca Trail in Peru), but the cocaine presence was obvious (you get a tour around a cocaine factory en route…). Very safe though – was a great place.
The buses get much worse the further south you go though – the tourist buses in Peru are fine, but step aboard a chicken bus in Boliva and you’ll find religion real fast!
Steph
09. Dec, 2011
We wanted to do Ciudad Perdida but didn’t have enough time- it sounded really interesting.
Christine
06. Dec, 2011
Ahhhh you have the worst weather luck!!! Good to know that Colombia isn’t necessarily a budget destination…I would have thought cheaper.
Steph
09. Dec, 2011
Me too, it was an (unpleasant) surprise.
Global Basecamps Ali
06. Dec, 2011
Great advice! Thanks for sharing
Chris
06. Dec, 2011
Spent 8 days in Medellin, a little too long but it was awesome, and really dispelled the myths about Colombia being dangerous for me too. It was fine, people are super nice, and Medellin was surprisingly more modern than I expected. Definitely not a cheap backpacker destination though.
Steph
09. Dec, 2011
I liked Medellin a lot, it was the only city in Colombia I could imagine living.
Rachel
06. Dec, 2011
I really like this wrap-up post too! I’ve never been to Colombia but I’m definitely interested.
Alex
06. Dec, 2011
I love this new round up feature! Keep it coming. I used to do do in country round ups, but then stopped when I wasn’t spending enough quality time in each one.
Steph
09. Dec, 2011
Thanks! I think I’m definitely going to keep it up.
Amanda Kendle
06. Dec, 2011
Love this post style. And love that you’re reminding the world Colombia is not what everyone says it is. Our best friends here in Western Australia are Colombian and it makes me so mad when I hear what people say to them (nearly always drug-related) when they hear they’re from Colombia.
Steph
09. Dec, 2011
Yeah it’s such a shame, I hope the perception changes soon.
Roy Marvelous
06. Dec, 2011
I remember the mud volcano – that was my highlight from Colombia too!
Erin
07. Dec, 2011
I love wrap up posts too. Sorry you had so much rain – it seems to be following you around! I agree that Colombian food isn’t great (and try being vegetarian) but the amazing diverse fruit and juices do make up for it.
Steph
09. Dec, 2011
yeah i think being veggie there would be a challenge!
Paul
07. Dec, 2011
Definitely not a fan of the arepas or the rain! Thanks for the write-up and glad you enjoyed Colombia. It’s a beautiful country and the more people we have come and write about it (in an easy-to-read, informative format!) the better.
Paul
Steph
09. Dec, 2011
thanks for making us feel welcome!
Hayley Swinson
07. Dec, 2011
Hello, I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award! Check out the specs here: http://bit.ly/tvEEN7
Happy Blogging!
-Hayley
Scott
07. Dec, 2011
You cannot escape the rain can you Steph? This looks like it pretty much went down pretty well for you! I am not saying I wouldn’t visit one day, but this lack of great food thing is really starting to concern me, ALOT, lol.
Steph
09. Dec, 2011
Luckily food in Ecuador has been a big improvement!
Tran
07. Dec, 2011
Worse than arepas (arepas aren’t even that bad, especially when filled with cheese), is the bandeja paisa. Did you try it? Blah! We spent a good amount of time in Colombia too. Fun reliving those memories through your post….
Steph
09. Dec, 2011
Hmm I liked the bandeja paisa, although I can’t quite understand chicharron….
Ana Maria
08. Dec, 2011
Glad you enjoyed the trip!
Makes me so sad though to read that you hated arepas! Alone they are pretty bland (especially the little tiny ones that come with meals) and they;re best really fresh. BUT if you order an a la cart arepa they come in many different ways. You should ALWAYS put butter on them and they can be served with fresh cheese to crumble or lay slices on top. Some even come with cheese already melted inside the arepa and other come with chopped up chicharon (fried pork) pieces on top. And man, my heart broke with Tran’s comment about the bandeja paisa. It’s too bad she had a bad one because they are incredible offering just a little bit of everything.
Steph
09. Dec, 2011
I tried a whole bunch but I just couldn’t get into them. I did really like Bandeja Paisa, mainly b/c I love EVERYTHING with avocados.
Jaclyn
08. Dec, 2011
Love the new layout! I like knowing how much it cost and how many days you stayed. It’s really helpful when making a travel budget.
Steph
09. Dec, 2011
Excellent, I’m trying to keep better track of that stuff.
Emily in Chile
10. Dec, 2011
Buses in Chile are actually really nice and usually pretty direct, so don’t despair. I’m sorry it rained on you so much though – hope your luck changes soon!
Bret @ Green Global Travel
10. Dec, 2011
The only Colombian city I’ve been to is Cartagena, but I absolutely loved it. The history, architecture, people and culture were all really incredible, and of course the women were gorgeous. My favorite day was the day we went out to the Rosario Islands, which were virtually empty and really beautiful. Did you make it out there?
Steph
22. Dec, 2011
Sadly no, not on this trip- the look sooo pretty though!
Runaway Brit
24. Dec, 2011
I’m in Colombia now. It’s still raining. The Colombian bus I went on the other day is far worse than any other bus I’ve been on in South America (including Bolivia!!). Even more annoying as it was so expensive!!!
Steph
10. Jan, 2012
So annoying!
SteveC
08. Jan, 2012
While I do agree that unless the arepas are stuffed with chicken, beef or shrimp like they are in Venezuela, they are pretty bland and just weird to eat. I do have to disagree with the misconceptions of not being dangerous. While visiting for a few months and not encountering danger may have been lucky and happens with many, however what about those foreigners that have gotten killed for not giving up a gold chain, or the blogger that got robbed at gunpoint mid day in his taxi. The stabbings at ATM machines. I think by telling your readers its so safe, they may tend to think it is just like going to NY or Miami.
Steph
09. Jan, 2012
Hey Steve,
Colombia is relatively safe- all of the things you mentioned could happen to travelers anywhere in South America (I’ve heard plenty of stories in Quito and BA) and yes, even in New York or Miami who are not exactly cities with low crime rates.
Crime is always a danger anywhere in the world, particularly if you are foreign. I did not find the danger level in Colombia to be any higher than anywhere else I’ve been.
TinaM
21. Jan, 2012
Hi Steph, I’m wondering what was your favourite place to travel alone? I really want to go travelling somewhere for a few months.. I’m not the type of person to do anything alone so I think I will really learn loads about myself..where did you find most accommodating to women? Thanks in advance
Steph
22. Jan, 2012
Hi Tina, it’s slightly pricey but I think Japan is the perfect spot for a first time solo traveler. It’s pretty easy to get around and the people are all really nice and helpful even if they don’t speak English. It’s also incredibly safe and they are very respectful to women so there aren’t too many worries on that point. It’s also an amazing place!