COLOMBIA - Urban Delights & Ancient Treasures

 

Guatape nr. Medellin

A tour round the major cities and some of the smaller towns in the Central & Northern areas of Colombia, including Bogotá, Medellin, Cartagena and the UNESCO heritage site at San Agustin with its unique ancient statues.

HOW TO GET THERE

Flights from a variety of carriers into  the capital Bogota are available from a number of international hubs. We went in via Miami, and managed to get a deal on all our flights with Avianca, the Colombian carrier. We got all the domestic stops and the international journey for the same price as just the return international flight on its own, by just selecting the multi-city stop option when booking on the internet site. At the end of our trip we flew out of Colombia by going from Cartagena to Miami. Most of this trip is by plane, as time and the road network do not support alternative travel over distance. You'll need 3 weeks to do this trip at the leisurely pace we chose, although you could do it in 2 weeks if you cut down the number of nights in some of the locations.

ROUTE:

Bogota-Popayan-San Agustin-Neiva-Medellin-Cartagena

WHERE TO GO SAFELY

Don't be put off visiting any of the destinations mentioned on this trip by the stories of poor safety in Colombia. Although there are issues about where and when you shouldn't go to particular places, you will be well advised by your hosts and other helpful sources such as tourist information. The people are friendly  and welcoming. Our trip was without problems.

BOGOTA

There are a number of areas just outside the immediate City Centre which you could consider as locations for your stay. We walked a lot, but took the Uber option for longer journeys in the City. 

We took up the walking tour offer from the Tourist Information Office to help get our bearings on first arrival. This will take you to the main sights in the centre and introduce you to some of the key points of local culture, including the outstanding street art in La Candelaria, and sampling the local drink Chicha, a fermented corn beer. 

Bogota, La Candelaria - Street Art

We then followed up with visits to the Museo del Oro (ancient gold artefacts and stunning displays)and Museo Botero  which is set in a beautiful building with well-kept gardens(distinctive art & statues by the artist Fernando Botero which you will see a lot more of when you get to Medellin). 

Bogota - Museo Botero: Canasta de Frutas by Fernando Botero

There's always a fair amount going on in the centre - political, performance or just selling in the squares and streets. The city is particularly busy at the weekends, which is a time to avoid museums or other major attractions in order to dodge the queues, and the best time to enjoy the street life and mingle with the crowds in the outdoor spaces.

Bogota - Bolivar Square

A little further out of the centre is the hill of Monserrate. You'll need a taxi to get to the cable car which will take you up to a fantastic overlook from which you can see the spread of the city. There is a market, food stalls and a church at the top. Another worthwhile trip a little further out is to the Botanical Gardens.

If your budget will cover it there are a variety of excursions to attractions as a full/half day or evening out - you will need a taxi or tour for these. We enjoyed a full day and evening round trip, provided by the host of our accommodation, to Guatavita on the Tomine reservoir, the salt mine at Nemocon (where they filmed the 2010 Chilean copper mine rescue), the old town of Zipaquira and winding up in the evening for Colombian style feasting at Andres Carne de Res on the way back into Bogota.

Nemocon nr. Bogota

It's an hour and a half's flight from Bogota to Popayan. 

POPAYAN

Popayan - "the white city" -  so called for its colonial buildings in the centre, second only to Cartagena in their number and quality. Many of the old buildings and cobbled streets have been well preserved and everywhere is easily reached on foot. The old bridges and adjacent gardens down by the river are a quiet spot near the centre. We stayed in an old house close to the centre with beautiful courtyard gardens including a visiting hummingbird. 

Popayan - San Francisco church

We started our stay with the visitor centre's guided walk round the town which was an excellent introduction to the history and culture of the locality, including a visit to a local cafe/bar to try some local specialities. The town is recognised by UNESCO for its distinctive gastronomy. The walk includes the short climb up to El Morro de Tulcan, which sits on the edge of the city and affords a good viewpoint. This is an indigenous pyramid dated between 1600-500 BC and was the burial site of pre-Colombian period nobility. The town has a number of small museums and old churches.The grandiose Teatro Municipal has a varied schedule- we watched a Russian ice spectacular. 

A highlight of the local area is the Tuesday market at Silvia, which sees the indigenous Guambiano people gather in traditional dress. They come into town from their mountain villages in brightly painted buses. You will need a taxi for the hour and a half trip out, or take the very slow local bus.

Silvia - market day

We booked our driver  on recommendation of the host of our accommodation, and arranged a good deal on the return trip including a loop round the hill above the town which has a good outlook and an interesting church.

SAN AGUSTIN

The trip then crosses the Andes on mostly unpaved mountain road from Popayan to San Agustin. This is a fairly slow and bumpy 4 to 5 hour ride in the minibuses that ply the route. Photo shows an orange cement mixer truck backing up half a mile so that the truck we are following can pass. We saw a truck that had toppled over into a ravine.

Popayan to San Agustin unpaved road across the Andes

The effort  getting there is fully rewarded by the unique experiences of San Agustin. The Archaeological Park and surrounding area contain the largest collection of ancient religious statues in South America, and it was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995.  There is a hotel just  a short walk away from the entrance to the archaeological park, with good value basic accommodation, its own small restaurant, and very friendly and helpful staff.

San Agustin Archaeological Park - statues

The statues, up to 7 meters tall and numbering more than 500  across the San Agustin area, are erected outside and inside the burial sites of notable members of the people who lived in the area 1000-1500 years ago. Many statues are of human form but also include animals and monster/mythical figures. You will need the best part of a day to enjoy the walk round the park to see the 130 statues, and visit to the museum/visitor centre.

Funerary statues at Alto de los Idolos, San Agustin

Further sites that equal and some that excel the statues and location of those in the archaeological park can be enjoyed by taking a van/jeep tour of the nearby area with a local guide. The area is set in rainforest and includes deep canyons, waterfalls and rapids. We took the tour arranged via the hotel that included the historic sites of Alto de los Idolos, Alto de las Peidras and Bordones. As well as the statues this included fabulous viewpoints over the Magdalena River and the 170 meter Salto Del Mortino waterfall.

Nr. San Agustin- Salto Del Mortino waterfall

NEIVA

To catch the plane headed back North you will need to get a taxi or bus to Neiva. As this is a four and a half hour journey you will probably need an overnight stay in the town. The flight between Neiva and Medellin requires a connection in Bogota, and will take about 4 hours including a 1.5 hour lay-over.

MEDELLIN

We started our stay in Medellin with a walking tour of the City arranged via the internet, which was a good introduction to local history and culture, and included visits to a beautiful shopping mall that used to be the Palace of Justice,  and to the 23 large statues by Botero in the main square. 

Medellin- statues by Botero

Highlights of the City for us were: 

• the cable car ride to Parque Arvi with its walking trails and butterfly enclosure; 

• a guided tour of the Comuna 13 escalators to view the outstanding street art and break dancing performers; 

• the fine contents and interior of the art deco museum of the area - Museo de Antiquoia.

Medellin- Communa 13 street art

The standout tour of the surrounding area is to the town of Guatape (see photo at head of this blog) with nearby lagoon , and including the unusual pinnacle of Piedra del Penol. Also, on the way you can visit the old market town of Marinilla. Guatape’s houses are fabulously adorned with stuccoed murals.

Piedra del Penol, Guatape Lagoon

CARTAGENA

It's just an hour's flight to the UNESCO heritage city of Cartagena from Medellin. The unique character of this old fort city is clear on the ride in from the airport. The Caribbean vibe is alive in Cartagena, as its just a short walk from the old town to the sea. Here you will  find a lively bar El Baluarte on  the town walls, a great spot to watch the sunset with a cocktail or two.

Cartagena - town walls

The streets comprise a grid of well preserved, gaily painted buildings with colourful floral displays. Amongst a number of museums the Naval museum is well worth popping into to get an overview of the history of the town. You'll find yourself whiling away many hours just walking the streets by day and night, soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the cafes and restaurants of the inner walled town.  

Cartagena - street scene

Apart from the museums which are set in beautiful colonial buildings, other diversions include the carefully preserved churches, monasteries, squares and palaces. Walking along the walls you will come to the old dungeons at Las Bovedas which are now the setting for a craft market. A little further on, just outside the walls is the interesting home of the former president, poet and lawyer Rafael Nunez. Take plenty of time to chill in Cartagena and have a safe flight home!