RoutesSouth America
Four Weeks in Colombia
Andean cities, coffee hills and a Caribbean finish from Bogota to Palomino.
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Dotted path is schematic (great-circle-ish arcs between stops), not a transport route.
Stop by stop
Click a stop (or its pin on the map) for costs, country facts and what to do there.
1Bogota ColombiaVisit the Gold Museum, La Candelaria street art and Monserrate.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Bogota yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Medellín (about 240 km).
Colombia: practical facts
- Currency
- Colombian peso (COP) · 3,222.51 COP/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourism and among professionals
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (110 V)
- Tap water
- Safe in Bogotá and Medellín; bottled on the coast
- Emergency
- 123
- U.S. advisory
- Level 3
flight to Pereira, then bus to Salento · about 5.0 hours
2Salento ColombiaHike the Cocora Valley wax palms and tour a working coffee farm.4 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Salento yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Medellín (about 180 km).
Colombia: practical facts
- Currency
- Colombian peso (COP) · 3,222.51 COP/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourism and among professionals
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (110 V)
- Tap water
- Safe in Bogotá and Medellín; bottled on the coast
- Emergency
- 123
- U.S. advisory
- Level 3
bus to Medellin · about 7.0 hours
3Medellín ColombiaRide the metro cable cars and take a guided walking tour of Comuna 13.4 nights
$380 mid
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0The city of eternal spring, a metro that transformed it and South America's biggest nomad scene.
Medellin's story, from the most dangerous city in the world in 1991 to a model of urban reinvention, is the one every visitor hears, and the cable cars, library parks and the metro that tell it are worth a day. The reason people stay is the climate (22 to 28°C every day of the year), the green valley setting, the…
- Daily budget
- $38–$208 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $380 4 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Dec, Jan, Feb, Jun, Jul, Aug
- Internet
- 120 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Comuna 13 graffiti tour Escalators, murals and the story of the transformation; go with a local guide.
- Metrocable to Parque Arvi The cable car over the hillside barrios to a forest park.
- Guatape and El Peñol The 740-step rock above a lake, 2 hours away.
- Plaza Botero and the Museo de Antioquia The fat bronzes and the city's art.
Colombia: practical facts
- Currency
- Colombian peso (COP) · 3,222.51 COP/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourism and among professionals
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (110 V)
- Tap water
- Safe in Bogotá and Medellín; bottled on the coast
- Emergency
- 123
- U.S. advisory
- Level 3
Full destination guide →Colombia country guide →Visa rules →
bus to Guatape · about 2.0 hours
4Guatape ColombiaClimb the Piedra del Penol and take a boat around the reservoir.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Guatape yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Medellín (about 50 km).
Colombia: practical facts
- Currency
- Colombian peso (COP) · 3,222.51 COP/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourism and among professionals
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (110 V)
- Tap water
- Safe in Bogotá and Medellín; bottled on the coast
- Emergency
- 123
- U.S. advisory
- Level 3
bus to Medellin, then flight to Cartagena · about 6.0 hours
5Cartagena ColombiaWalk the walled city and Getsemani, and take a boat to the Rosario Islands.4 nights
$464 mid
Photo: Laslovarga · CC BY-SA 4.0Walled Caribbean beauty, Getsemani's street life and the Rosario islands offshore.
Cartagena's walled old town is the most beautiful colonial city in the Americas: bougainvillea balconies, plazas, the fortress of San Felipe and a Caribbean sea wall to walk at sunset. Getsemani, once the barrio outside the walls, is now the backpacker and nightlife quarter with its own charm; Bocagrande is a strip of…
- Daily budget
- $43–$255 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $464 4 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
- Internet
- 60 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- The walled city and the ramparts at sunset Cafe del Mar is the cliche; the walls near Baluarte de Santo Domingo are free.
- Getsemani's Plaza de la Trinidad The evening gathering, street food and music.
- Castillo San Felipe The largest Spanish fortress in the Americas; go early.
- Rosario islands Snorkelling and beach clubs; Isla Grande and Baru for overnight.
Colombia: practical facts
- Currency
- Colombian peso (COP) · 3,222.51 COP/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourism and among professionals
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (110 V)
- Tap water
- Safe in Bogotá and Medellín; bottled on the coast
- Emergency
- 123
- U.S. advisory
- Level 3
Full destination guide →Colombia country guide →Visa rules →
shuttle bus to Santa Marta · about 5.0 hours
6Santa Marta ColombiaRestock and stroll the malecon before heading into the hills.1 night
We do not hold a full destination profile for Santa Marta yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Cartagena (about 170 km).
Colombia: practical facts
- Currency
- Colombian peso (COP) · 3,222.51 COP/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourism and among professionals
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (110 V)
- Tap water
- Safe in Bogotá and Medellín; bottled on the coast
- Emergency
- 123
- U.S. advisory
- Level 3
shared jeep to Minca · about 1.0 hours
7Minca ColombiaVisit coffee farms, waterfalls and birdwatching viewpoints in the Sierra Nevada foothills.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Minca yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Cartagena (about 170 km).
Colombia: practical facts
- Currency
- Colombian peso (COP) · 3,222.51 COP/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourism and among professionals
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (110 V)
- Tap water
- Safe in Bogotá and Medellín; bottled on the coast
- Emergency
- 123
- U.S. advisory
- Level 3
jeep to Santa Marta, then bus to the Tayrona park entrance · about 2.5 hours
8Tayrona National Park ColombiaWalk the jungle trail to Arrecifes and Cabo San Juan and sleep in a hammock or tent.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Tayrona National Park yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Cartagena (about 190 km).
Colombia: practical facts
- Currency
- Colombian peso (COP) · 3,222.51 COP/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourism and among professionals
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (110 V)
- Tap water
- Safe in Bogotá and Medellín; bottled on the coast
- Emergency
- 123
- U.S. advisory
- Level 3
hike out and bus to Palomino · about 2.5 hours
9Palomino ColombiaTube down the Palomino river to the sea and rest on the beach.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Palomino yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Cartagena (about 230 km).
Colombia: practical facts
- Currency
- Colombian peso (COP) · 3,222.51 COP/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourism and among professionals
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (110 V)
- Tap water
- Safe in Bogotá and Medellín; bottled on the coast
- Emergency
- 123
- U.S. advisory
- Level 3
Bogota and the coffee region
Bogota sits at about 2,600 m, and its first days usually go to the Gold Museum, the street art of La Candelaria and the cable car up Monserrate. A short flight to Pereira and a bus up the hill reach Salento, a brightly painted town at the head of the Cocora Valley, where wax palms rise above cloud forest. Coffee farm tours around Salento explain the growing and roasting process from bush to cup.
Medellin and Guatape
Buses wind down through the mountains to Medellin, a city with a mild climate that has become a base for remote workers. The metro and its cable car lines connect hillside neighbourhoods, and guided walking tours of Comuna 13 tell the story of the city's transformation. Two hours east, Guatape is a lakeside town of decorated house fronts, and the 740-step climb up the Piedra del Penol gives a wide view over the reservoir's islands.
The Caribbean coast
A flight from Medellin lands on the coast at Cartagena, where the walled old city and the Getsemani district reward slow evening walks, and boats run to the Rosario Islands. A shuttle bus follows the coast to Santa Marta, the jumping-off point for Minca, a hill village of coffee farms, waterfalls and birdwatching in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Tayrona National Park combines jungle trails with beaches such as Cabo San Juan, where hammocks and tents are the main lodging. The route ends in Palomino, a low-key beach village where river tubing finishes at the sea.
Practical notes
Visas: Most Western passports receive visa-free entry for tourism on arrival; Colombia requires an online Check-MIG form before travel, so check the official migration site. Transport: Two domestic flights (Bogota to Pereira, Medellin to Cartagena), with buses and shuttles on the rest; mountain roads are slow and journey times run long. Weather: December to March is the driest period on the coast and in the Andes; Tayrona closes for several short periods each year, so check official park announcements before planning those dates. Budget: The mid figure assumes private rooms in hostels and guesthouses, two flights, a coffee farm tour, Tayrona entry and a Rosario Islands boat trip. Safety: Petty theft and scams target visitors in big cities; ride-hailing apps after dark and keeping phones out of sight are common local practice, and official advisories list areas to avoid.