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Colombia 🇨🇴

backpacking South America Colombia 🇨🇴Jungle ruins, tall wax palms and a walled Caribbean city.

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Backpacking Colombia in 2027

A complete guide including when and where to go, costs, transport, itineraries, and practical travel advice.
A practical introduction for travelers

Backpacking Colombia
By Johan Kruseman 🇳🇱 | Updated October 20, 2026

Bogotá closes more than 120 kilometers of its main roads to cars every Sunday, and anyone can join in. The Ciclovía runs from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays and public holidays, with bike rental stands along the route and juice carts every few blocks. On my first ride, a cart near Parque Nacional handed me hot aguapanela with a cube of salty cuajada sinking into it, and the cheese went soft and stringy while the cold mountain air stung my ears.

Colombia earns the trip on variety: the wax palms of the Cocora Valley, the four-day jungle walk to Ciudad Perdida, salsa nights in Cali and the evening light on Cartagena’s walled city. The hard parts are plain. Mountain roads turn short distances into 8 to 10 hour bus rides, so a domestic flight often saves a full day for little extra money. Phone snatching is common in big cities; keep yours out of sight on the street and use ride apps after dark. Cartagena’s Old City charges well above the national average, so sleep in Getsemaní and walk in.

Compared with Ecuador, Colombia is bigger and slower to cross but has far deeper city life; Peru wins on ancient ruins, Colombia on music and coffee. It suits travelers who like dancing, long conversations in Spanish and a mix of cities and nature. If you want a tight, fast circuit with no Spanish at all, two weeks here will feel rushed. Pick three regions, not six.

👉 Get the 📖 Travel Guide of Colombia

Caribbean Coast (Cartagena, Santa Marta, Tayrona National Park, Palomino)

Hot and loud, with vallenato blasting from corner shops. Cartagena’s walled center is the priciest place to sleep in Colombia, so stay in Getsemaní and walk in. Tayrona closes for several weeks a year for ecological and Indigenous rest. Confirm the dates before building a route around it, or go to Palomino for cheaper hammock nights. Flights from Bogotá take about 1.5 hours, and buses link Cartagena and Santa Marta in 4 to 5 hours. Best for beach time and the Lost City trek.

Coffee Region (Salento, Filandia, Cocora Valley, Manizales)

Cool, green and steep, with coffee tours that range from staged demos to working fincas where you pick beans yourself. Pick the working farm. Salento fills with Colombian families on weekends and holiday Mondays, so arrive midweek or sleep in quieter Filandia. Hike Cocora Valley’s wax palms early, before the midday cloud and crowds roll in. Fly Bogotá to Pereira in about 1 hour, then take a 1-hour bus to Salento. Suits hikers and slow travelers.

Medellín and Antioquia (Medellín, Guatapé, Jardín)

Medellín runs on its metro and cable cars, and paisas are fast-talking and proud of both. Sleeping only in El Poblado means paying premium prices aimed at foreigners. Laureles is calmer, cheaper and closer to local life. Skip Pablo Escobar tours, which many locals find offensive. A Comuna 13 walk with a resident guide tells the city’s story better. Flights from Bogotá take about 1 hour, landing in Rionegro, 45 to 60 minutes out. Guatapé is 2 hours by bus, Jardín 3 to 4. Suits city lovers and remote workers.

Bogotá and Boyacá (Bogotá, Villa de Leyva, Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral)

Bogotá sits at about 2,600 meters, rains most afternoons and turns cold at night, so pack a proper jacket. Give it two days. The Gold Museum and Monserrate justify the stop, but La Candelaria empties after dark, so take a taxi back. Leaving on a Sunday or holiday Monday can double the 3 to 4 hour bus to colonial Villa de Leyva. Travel on a Friday morning or midweek instead. Zipaquirá works as a day trip. Suits history and museum fans.

Santander (San Gil, Barichara, Chicamocha Canyon)

This is the adventure corner: rafting on the Río Fonce, paragliding over Chicamocha Canyon and caving around San Gil. Book in San Gil directly with operators rather than through hostels in other cities, which add commission. Barichara, 45 minutes away by local bus, is quieter, with stone streets and the old Camino Real trail down to Guane. The bus from Bogotá takes 7 to 8 hours on winding roads, so carry motion-sickness pills. Suits active travelers watching their spending.
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Why go?Why Colombia is worth visiting

Backpackers

Colombia has one of the most established backpacker circuits in South America, a loop of hostels with … read more 👉
Colombia has one of the most established backpacker circuits in South America, a loop of hostels with pools, hammocks and nightly group dinners running from Cartagena down through the Andes to Salento. Solo travelers rarely eat alone, and hostels organize tejo nights (a Colombian game of hurling metal pucks at clay boards rigged with gunpowder packets) and river tubing in Palomino. The big party hostels of Medellín are fun for two nights and a waste of a week, because the crowd and the playlist could be anywhere. Smaller places in Minca, Jardín and Filandia are where conversations run past midnight and turn into shared plans for the next stop. I would book only the first two nights of the trip and let the people in the hostel kitchen decide where I go after that.

