Places to discover

Best places to visit in Colombia

Feeling the excitement for your trip to Colombia? That's not surprising, as a trip to Columbia is a huge adventure, in a country which used to be infamous, but where security has vastly improved since focusing its efforts on promoting tourism. Travelling to Columbia isn't just a chance to take time away from your busy schedule, it's a chance to make rich discoveries and let yourself be guided by a people who really know how to live well.

As diversity is a central concern for any traveller, planning your stay with the help and advice from the Evaneos community will help simplify the process, as you take on board suggestions of various destinations from among the best of what that country has to offer. Once in the country, let yourself fall into the wild pattern of Colombian life.

Upon arrival in Bogotá, start with trying a delicious ajiaco. This speciality of the capital is also the national dish. In Colombia, colour is everywhere, in the food as well as the architecture. At the coast, don't forget to visit the incredible Cartagena de Indias, a historic city with colonial architecture, so beautiful they call it the Pearl of the Caribbean. If you like the archaic charm of paved streets and arcades, you'll love the tranquil town of Leyva, the favoured destination to Bogotanos. Another historic town, Medellín, has defied its turbulent past to transform itself into a vibrant cultural capital.

Colombia is rich both in history and nature. So head off to discover the national nature park of Tayrona and its beautiful coastline. The more adventurous traveller will choose to embark on an expedition in search of the pre-Colombian civilisations, heading towards the Lost City, located at the heart of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The romantics among you will opt for luxury on the island of Múcura, a tiny paradise reserved for the connoisseurs.

So put on your salsa shoes as you prepare yourself for a trip which will awaken your senses!

Bogotá, a high-altitude capital sitting squeezed in between two mountains, is a verdant, bustling, thrilling and emotionally rewarding city,
Situated on the border with Brazil and Peru, Leticia is the departure point for trips into the Colombian Amazon. If you love an adventure, the jungle awaits!
The Columbian Amazon, a beautiful and isolated adventure in Columbia.
The capital of the Department of Caldas, Manizales is part of the Colombian coffee region.
The Los Nevados National Natural Park crosses four of Colombia's departments: Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío and Tolima.
Medellín, the capital of the Colombian department of Antioquia, is a city entirely surrounded by close-lying mountains and scattered with red-brick buildings. It is also the country's second main economic centre after Bogotá. Medellín is definitely one of the essential places to visit and explore!
Cartagena, parts of which are inscribed collectively as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is definitely one of the essential places to see in Colombia, and it's the perfect place for those who enjoy history and culture.
The Rosario Archipelago is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea about an hour off the coast of Cartagena.
It's the third largest town on Colombia's Caribbean coast.
Villa de Leyva, a charming village to spend a lovely daystrolling through the streets in the centre.
Salento is a colourful little town lying on a plateau in the mountains of Colombia's coffee-growing region (department of Quindío) and simply overflowing with Colombian arts and crafts.
The Coffee National Park is an amusement park in Montenegro, in the heart of the province of Quindio, part of the Coffee Triangle.
The island of San Andrés, which has free-port status, is an ideal place to go shopping as well as being a little paradise on earth. The sea around it has a unique appearance, presenting a broad palette of varied colours.
This is an archipelago of quite heavenly islands located off the coast of Nicaragua.
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range that stretches across 17,000km² of Columbia's Magdalena, Cesar and La Guajira Departments. It's here you'll find the legendary Lost City.
Just 15 km from the very touristy, but magnificent Villa de Leyva, the Iguaque Flora and Fauna Sanctuary covers seven lagoons, including the sacred lagoon of Iguaque, birthplace of humanity for the Muisca people and the unique paramo ecosytem.
The Tayrona National Natural Park is accessd by a trail that winds through the jungle. It's about an hour's walk and you'll end up on a coast that is lined with equally stunning beaches and creeks.
Arrecifes is a stunning beach in the Tayrona National Park, in the department of Magdalena, by the Caribbean Sea.
The Lost City or Cuidad Perdida is a pre-Columbian archaeological site nestled in Santa Marta's Sierra Nevada. If you're feeling adventurous, you can get there by joining a guided hike through the jungle.
A slave port of the Spanish Empire, Cartagena de las Indias' fortress and its walled city, with its colonial architecture, are today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.