Colombia
Colombian
The only South American country with both a Caribbean and a Pacific coast, and the second most biodiverse on the planet. Every climate within a few hours of each other.
Updated on
- Capital
- Bogotá
- Population
- 53 millones
- Currency
- COP · Colombian peso
- Languages
- Spanish
- Plugs
- Types A and B · 110 V · 60 Hz
- Time zone
- America/Bogota
Before you go to Colombia
When to go to Colombia
December to March and July to August, the two dry spells.
Tropical with no seasons: altitude sets the climate. Bogotá sits at 14 °C year-round, Cartagena at 31 °C.
What it costs to travel to Colombia ●●○○○
Low. A set lunch costs 3–5 USD and a city bus fare under 1 USD.
Is it safe to travel to Colombia? ●●●○○
Vastly improved on decades past. Tourist destinations are calm; the local rule applies — no dar papaya, meaning don't flash anything valuable.
Visa for Colombia
Visa-free for 90 days for almost all of Latin America and the European Union, extendable by another 90 from inside the country.
65 Indigenous languages are also recognised.
What to see in Colombia
- 01Cartagena de IndiasBolívar
A 16th-century walled city of flowered balconies and painted streets facing the Caribbean.
- 02Medellín and Comuna 13Antioquia
The city of eternal spring, and the neighbourhood that went from violence to street art, toured by outdoor escalator.
- 03Cocora ValleyQuindío
Wax palms 60 metres tall — the tallest in the world — in the heart of coffee country.
- 04Ciudad PerdidaSierra Nevada de Santa Marta
A four-day trek to a Tayrona city built 650 years before Machu Picchu.
- 05Caño CristalesMeta
The river of five colours: between June and November an aquatic plant turns it scarlet.
- 06Gold MuseumBogotá
34,000 pieces of pre-Columbian goldwork, the largest collection of its kind anywhere.
Culture and food of Colombia
What to eat
- Bandeja paisa, a plate that lasts you all day
- Ajiaco from Bogotá, with three potatoes and guascas herb
- Arepas, different in every region
- Chicken sancocho
- Lechona from Tolima
- Single-origin coffee, the national pride
Customs
- Black coffee is called tinto and drunk at all hours
- Greetings come with a kiss and plenty of contact
- Vallenato and salsa play on every corner
- Diminutives are everywhere: un momentico, ahorita
Festivals
- Barranquilla Carnival (February), a UNESCO heritage event
- Feria de las Flores in Medellín (August)
- Cali Fair (December)
- Blacks and Whites' Carnival in Pasto (January)
Mostly Catholic (≈ 70 %), with a growing evangelical presence.
Curious facts about Colombia
- It has more bird species than any country on Earth: around 1,900, nearly 20 % of the world total.
- It ranks second globally for biodiversity, behind Brazil, on a territory nine times smaller.
- It is the only South American country with coastlines on both the Caribbean and the Pacific.
- The Quindío wax palm is the national tree and the tallest palm in the world.
- Bogotá closes 120 km of avenues every Sunday so the city can go out on bicycles.
Cities in Colombia
- Bogotácapital · 2,583 m
- Cartagena16 m
- Medellín1,469 m
- Cali962 m
- Santa Marta13 m
- Barranquilla21 m
- Bucaramanga1,002 m
- Pereira1,422 m
- Manizales2,123 m
- Villavicencio434 m
- Cúcuta302 m
- Soacha2,566 m
- Ibagué1,137 m
- Montería17 m
- Valledupar174 m
- Buenaventura154 m
- Bello1,455 m
- Pasto2,532 m
- Neiva458 m
- Solitude11 m
- Popayán1,723 m
- Palmira1,004 m
Data from Banco Mundial, GeoNames and WorldClim. Photo from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). The editorial content is our own.