Scenery

Colombia fits Andean moorland, Caribbean coast, Amazon rainforest and a desert of red and gray badlands … read more 👉
Colombia fits Andean moorland, Caribbean coast, Amazon rainforest and a desert of red and gray badlands into one country, and the shifts come fast: a single day on the road can take you from frost to banana plantations. The páramo is easy to overlook but worth a day. These high moorlands above roughly 3,000 meters are covered in frailejones, furry-leaved plants that grow about a centimeter a year, and the Páramo de Ocetá near Mongüí in Boyacá is one of the finest walks through them. In Santander, the Chicamocha Canyon drops close to 2 kilometers, and the long cable car across it gives you the full view without a hike. The Tatacoa Desert looks best at sunrise and sunset, so sleep there instead of rushing through on a day trip.

People

Colombians tend to treat a stranger asking for help as an invitation to talk. Ask for directions in … read more 👉
Colombians tend to treat a stranger asking for help as an invitation to talk. Ask for directions in Medellín and you may get walked to the corner, along with questions about where you’re from and what you think of the country, asked sincerely and expecting a real answer. Humor is quick and teasing, and a foreigner trying slang like “parce” (buddy) or “¿qué más?” (what’s up) gets a delighted laugh. Two habits confuse newcomers: “ahorita” can mean five minutes or tomorrow, and a polite “sí, claro” sometimes means probably not. Skip the hunt for some secret local spot. Small-town plazas on a Sunday evening are where to meet people, when families sit out with beer and ice cream and older men argue about football. Accept the tinto someone offers.

Low cost

Backpacking Colombia costs roughly US$30 to 50 a day (about COP 120,000 to 200,000) for a dorm bed, … read more 👉
Backpacking Colombia costs roughly US$30 to 50 a day (about COP 120,000 to 200,000) for a dorm bed, three meals, local transport and an activity, well below Costa Rica or Chile. Lunch is the biggest saving. The “corrientazo” or menú del día brings soup, rice, beans, meat, plantain and a juice for around US$4 to 6, so make it your main meal and keep dinner light. Cartagena and San Andrés run close to double the daily average; Bogotá, the Coffee Region and the south come in under it. Market fruit costs next to nothing. Paid tours for things you can do alone, such as climbing the rock at Guatapé, are not worth the money. National parks like Tayrona charge foreigners a higher entry fee than Colombians, so budget for it.

Mountains

Colombia’s Andes split into three ranges, and separately the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta climbs to … read more 👉
Colombia’s Andes split into three ranges, and separately the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta climbs to about 5,700 meters barely 50 kilometers from the Caribbean. Most serious hiking happens in two parks. Los Nevados, reached from Manizales or Salento, offers multiday treks across páramo toward the shrinking glacier of Nevado Santa Isabel. El Cocuy in Boyacá has the most dramatic high walking in the country, with glacier-edge lakes and granite peaks, though only a few day routes are open and a registered guide is mandatory. Don’t plan around summiting Nevado del Ruiz, an active volcano where access is often restricted. Spend two or three days at Bogotá’s altitude before any route above 4,000 meters, and aim for December to February, the driest window in the high Andes.

Beach life

Colombia’s best beach days come from going a little further than everyone else. The Rosario Islands … read more 👉
Colombia’s best beach days come from going a little further than everyone else. The Rosario Islands day trip from Cartagena and Playa Blanca on Barú are packed with vendors and loud speedboats, especially on weekends, so go midweek if you go at all. A few hours south, Rincón del Mar has calm water, fresh fish and boats to the Islas de San Bernardo. Near the Panama border, Capurganá and Sapzurro have no cars, reef snorkeling straight off the beach and a jungle trail linking the two villages. Divers should head for Providencia, which sits on one of the largest barrier reefs in the Caribbean. On the Pacific side, Nuquí and Bahía Solano get humpback whales roughly July to October. Swim only where locals swim: currents at Palomino and parts of Tayrona are strong.

Food

Colombian food is best eaten regionally. Every region has its own plate: ajiaco in Bogotá, a chicken … read more 👉
Colombian food is best eaten regionally. Every region has its own plate: ajiaco in Bogotá, a chicken soup made with three kinds of potato and served with capers and cream; bandeja paisa in Antioquia; fried fish with coconut rice and patacones on the coast; whole roast lechona in Tolima. Fruit is the headline. Lulo, maracuyá, guanábana and granadilla, many barely known outside the tropics, get blended into juices “en agua” or “en leche” at every lunch counter. Arepas range from thin and plain in Medellín to the egg-stuffed arepa de huevo of the coast, so don’t judge the country on one. Fusion restaurants in Cartagena charging Miami prices are not worth it. Go to Bogotá’s Paloquemao market in the morning and ask vendors to let you taste the fruit you can’t name.

⭐ HighlightsHighlights of Colombia

  • Ciudad Perdida: The trek to Colombia’s “Lost City” covers roughly 45 to 50 kilometers over four or five days in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, with river crossings that reach your waist after rain and camps of bunks and hammocks under tin roofs. Built by the Tayrona people centuries before Machu Picchu, the site appears at the top of about 1,200 moss-slick stone steps, its round terraces usually wrapped in mist that smells of wet leaves and woodsmoke drifting from Kogi and Wiwa homes along the trail.
  • Cocora Valley: Wax palms, the national tree, rise up to 60 meters from cattle pasture, so thin and tall they look like they were drawn with a ruler. The loop from the trailhead runs 5 to 6 hours through cloud forest and suspension bridges, and at the Acaime hummingbird house the birds whir past your ear close enough to feel the air move. Expect boot-sucking mud on the forest stretch.
  • Cartagena’s Walled City: Bougainvillea spills from wooden balconies, and palenqueras in yellow, blue and red
… read more 👉
  • Ciudad Perdida: The trek to Colombia’s “Lost City” covers roughly 45 to 50 kilometers over four or five days in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, with river crossings that reach your waist after rain and camps of bunks and hammocks under tin roofs. Built by the Tayrona people centuries before Machu Picchu, the site appears at the top of about 1,200 moss-slick stone steps, its round terraces usually wrapped in mist that smells of wet leaves and woodsmoke drifting from Kogi and Wiwa homes along the trail.
  • Cocora Valley: Wax palms, the national tree, rise up to 60 meters from cattle pasture, so thin and tall they look like they were drawn with a ruler. The loop from the trailhead runs 5 to 6 hours through cloud forest and suspension bridges, and at the Acaime hummingbird house the birds whir past your ear close enough to feel the air move. Expect boot-sucking mud on the forest stretch.
  • Cartagena’s Walled City: Bougainvillea spills from wooden balconies, and palenqueras in yellow, blue and red dresses balance bowls of mango and papaya on their heads. By late afternoon the old stone walls hold the day’s heat, and walking them at sunset means warm rock under your palms and a breeze off the Caribbean that finally takes the edge off the humidity.
  • Caño Cristales: In the Serranía de La Macarena, a riverweed called Macarenia clavigera turns the water red, pink and yellow, usually from June to November. Access is by flight to La Macarena and guided visits only, and the rules are strict: no sunscreen or insect repellent in the water. The river runs cold and clear over pale rock, and the color shifts as clouds pass.
  • El Peñón de Guatapé: Some 740 steps zigzag up this granite monolith, and by the top your thighs burn and the wind is strong enough to dry your shirt in minutes. Below, a reservoir breaks into dozens of green islands and fingers of blue water, and back in town every house wears painted relief panels called zócalos.
Off the map, the Tatacoa Desert, the sandstone town of Barichara and the dunes of Punta Gallinas in La Guajira are all worth the extra effort, and I would go to Tatacoa first for its silent nights and a sky thick with stars.
Spotted a mistake or missing a highlight? Contact us.
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🧭 RoutesPlanning a route that makes sense

The 7-Day Caribbean Coast Route


A sun-soaked week on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, moving from colonial plazas to cool mountain air and ending on a jungle beach. It suits first-timers who want variety without long hauls.
  • Cartagena’s walled city and Getsemaní evenings
  • Hammock nights in the hills of Minca
  • Hiking through Tayrona National Park to Cabo San Juan

👉 explore this 7-day route

The 14-Day Andes to Caribbean Route


Two weeks that connect the capital, the coffee region and Medellín before dropping down to the hot lowlands. Expect museums, wax palm valleys and a sleepy river town where rocking chairs line the sidewalks at dusk.
  • Bogotá’s Gold Museum and the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá
  • Valle de Cocora from Salento
  • The giant rock of Guatapé
  • Santa Cruz de Mompox on the Magdalena River

👉 explore this 14-day route

The 21-Day Grand Colombia Route


Three weeks for the full picture, from high páramo lakes and canyon country to a four-day trek into the Sierra Nevada. It mixes famous cities with quieter colonial … read more 👉

The 7-Day Caribbean Coast Route


A sun-soaked week on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, moving from colonial plazas to cool mountain air and ending on a jungle beach. It suits first-timers who want variety without long hauls.
  • Cartagena’s walled city and Getsemaní evenings
  • Hammock nights in the hills of Minca
  • Hiking through Tayrona National Park to Cabo San Juan

👉 explore this 7-day route

The 14-Day Andes to Caribbean Route


Two weeks that connect the capital, the coffee region and Medellín before dropping down to the hot lowlands. Expect museums, wax palm valleys and a sleepy river town where rocking chairs line the sidewalks at dusk.
  • Bogotá’s Gold Museum and the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá
  • Valle de Cocora from Salento
  • The giant rock of Guatapé
  • Santa Cruz de Mompox on the Magdalena River

👉 explore this 14-day route

The 21-Day Grand Colombia Route


Three weeks for the full picture, from high páramo lakes and canyon country to a four-day trek into the Sierra Nevada. It mixes famous cities with quieter colonial towns and leaves you time to recover on the coast.
  • Iguaque’s sacred lake above Villa de Leyva
  • Barichara and Chicamocha Canyon
  • The coffee village of Jardín
  • The Lost City Trek to Teyuna

👉 explore this 21-day route

🌤️ When to go?Best time to visit Colombia

The best months for backpacking Colombia are December to March, when the Andes and the Caribbean coast are both at their driest, though this is also when Colombian holidaymakers fill the beaches and coastal prices climb. The country sits close to the equator, so seasons follow rain rather than temperature. The Andean cities get two wet spells a year, the Caribbean has one long one from roughly May to November, and the Pacific coast is wet in every month.

  • Peak dry season (December to March): Sunny days in Medellín, Bogotá and the Coffee Region, with calm seas around Cartagena and Santa Marta. Christmas to mid-January is the most crowded and expensive stretch of the year, with coastal rooms often 30 to 50 percent above normal rates. February and March keep the weather and lose most of the domestic crowds.
  • First rains (April to May): Afternoon downpours return to the Andes, and hiking trails in the Coffee Region turn to mud. Outside Semana Santa, prices drop and hostels have space. The Caribbean stays mostly dry through April.
  • Mid-year dry spell (June to August): The Andes dry out again, the coast gets a short lull in its rains, and humpback whales arrive off the Pacific coast from July. Colombian school holidays from mid-June to mid-July push beach prices back up.
  • Main rainy season (September to November): The wettest months for most of the country, with heavy storms on the Caribbean coast peaking in October. The Ciudad Perdida trek usually closes in September, and landslides can slow mountain roads. Rooms are at their cheapest.
I would book coastal beds for late December several weeks ahead and leave the rest of the trip flexible. In any month, pack a light rain shell and a fleece: Bogotá sits above 2,600 meters and drops to around 7 to 9°C at night.

source: climatestotravel.comJANJanuary: highly recommended for travelingFEBFebruary: excellent for travelingMARMarch: highly recommended for travelingAPRApril: fair for travelingMAYMay: fair for travelingJUNJune: fair for travelingJULJuly: highly recommended for travelingAUGAugust: highly recommended for travelingSEPSeptember: fair for travelingOCTOctober: fair for travelingNOVNovember: fair for travelingDECDecember: excellent for traveling
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💰 Costs (as of 2026)What things cost day to day

Backpacking Colombia on a budget costs about US$30 to 45 a day if you sleep in dorms, eat set lunches and travel by bus. That puts the country a little above Bolivia and Peru, about level with Ecuador, and well below Panama and Costa Rica. You pay in Colombian pesos everywhere, and every figure below is converted to US dollars. Your biggest single expense will almost always be one big activity, so plan your budget around that.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Dorm accommodationUS$8 to 18 per nightA dorm bed in Medellín’s El Poblado costs US$10 to 15, while Getsemaní in Cartagena runs US$12 to 18, the highest on the mainland backpacker circuit. In Salento or Minca you’ll find beds for US$8 to 12. Booking a week or more directly with the hostel, outside the December to January and Easter peaks, often saves you 10 to 20 percent.
MealsUS$8 to 15 per dayThe “menú del día” (also called a “corrientazo”: soup, rice, beans, meat, plantain and juice) costs US$3 to 5 and is the best-value meal in Colombia, cheaper than a similar set lunch in Panama. On the street, empanadas cost US$0.30 to 0.80 each and an arepa de choclo with cheese runs US$1.50 to 2.50. If you cook with groceries from D1, Ara
… read more 👉
Backpacking Colombia on a budget costs about US$30 to 45 a day if you sleep in dorms, eat set lunches and travel by bus. That puts the country a little above Bolivia and Peru, about level with Ecuador, and well below Panama and Costa Rica. You pay in Colombian pesos everywhere, and every figure below is converted to US dollars. Your biggest single expense will almost always be one big activity, so plan your budget around that.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Dorm accommodationUS$8 to 18 per nightA dorm bed in Medellín’s El Poblado costs US$10 to 15, while Getsemaní in Cartagena runs US$12 to 18, the highest on the mainland backpacker circuit. In Salento or Minca you’ll find beds for US$8 to 12. Booking a week or more directly with the hostel, outside the December to January and Easter peaks, often saves you 10 to 20 percent.
MealsUS$8 to 15 per dayThe “menú del día” (also called a “corrientazo”: soup, rice, beans, meat, plantain and juice) costs US$3 to 5 and is the best-value meal in Colombia, cheaper than a similar set lunch in Panama. On the street, empanadas cost US$0.30 to 0.80 each and an arepa de choclo with cheese runs US$1.50 to 2.50. If you cook with groceries from D1, Ara or Éxito, eating costs US$4 to 6 a day.
Local transportUS$3 to 20 per day (averaged)Long-distance buses are the cheapest way to cover ground. Bogotá to Medellín costs US$18 to 30, and Medellín to Salento costs US$18 to 25. A ride on the Medellín Metro costs about US$0.90, and TransMilenio in Bogotá about US$0.80. Budget flights on Avianca, LATAM, Wingo or JetSMART sometimes come in at US$30 to 60, close to the price of a long bus ride.
ActivitiesUS$0 to 30 per day, plus big-ticket tripsThe Ciudad Perdida trek (4 to 5 days, guide required) costs roughly US$450 to 550, and an Open Water dive course in Taganga about US$300 to 380. Those two blow up most budgets. Tayrona National Park charges foreigners about US$20 to 25 to enter, the Valle de Cocora about US$5 and the Piedra del Peñol climb about US$6 to 8. I’d skip the Cartagena boat tours to the Islas del Rosario and put that money toward the Lost City trek, which is the trip in Colombia most worth paying for.
MiscellaneousUS$2 to 6 per dayA Claro prepaid data package costs about US$5 to 10 a week. Laundry runs US$3 to 6 a load, an Águila beer from a corner shop US$1 to 1.50, and tips for free walking tours (like the Comuna 13 tour in Medellín) US$5 to 10. Late-night taxis and bottled water add up faster than you’d expect.
Total Daily BudgetUS$30 to 45About US$30 covers a dorm, set lunches and buses in Salento or Bogotá. Expect closer to US$45 in Cartagena or San Andrés, which is still less than an average day in Panama. Treks and dive courses come on top of this.
⚠️ Prices can change and everyone travels differently, so take this as a rough guide. Hope it helps you plan your adventure!

✈️ The backpacker research shortcutColombia Travel Guide

An offline-friendly backpacking guide with optimized travel routes, ranked highlights, transport advice, and the best areas to stay.
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The digital guide (349 pages) contains:
✅ 115 highlights, ranked by travel appeal
✅ Optimized 7, 14 & 21-day travel routes
✅ Cities, national parks, landmarks, beaches
✅ How to get around
✅ Offline-friendly for travel without Wi-Fi
👉 Click to see all 30+ guide features

📅 Plan smarter in minutes, not weeks
✅ Month by month travel advice
✅ Festivals & national holidays
✅ Budget expectations

🗺️ Go to the right places, skip the overrated ones
✅ Honest pros & cons of destinations
✅ Top hikes, parks & viewpoints
✅ Lesser-known places most travelers miss
✅ Clear “worth it vs skip it” guidance

🛏️ Travel smoothly without rookie mistakes
✅ Best areas to stay
✅ Transport systems explained simply
✅ Common scams & safety advice
✅ SIM cards, money & practical tips

🌍 Understand the country, not just visit it
✅ Culture & traditions
✅ 52 Essential phrases & customs
✅ Festivals worth planning around
✅ Traveler-friendly historical context
✅ Insights that make places more meaningful

📱 Built for real travel conditions
✅ Fully downloadable PDF
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🛏️ Where to stay?Best areas to base yourself

Hostels and budget guesthouses are easy to find across Colombia, with dorm beds typically running COP 40,000 to 80,000 (US$12 to 25) and private rooms from about COP 100,000 (US$31). In Bogotá, La Candelaria puts you within walking distance of the museums and old-town streets but empties out after dark, while Chapinero has better restaurants, bars and a safer evening feel; in Medellín, El Poblado is the party hub with the highest prices and noise, and Laureles is calmer, greener and more local. In Cartagena, Getsemaní has the densest cluster of hostels, street art and plaza nightlife a few minutes … read more 👉
Hostels and budget guesthouses are easy to find across Colombia, with dorm beds typically running COP 40,000 to 80,000 (US$12 to 25) and private rooms from about COP 100,000 (US$31). In Bogotá, La Candelaria puts you within walking distance of the museums and old-town streets but empties out after dark, while Chapinero has better restaurants, bars and a safer evening feel; in Medellín, El Poblado is the party hub with the highest prices and noise, and Laureles is calmer, greener and more local. In Cartagena, Getsemaní has the densest cluster of hostels, street art and plaza nightlife a few minutes from the walled Centro Histórico, which is prettier and quieter but costs noticeably more.

If you enjoy meeting fellow travelers, consider choosing hostels with high ratings for atmosphere. On the other hand, if you prefer having your own space, a hotel might be a better option.

Best hostels in Colombia


Best quality hotels in Colombia

🚌 Getting aroundPublic transport and other ways to get around

Long-distance bus timetables in Colombia are loose: departures run roughly on time, but arrivals slip 1 to 3 hours thanks to mountain roads, landslides and roadworks. Book buses a day ahead or just turn up at the terminal, but book domestic flights 2 to 4 weeks out, and earlier for Semana Santa, mid-December to mid-January and the long holiday weekends locals call “puentes”.
  • Long-distance buses: Bogotá to Medellín costs roughly COP 70,000 to 120,000 (US$18 to 30) and takes 9 to 11 hours; Medellín
… read more 👉
Long-distance bus timetables in Colombia are loose: departures run roughly on time, but arrivals slip 1 to 3 hours thanks to mountain roads, landslides and roadworks. Book buses a day ahead or just turn up at the terminal, but book domestic flights 2 to 4 weeks out, and earlier for Semana Santa, mid-December to mid-January and the long holiday weekends locals call “puentes”.
  • Long-distance buses: Bogotá to Medellín costs roughly COP 70,000 to 120,000 (US$18 to 30) and takes 9 to 11 hours; Medellín to Cartagena is 13 to 15 hours for COP 120,000 to 180,000 (US$30 to 45). Companies like Bolivariano, Expreso Brasilia and Rápido Ochoa run reclining coaches with toilets. Buy at the terminal counter (asking for a discount often works off-peak) or online through Redbus. The air conditioning is set to arctic, so keep a fleece and your valuables on your lap, never in the overhead rack.
  • Domestic flights: Avianca, LATAM, Wingo, JetSMART and Clic link the big cities in about 1 to 1.5 hours, with base fares from COP 100,000 to 300,000 (US$25 to 75). The low-cost carriers charge separately for carry-on bags and seat selection, which can double the price, so compare the final total. Wingo and JetSMART also fine you for not printing or checking in online beforehand.
  • Colectivos and minivans: shared vans and cars cover the shorter hops, like Pereira to Salento (about 1 hour, COP 8,000 to 10,000) or Medellín to Guatapé (about 2 hours, COP 20,000 to 25,000). They leave when full, you pay the driver in cash, and the front seat goes to whoever claims it first. In Salento, the Willys jeeps to Valle de Cocora run about 30 minutes for COP 5,000 to 7,000 each way.
  • City transit and ride-hailing: Bogotá’s TransMilenio and Medellín’s Metro cost around COP 3,000 to 4,000 (under US$1) a ride with a rechargeable card. TransMilenio at rush hour (6 to 9 am, 5 to 8 pm) is a pickpocket’s dream, so skip it then. Uber, DiDi and inDrive work in most cities and usually beat hailing a taxi off the street, which is where most fare scams happen.
Skip the overnight 20-hour bus from Bogotá to the Caribbean coast; the savings over a budget flight are tiny once you count a lost day. I’d fly between the Andes and the coast and save buses for the coffee region and Antioquia, where the rides are shorter and the views earn their keep.
Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport (BOG) sits about 15 km (9 miles) west of the historic center, and the cheapest reliable way into the city is TransMilenio, Colombia’s rapid bus network.
  • TransMilenio feeder + trunk line via Calle 26 (45 to 75 minutes, about COP 3,550 or US$1.10 per ride plus around COP 8,000 or US$2.50 for a rechargeable card): catch the free green feeder bus from the stop outside arrivals to Portal El Dorado, then ride a red trunk bus along Avenida El Dorado to Universidades or Las Aguas for La Candelaria; buses run from roughly 4:30 am to 11 pm, and big backpacks get awkward at rush hour.
  • Official airport taxi (30 to 60 minutes, COP 35,000 to 55,000 or US$11 to 17): join the marked queue outside arrivals, where a dispatcher hands you a printed slip with your destination and estimated fare, and pay the driver in cash at the end.
  • Uber, DiDi or Cabify (30 to 60 minutes, COP 30,000 to 50,000 or US$9 to 16): drivers usually meet passengers at the departures level or the parking area rather than the arrivals curb, so check the pickup point in the app before walking out.
If you land after 11 pm, skip the touts in the hall and take an official taxi from the queue, keeping the printed slip so the fare stays honest.
⚠️ Prices and routes can change, so take this as a rough guide and ask for local advice when you arrive.
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🔒 Safety (risk Level: medium)Safety considerations for travelers

Safety for solo travelers, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals
Colombia is safe for solo travelers who follow local street smarts, and thousands of backpackers travel it alone every year without trouble; the main risk is petty theft and phone snatching rather than violent crime. Women travelers commonly face catcalling, and should be cautious about accepting drinks from strangers, since drugging with scopolamine (“burundanga”) is a known risk in nightlife areas and on dating apps. LGBTQ+ travelers benefit from strong legal protections, including same-sex marriage, and Bogotá’s Chapinero and Medellín have open gay scenes, though small towns are more conservative. Use ride-hailing apps at night, keep your phone out of sight on the street, and avoid remote border regions where armed groups remain active.


Full official government travel advisory (live updates)
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source: www.gov.uk

✈️ VisaWhat travelers should know about visas

Citizens of the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, Australia and many other countries do not need a visa to visit Colombia and receive up to 90 days on arrival, extendable to a maximum of 180 days per calendar year through Migración Colombia. Every traveler must complete the free online Check-MIG migration form within 72 hours before arriving, and border officers may ask for proof of onward travel. Nationalities that do require a visa apply online through the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería) visa portal.

source: cancilleria.gov.co
⚠️ Visa requirements can change over time, so always check the latest visa requirements with the official embassy or government website before you travel.

🎒 What to pack?Packing essentials for the trip

Packing for Colombia means packing for several climates at once: Bogotá sits at 2,600 meters with cool, drizzly days around 14°C, while Cartagena and the Caribbean coast stay hot and sticky above 30°C year-round. Layers beat bulk, and a light rain jacket earns its spot almost everywhere, since afternoon downpours are routine in the Andes and the jungle. If you plan to hike Ciudad Perdida, Cocora or the coffee region trails, sturdy shoes that can handle mud are a must. City Colombians dress neatly, so keep one smart-casual outfit for nights out and leave flashy jewelry and expensive gear at home to stay low-key.

Apart from this country specific advice, I have also crafted a general packing list that should help on any trip. authorOver the years, I've learned the importance of packing minimally. It's so much easier to jump on the back of a truck or squeeze yourself into the last spot of a minibus without that supersized backpack. If you're headed to a warm destination, leave your winter jacket at home; for colder regions, opt for thin thermal underlayers. Instead of packing your entire wardrobe, bring just three sets of clothes, as laundry facilities are available everywhere.

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🙋 FAQCommon questions before visiting

Trip Planning

Planning a backpacking route through Colombia can be tricky — you need to balance must-see places, travel times, budget, and how long to stay in each destination. Our free personalized Colombia itinerary planner creates a route based on your travel style, trip duration, and interests, so you can spend less time researching and more time exploring.



Personal tip: I normally search on good rating for atmosphere (for meeting people) and location (for easy exploring). Cleanliness as a bonus.


Travel Essentials

Make sure routine vaccines (MMR, tetanus-diphtheria, polio, flu) are up to date before visiting Colombia, and get hepatitis A and typhoid, as both spread through food and water. Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for travel below 2,300 meters and proof is required to enter some areas, including Tayrona National Park and the Amazon around Leticia, so get it at least 10 days before arrival. Hepatitis B and rabies are worth considering for long stays or rural trips, malaria pills are advised for the Amazon and Pacific coast, and dengue is common in lowland areas, so pack strong insect repellent.


vaccination requirements
When I first started traveling, I often spent part of my first day in a new country hunting for a local SIM card. While this can still be slightly cheaper, it also takes time and planning.

These days, it's much simpler to install an eSIM before leaving home. Once you arrive in Colombia, you can activate it immediately and have mobile data from the moment you land — which is especially useful for ordering transport or navigating away from busy airports.

There are many providers nowadays, and price differences are usually small. I personally go with Holafly, as it offers excellent network coverage throughout the country and strong global coverage, so you can manage multiple countries from a single app.


HolaFly eSim

Culture & Customs

Colombians are warm and polite, and courtesy goes a long way in Colombia: say buenos días when entering a shop or taxi before asking for anything. Do dress neatly in cities, cover shoulders and knees in churches, and accept offers of food or coffee graciously. Don’t joke about Pablo Escobar or cocaine, as many Colombians lost family to the cartel violence, and don’t buy drugs, which fuels the conflict and invites police trouble. Expect punctuality to be relaxed at social events but not for tours or buses. The local saying “no dar papaya” (don’t give anyone an opportunity) captures the expected caution: don’t flash phones or cash. Women may get unwanted comments but are rarely followed further; ignoring them is the norm. Same-sex couples face little trouble in big-city districts, while public affection draws stares in rural areas.
Trying traditional food is always a great way to experience the culture. Here are some must-try dishes for Colombia.
  1. Bandeja Paisa: a heaped platter from Antioquia with red beans, rice, ground beef, chicharrón, chorizo, a fried egg, sweet plantain, avocado and an arepa. It was built to fuel farmworkers and is now the unofficial national plate, best tackled in Medellín at lunchtime.
  2. Ajiaco: Bogotá’s signature chicken and potato soup, thickened with three types of potato and flavored with the herb guascas, served with capers, cream, avocado and corn on the cob. It’s the classic cold-weather lunch in the capital.
  3. Arepas: grilled corn cakes eaten at every meal, varying by region, from plain paisa arepas to cheese-stuffed arepas de queso and the coast’s fried arepa de huevo with an egg inside. They are the daily bread of Colombia.
  4. Sancocho: a hearty stew of chicken, beef or fish with yuca, plantain, potato and corn, often cooked in a huge pot for family gatherings and Sunday outings. Every region claims its own version.
  5. Empanadas: crispy fried corn turnovers filled with potato and meat, sold from street carts everywhere and best with a spoonful of ají, the tangy green hot sauce.
  6. Lechona: a whole pig stuffed with rice, peas and spices, then slow-roasted for hours, a specialty of Tolima served at celebrations and on weekends.
  7. Fried fish with coconut rice: whole fried mojarra or snapper with coconut rice, patacones and salad, the defining meal of the Caribbean coast around Cartagena and Santa Marta.
Tap water in Bogotá and Medellín is treated and safe to drink, and locals there drink it straight from the tap without a second thought. On the Caribbean coast, in the Amazon and in rural areas, water quality is inconsistent and most locals drink bottled or filtered water, so tourists should do the same. A filter bottle saves money and plastic, and large refill jugs at hostels are common.
The main language in Colombia is Spanish. Backpacking is way more rewarding if you know a bit of the local language, so I'd suggest brushing up on the basics just in case your Spanish skills have become a bit rusty.

Want to understand locals better?
The complete Travel Guide for Colombia includes 52 essential words and phrases — greetings, thank-yous, ordering food, transport, numbers, and common local expressions you'll actually hear.

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English in Colombia is limited: you’ll find it in upscale hotels, tour agencies and some restaurants in Bogotá, Medellín and Cartagena, but most taxi drivers, bus clerks and market vendors speak only Spanish. Younger Colombians in the cities and hostel staff are your best bet, and many speak decent English. In small towns and rural areas, expect almost none. Spanish is the language that matters, and Colombians speak a clear, relatively slow version of it, so learning numbers, directions and food basics goes a long way, with Google Translate’s offline Spanish pack as backup.

Money & Payments

The local currency of Colombia is COP ($).
ATMs are easy to find in every Colombian city and most towns, but foreign cards usually pay a local fee of COP 15,000 to 30,000 (US$4 to 8) per withdrawal, and maximums often sit around COP 300,000 to 2,000,000 depending on the bank, so withdraw the max each time to limit fees. Stick to ATMs inside banks, malls or supermarkets during daytime, and always decline the machine’s offer to convert the withdrawal into your home currency. Cards work in supermarkets, malls, chain restaurants and many hostels, but buses, street food, small shops and anything in rural areas and on islands run on cash. Bring some US dollars as an emergency backup since they’re the easiest foreign currency to exchange, while euros get weaker rates outside big cities. Exchange at official casas de cambio in malls or the airport rather than with street changers, who are known for counterfeit bills and sleight-of-hand.
Tipping in Colombia is modest: most sit-down restaurants add or suggest a voluntary 10 percent service charge, and the server will ask “¿desea incluir el servicio?” before you pay, so you can accept or decline. Taxi drivers don’t expect tips beyond rounding up, while tour guides typically appreciate COP 10,000 to 20,000 (US$2.50 to 5) per person for a day trip. Hostel and hotel staff welcome small tips for help with bags or bookings, but nobody chases you for them.

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📸 PhotosScenes from around the country

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Photographed by: Johan Kruseman

Travel stories from Colombia

A little rafting adventure: trapped on a rock in the middle of the river

Colombia | Ok. Sitting in a nightbus for 12 hours with wifi: time for a little story. Yesterday i had a crazy rafting experience thanks to quiet an unexperienced rafting guide. It went all smooth until a rock appeared in the middle of the river (this does happen while rafting). We hit the rock and the water pushed the boat vertical. We climbed out quickly ont...
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Scuba diving gear on a mountain in the rainforest, really?

Scuba diving gear on a mountain in the rainforest, really?

Colombia | Tought i had seen all kind of hostels but this one was from another planet. Located in the middle of the jungle, on top of a hillside providing views to the ocean and the closest bit of civilisation (one hour moto bike ride away), having a pool, and the largest hammock in the world (36m2). Done a canyon tour through the jungle climbing up a waterfa...
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More stories

We 💚 feedbackWhat to know before planning your trip

The best reason to go to Colombia is how much changes within a single trip: you can wake in a cloud-forest hammock above Minca one week and spend the next dancing salsa in Cali. The drawback is time. Mountains stretch every journey, and backpackers who try to cover the whole map spend more hours on buses than on trails. One move improves everything else: learn basic Spanish before you arrive, or take a week of classes early on. People here talk often and generously, and even simple Spanish turns a quick purchase into a conversation and a vague direction into a recommendation you would never find on your own. Leave slack in the plan for the detour someone talks you into.

✈️ When did I visit Colombia?
Did a good 3-week trip around Colombia in August 2014. Since then, this guide is regularly updated based on feedback from locals and recent backpackers (last update: 20 October 2026)

✍️ Help improve this page!
The information on this page is based on my own backpacking experience in Colombia, supplemented with up-to-date research and feedback from other travelers. Travel details can change, so if you notice anything outdated or incomplete, feel free to let me know.



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👋 Meet the founderWho’s Behind Take Your Backpack?

Johan, backpacker and founder of TakeYourBackpackHi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.

This site is built on a combination of firsthand travel experience and carefully curated insights from other backpackers. Many guides are based on places I’ve personally visited, while others bring together tips, observations, and practical advice shared by trusted travelers I’ve met along the way.

The goal is to provide realistic, experience-driven guidance — not generic itineraries — so you can explore destinations with better context, clearer expectations, and more confidence.

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