Poorbuthappy Guide To Colombia

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PBH Travel Guide to Colombia First Edition 2007.
The first ever

POORBUTHAPPY travel guide to
COLOMBIA
Get off the gringo trail.
First Edition January 2007

by travelers for travelers
http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/
This is the first ever version of the PBH Colombia travel guide. Yes, it still needs a lot of
work. We expect to have the next version out in a few months. I just wanted to get this
out there for now. At poorbuthappy.com, travelers are working together on more details,
more maps, more towns, more travel. Enjoy.
You can find updates and more detail on the website,

and share your experiences there as well.
(And yes, it’s free.)
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FEEL FREE TO PRINT/COPY/SHARE THIS GUIDE

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ARRIVING IN BOGOTA
Arriving in a new city and a new country can be a bit bewildering, so here's what you
need to know.
Immigration.
When you get out of the plane, before you can get your luggage you need to go through
immigration. Mosts tourists don't need a visa. Before arriving (in the plane), you fill in
the immigration cards they will hand you in the plane.Once arrived, you will line up, and
the immigration officer will ask you a few questions like:
• Why are you here? - "Turismo".

• How long are you staying? "Until x date" (ask for 90 days from now (the
maximum you can get on a tourist visa) - you will get hopefully 90 days in the
country and later you can get 30 day extensions that you have to pay for. The
DAS is often rather random and they might only give you 60 or 30 days (1
traveller just got 15 days!). Just ask for 90 days, with a bit of luck you'll get it.).
• Where are you staying? - Have the address and telephone number of a hotel (any
hotel is fine) ready.
That's usually it, they'll stamp your passport and let you through. Then you can go and
pick up your luggage.
Next, you need to get some local currency (pesos). There are 3 casas the cambio on the
ground floor that change cash, and there are a bunch of ATM's on the upper level. The
rates are pretty ok, it's fine to change money here.
Getting a taxi.
Yes, it's very safe to take a taxi to your hostel/hotel.
After picking up your luggage, go outside. You will see a lot of people waiting for other
people, and some signs pointing to TAXI's. Follow the signs (to the left) and go outside
of the airport building. There's a little official taxi window where you tell them where
you're going ("La Candelaria" if you're staying in that area) and they'll give you a piece
of paper with the price. You then go in one of the taxis that's waiting there and show the
taxi driver the paper. The taxi driver will then take you to your address, and once you get
there, you pay the driver.
A taxi to La Candelaria will cost about US$ 5 (I don't remember the exact
fare unfortunately).
BOGOTA
Bogota is one of South America's most happening cities. It has culture, bohemia, cafes,
parties, art, dance and business. Bogota is booming, and now is a great time to go.
Bogotanos are friendly and sophisticated. And yes, it's quite safe.
Most travelers land in Bogota as their first stop in Colombia, and spend just a day or two.
Others stay for weeks, months or years.
Bogota can get chilly during the nights (typical temperature 14 degrees Celcius). Most
people wear jeans, shoes and socks, and a sweater or something (a t-shirt alone is too
cold). Jackets are not necessary.
For hostels in Bogota, see our Bogota - Places to Stay guide.
Becoming familiar with the city.
(Going from north to south on this map in a taxi can take an hour. Zona Rosa and La
Candelaria are not within walking distance.)
Bogota is a large city, divided in the modern and rich north, and the poorer south. On the
east side of the city are mountains.
Bogota has a beautiful colonial area, "La Candelaria", that is great fun with lots of
beautiful colored houses, bohemian cafes, arts and theater and so on. The other area
popular with travelers is the "Zona Rosa", which is a modern party area. Most travelers
stay in La Candelaria.
Roads (as in most of South America) are divided in Calles and Carreras. Calles go from
east to west, Carreras from north to south. Carrera 7 is a main artery going from north to
south. And Avenida Jimenez is a road that borders the north of la Candelaria. To go to
the start of La Candelaria, for example, you can ask a taxi driver to go to "Avenida
Jimenez con cuatro (4th)". In La Candelaria, apart from numbers, roads also have cute
names.
Things to do.
La Candelaria is the best place to hang out and stay. It's a colonial area, with colored
houses, surrounded by universities (so there are lots of young people) and filled with
theaters and cafes. There's a lot of graffiti too, but even that manages to blend in and the
mix looks great.
La Candelaria is a great area to have a discussion about arts over a beer. Or to sit on the
ground listen to a cuentero (a story-teller), if your Spanish is good enough. Or to drink an
aromatica (a herbal tea) from a street vendor, eat an arepa from a hole-in-the-wall shop
or eat a plate of morcilla (blood sausage) from another street vendor. Drink chicha (a
special kind of alcoholic brew) in one of the many bars, or just a warm wine or a
canelazo (sugarcane with alcohol drink).
Or you can just walk in one of the many theaters and see a play, or in one of the many
cultural houses and get some poetry done. At night, there's dancing of reggae, salsa, and
lots of young, bohemian people.
In La Candelaria, La Plazoletta del Chorro de Quevedo (Calle 13 with Carrera 2) is a

good place to start partying. There's a small square and a bunch of cafes around
it. Another popular starting place is at Calle 15 with Carrera 4.
In the more modern parts of Bogota you can go to a mall, or watch the latest movies.
Bogota has a lot of museums and historic churches that are easy to visit. There's the
famous gold museum, at the border of La Candelaria. There are also a lot of free cultural
events, like dance events, theatre and so on, that can be fun places to meet Bogotanos.
Just check the newspapers.
You can also take Spanish classes (scroll down for details), salsa dancing and lots of
other courses. Just ask around in the hostels and check the notes on the walls. A lot of
travelers take a few weeks to brush up their Spanish before venturing into Colombia.
At Enrique Rodriguez Galvis (tel 562 29 46, Cr 1 No 12 - 56), you can have a guitar
hand-made from about US$ 50 upwards. He has a small funky shop and you can see the
guys making guitars.
And of course there is partying. Bogotanos are very open and friendly, and Bogota is a
great place to party.
Places to eat.
There are a bunch of cheap places to eat in La Candelaria, try along Carrera 4 between
Calle 14 - 15.. A typical cheap lunch with soup and a main course can cost as little as
5000 pesos (US$ 2.2). You can buy pizza and other snacks all throughout La Candelaria.
L'Jaim (http://restauranteljaim.tripod.com, Cr 3 No 14 - 79), open from 11AM to 6PM, is

a great Isreali restaurant with friendly owners who can help out with travel tips and such.
They serve shawarma, falafel, and a lunch special for 7200 pesos (US$ 3).
Mora Mora (Carrera 3A No 15 - 98, on the corner from Platypus) is a juice-shop that
serves breakfast and juices, but opens too late for breakfast (around 10:00am).
Casa Vieja is a good restaurant in La Candelaria. It's a good place to invite someone if
you want a very typical Colombian experience. It's a bit more expensive than a standard
meal, a typical meal is around 20000 pesos (US$ 8). They serve Colombian classics like
Ajiaco (soup from Bogota). It's only open for lunch, there is a branch in the center of
Bogota that's open for dinner too.
Menta y Miel (Carrera 4 No 14 - 92, tel 3 421991) is a good place for breakfast: you can
have fruit salad, eggs, the works, and it tends to be open at breakfast time (except on
Sunday).
Cafeteria Romana (Avenida Jimenez No 6 - 65, tel 334 81 35) is a 50s-style coffee-
house like you can find in various places in Colombia. You can have a coffee with some
cake or have lunch in a 50s diner-style setting. Not touristy at all!
Party.
Bogota is a great city to party. You can take it Bohemian-style in the cafes and bars of La
Candelaria, or you can party in big discos. You'll find salsa, cumbia, disco, techno, you
name it.
There's not much point in listing all the places in La Candelaria, they are all cool. Just
wander around, you'll find lots of cafes. To dance, just follow the music. Friday and
Saturday get busy, the rest of the week is pretty quiet.
La Zona Rosa is another party zone. More up north, it's modern and has lots of discos and
cafes. It's not as bohemian nor as arty as La Candelaria.
General useful Information.
(Much of this was provided by Herman from the Platypus Hostal, checked on Dec 2006.)
Population: 7.5 million. Area Code: 1.
Taking Spanish classes.
A lot of travelers take Spanish classes in Bogota, from simple interchange classes to long
term in-depth courses.
Apart from the resources below, you'll also find ads at Platypus and other hostels.
Individual recommended teachers:
• Marcia tel 221 28 41 or 311 241 07 27

• Gustavo tel 493 75 63
The following people interchange Spanish classes for English classes.
• Gustavo tel 493 75 63

• Laura tel 713 99 36 – 361 37 71
• Margarita tel 341 48 54 – 310 246 33 65
• Tiziana tel 315 263 27 96
A bunch of the universities have Spanish courses for foreigners:
• UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL http://www.unal.edu.co

Calle 29 Nº Cra 40
Tels: 316 53 35 – 311 67 73
• UNIVERSIDAD JAVERIANA http://www.javeriana.edu.co
Cra 7 Nº 40 – 62 Piso 4 Maritza Castro
$ 1.920.000 x 120 horas
Tels: 320 83 20 Ext 4620 – 320 46 20
• UNIVERSIDAD EXTERNADO
Calle 12 Nº 1 – 17 Este
Tels: 282 60 66 – 341 99 00
• UNIVERSIDAD DE LOS ANDES http://www.uniandes.edu.co/,
espaextr@uniandes.co
Cra 1 A Este Nº 18 A - 70
Tels: 286 92 11 Ext. 2566
• UNIVERSIDAD PEDAGOGICA
Calle 79 Nº 16 – 32
COP $ 250.000= X nivel / 40 horas
Tels: 610 80 00
Rocio Sanchez.
If you tried any of these, share your comments!
Movies:
You can watch most new Hollywood movies, there are a lot of theaters. Check a
newspaper to see what's playing. Tuesday and Thursdays are the cheapest days to go to
the movies.
Here are some places that show alternative movies:
• Museo Nacional, Cra 7 Nº entre calle 28 y calle 29, tel 334 83 66.
• Cine Club Universidad Central, Calle 22 Nº 5 – 91 / 85, tel 341 32 51.
• Centro Cultural Islamico, Diagonal 22 B Nº 43 A – 13 Piso 2, tel 244 75 23.
• Club Social Quiebra Canto, Calle 80 Nº 14 – 11, tel 530 03 66.
• Goethe Institut Bogota, Cra 7 Nº 81 – 57, 210 08 50.
• Museo de Arte Moderno, Calle 24 Nº 6 – 00, tel 286 04 66.
• Cine Club Calle del Agrado, Calle 16 Nº 4 – 47, tel 281 46 71 or 273 97 24.
• Cinematica Distrital, Cra 7 Nº 22 – 79, tel 334 34 51 or 283 77 98.
• Magitinto, Calle 69 Nº 11 A – 25 or at Cra 6 Nº 17 - 12, tel 312 80 14 or 619 45
01.
Theaters:
There are a lot of theater groups in Bogota. In La Candelaria, there are a bunch of
theaters and you can often just walk in, ask when they have a play and watch it 2 hours
later.
• Camerin del Carmen, Calle 9 Nº 4 – 93, tel 283 17 72.

• Teatro Colon (http://www.bogota-dc.com/eventos/teatro/colon.html), Calle 10 Nº
5 - 32, tel 284 74 20 or 341 04 75. Large theater groups play here in an historic
building.
• Teatro Ditirambo, Calle 45 A Nº 14 – 37, tel 338 03 39.
• Teatro experimental la mama, Calle 63 Nº 9 – 60, tel 211 27 09.
• Teatro La Candelaria, Calle 12 Nº 2 - 59, tel 342 03 88 or 286 37 15. A small
theater in La Candelaria.
• La Media Torta, Avenida circunvalar con Calle 18, tel 281 77 04. Up some steep
stairs in La Candelaria, this open air theater also often has free cultural events.
• Teatro Libre, Calle 13 Nº 2 - 44 and at Calle 62 Nº 10 – 65, tel 341 96 17 or 217
19 88.
• Teatro Nacional, Calle 71 Nº 10 – 25, tel 217 45 77 or 235 80 69.
• Teatro Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, Cra 7 Nº 22 – 47, tel 334 68 00.
•
Embassies:
• German Embassy, Carrera 69 Nº 43 B – 44 Piso 7, tel 423 26 00 or 423 26 26.

• Australian Consulate, Cra 18 Nº 90 – 38, tel 636 52 47 or 530 10 47.
• Brazilian Embassy (open 9:00 to 13:00), Calle 93 Nº 14 – 20 Piso 8, tel 218 08
00.
• Canadian Embassy, Cra 7 Nº 115 – 33 Piso 14, tel 657 98 00.
• Ecuador Embassy (http://www.embajadaecuacol.net), Calle 89 Nº 13 – 07, tel 542
71 21 – 31 – 41 Ext. 13
• Great Brittain Embassy, Cra 9 Nº 76 – 49 Piso 9, tel 326 83 00 or 317 64 23 (for
visas).
• Italian Embassy, Calle 93 B Nº 9 – 92, tel 218 66 80.
• Israeli Embassy, Calle 35 Nº 7 – 25 Piso 14, tel 288 46 37.
• Japanese Embassy, Cra 7 Nº 71 – 21 Torre B, Piso 11, tel 317 50 01.
• French Embassy, Cra 11 Nº 93 – 12, tel 618 05 11 or 638 14 00.
• Dutch Embassy, Cra 13 Nº 93 – 40 Piso 5, tel 638 42 00 or 623 30 20.
• Mexican Embassy, Calle 114 Nº 9 – 01 oficina 204 Torre A, tel 629 49 89.
• Panama Embassy, Calle 92 Nº 7 A – 40, tel 257 44 52 or 257 50 58.
• Swiss Embassy, Cra 9 Nº 74 – 08 oficina 1101, tel 349 72 30.
• USA Embassy, Calle 22 D Bis Nº 47 – 51, tel 315 08 11.
• Venezuelan Embassy, Cra 11 Nº 87 – 51 Piso 5, tel 640 12 13.
• New Zealand Embassy, Diagonal 109 Nº 1 – 39 este Apto. 401, tel 620 01 30 or
629 85 24.
Health:
Health services in Colombia are generally pretty good and affordable. You won't have
trouble finding a decent doctor. Medical tourism is on the rise.
• Lasik Eye Surgery:

o Edupac, tel 01 800 91 26 00, ask for Patricia.
o La Fam, Cll 19 # 8 - 69, tel 286 17 38 or 282 38 87 or 282 38 67.
• Dentist:
o Doctor Aquilar speaks English, Cra 4 Nº 18 – 50 oficina 1802, tel 284 01
23 or 284 22 62.
• Pharmacies:
o Most of the supermarkets (Cafam, Olimpica, Colsubsidio) have
pharmacies that sell medecines at decent prices.
o Locatel Supermercado de Salud, Cra 13 Nº 11 – 09, tel 345 16 38 – 235 23
26.
o Santa Rita (homeopathy), Cra 5 Nº 11 – 09, tel 342 10 55.
• Vaccinations:
o Clinica Marly, Calle 50 Nº 7 – 72, tel 245 47 29 or 288 67 81 or 287 10
20.
o Red Cross Colombia, Avenida 68 Nº 66 – 31, tel 437 53 30 or 428 01
11 or 428 11 11.
o Instituto Nacional de Salud, Avenida 26 Nº 51 – 60, tel 220 77 00.
o Unidad de Prevencion y Vacunacion Internacional (Centro de Atencion al
Viajero), Cra 7 Nº 119 – 14 consultorio 328, tel 215 20 29. A Yellow
Fever vaccine is 46000 pesos (US$ 21), a Havrix shot (Hepatits B) is
30000 pesos (US$ 23), a Hepatitis A shot is 77000 (US$ 35).
• Doctors:
o Dra. Brigitte Scholz, Calle 183 Nº 76 - 65, tel 670 49 82 or 311 561 09 10.
o Dr. Werner Wittich (speaks German), Cra 7 Nº 119 – 14 consultorio 410,
tel 215 64 27.
o Paul Vaillancourt (speaks English), Cra 11 Nº 94 A – 25 oficina 401, tel
635 63 12 or 635 63 57 or 635 63 79.
Banks and money:
There are casas de cambio (money changing houses) everywhere. They offer decent
deals but shop around because rates may differ. Do NOT change money on the street if
someone offers to pay good cash for your dollars - it's a rip-off.
The best way to get cash is to use your debit/credit card and take money out of an ATM -
ATM's are also everywhere in the cities.
• American Express office, