By Liam Isola Starting in mid January 2020, I spent nearly eight weeks in Colombia. I naively thought I would be able to make it from Cartagena to Santiago, Chile only by bus. At the time, I had no idea what was coming. I still managed to visit plenty of places in Colombia, and even some in Ecuador, before the COVID 19 related lockdowns. So, today, I’m going to discuss six of the best places to visit in Colombia and some other options to extend your trip.
Colombia has become a seriously popular destination for American tourists in recent years. In 2024, the South American nation received nearly 1.2 million visitors from the US. Last year, American tourists led all foreign arrivals to Colombia. I think Colombia is a good introduction to South America. The flight isn’t too bad and there’s plenty to see, do and eat. It’s a much more diverse country topographically than many people give it credit for. It has deserts, mountains, rainforests, beautiful beaches and glaciers.
So, without further ado, here are six of the best places to visit in Colombia:
Best Places to Visit in Colombia: 1. Cartagena
Cartagena, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, is the most accessible Colombian city from the US. In fact, the flight from Miami is under three hours long. Cartagena’s main draw is its walled city. There, you’ll find narrow streets, pastel colored buildings, nice plazas and plenty of restaurants.
Check out the Convent of Santo Domingo, the oldest church in the city. The Spanish built the church in the 16th century and it still stands today. The Plaza of Santo Domingo is right outside of the convent and has a Botero statue. The plaza gets lively at night, with local vendors and artists.
You can walk on the city walls and see beautiful views of the sea and city. Just outside of the walled city, you’ll find the San Felipe de Barajas Fort. It’s supposedly the biggest Spanish fortress in the “new world”. It is definitely worth exploring and the admission price is under $10.
Getsemani is a neighborhood close to the fort and just outside of the walled city. It has some trendy restaurants and bars and the famous Plaza de la Trinidad. On the plaza, there’s street food, live music and dance performances.
With more time in Cartagena, you could take a ferry to one of the Rosario Islands. Isla Grande is a popular pick and it has free beaches like Playa Libre.
2. Minca
After Cartagena, you can take the bus five hours east along the Caribbean coast to Santa Marta. Santa Marta is a nice little seaside city in its own right. It is also the gateway to Tayrona National Park, La Guajira desert and the mountain town of Minca.
Minca was one of my favorite places in Colombia and it’s great for people who like outdoor activities. The best thing to do in Minca is taking the trek up to Cerro Kennedy in the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains. There’s a hostel towards the peak called Hostal Donde Moncho run by a very friendly family. It’ll take nearly all day to get up to the hostel. So, I’d recommend leaving early so you can watch the sunset there.
I’d recommend bringing some of your own food for the adventure but they do cook food at Donde Moncho. The next day, make sure to wake up early so you can the sunrise from the peak. From the peak you’ll be able to see Santa Marta and the Caribbean sea down below.
Minca is also known for nearby fincas, or estates, where they commonly grow coffee. Finca Victoria offers tours and tastings and is the biggest finca in town. During your stay in Minca, make sure to head to waterfalls like Pozo Azul and Marinka.
I stayed a whole week in the area and it was a great place to relax. I’d recommend Coco Bomgo hostel if you want to stay close to the town center. If you’re after pure relaxation, consider Costeño River. The hostel is tucked away from the center of town and has a pool.
3. Medellin
Medellin has become incredibly popular with digital nomads and American travelers over the last few years. Called the “City of Eternal Spring” for its pleasant year round weather, Medellin is the second largest city in Colombia.
It has changed quite a lot since the days of Pablo Escobar. In 1991, Medellin was the crime capital of the world. Now it’s a tourist friendly city, if you take the proper precautions. There’s plenty to do in Medellin, which is the only city in Colombia with a metro system.
I enjoyed the laid back vibes of the Laureles neighborhood, which has good restaurants. Los Chamos Arepas, Naan Laureles and Restaurante Guiro were all solid. I also spent a lot of time reading and people watching at Cafe Revolucion.
El Poblado is a popular tourist neighborhood but it was a little too upscale for my liking. It reminded me of Polanco in Mexico City.
Some cool things to do on the East Side of the city include heading to Plaza Botero and the Museum of Antioquia, which has plenty of Boteros on display. There’s also the somber Museo Casa de La Memoria, which details the violent history of the city.
I went to a football match at Atanasio Girardot Stadium, which was a fun experience. Both Independiente Medellín (DIM) and Atlético Nacional play their home matches there. I also enjoyed walking to Cerro de Nutibara Sculpture Park, which has panoramic views of the city.
Comuna 13, a former slum which is accessible by cable car, is another a popular tourist destination. However, I didn’t enjoy it as I felt it amounted to poverty tourism.
Also consider taking a day, or overnight, trip to the famous Piedra del Peñol in Guatape, which is a couple of hours away.
4. Jardín
Jardín is a quaint little colonial town a few hours away from Medellin by bus. It might be my favorite place to go in Colombia. Jardín’s main square, El Libertador Principal Park, is where you’ll find the beautiful Basilica Menor of the Immaculate Conception. It’s also a great spot to sit at a cafe, soak in the views and spend a lazy afternoon.
One of the best hostels I’ve ever stayed at is in Jardín. Candileja Hostel has a great free breakfast, friendly staff and frequent excursions to nearby waterfalls. They also have instruments like guitars and drums, which guests can play.
The best thing I did in Jardín was going to Finca La Florida. Here, they have tons of bees and give informative tours. You’ll put on a beekeeper suit and get to try fresh honey. There’s also an incredibly small cable car called La Garrucha which is worth it for the experience.
Some of the best restaurants in Jardín include Donde Andres and La Parilla de mi Puebla. There’s also a great vegetarian spot up in the hills called Revolucion Bananera.
5. Salento
There are apparently no direct buses between Jardín and Salento. So, you will likely have to connect through Riosucio and the trip takes a little over five hours in total. Salento is home to one of Colombia’s most famous attractions, the Cocora Valley National Park.
The national park is famous for all of its Quindio wax palm trees, the tallest palms in the world. This is a can’t miss destination which feels a bit like walking through a fairy tale and is about 20 minutes away from the center of Salento.
Along with outdoor activities and coffee production, Salento is known for its colonial architecture. Make sure to walk on Calle Real, which is the heart of Salento. Along with its iconic architecture, there are plenty of artisan shops on the route. Plus, it leads to a beautiful viewpoint of the city and surrounding lush green valley.
Best Places to Visit in Colombia: 6. Popayan
To break up the trip between Salento and Popayan, you could certainly visit Cali. One of Colombia’s biggest cities, Cali is the salsa capital of the world. I spent a week taking lessons at Sondeluz and I highly recommend it.
If you’re not interested in salsa, you could head directly to Popayan, Colombia’s “White City”. The center of Popayan has hundreds of whitewashed buildings. There are also distinct differences in Popayan’s cuisine compared to the rest of the country.
There’s a much stronger emphasis on corn. Empanadas de pipian are very popular, which are filled with potatoes and peanuts with a peanut sauce. Carantanta, which is a type of corn bread, is also typical of Colombia’s Cauca region.
Popayan’s elegant city center is well worth wandering around. Plus, there’s also a pre-Hispanic burial site called El Morro de Tulcan, which has nice views of the White City below. While in Popayan, I kept up my gym routine by heading to the very creatively named Fitness Gym.
Colombia: Other Places to Visit
Popayan was my last real stop in Colombia before crossing over into Ecuador. However, these are by no means the only places worth visiting in the country.
Bogota, the capital, is well worth visiting with some great Summer flight deals. Chingaza National Park, near Bogota, is also beautiful. Unfortunately, it’s not very easy to take buses from Bogota to other major Colombian destinations. So, plan on flying there. Because I took buses from Cartagena all the way down to Ecuador, I wasn’t able to fit Bogota into my trip.
Near Santa Marta, Tayrona National Park is another iconic destination. El Cocuy National Park also has high-altitude glaciers.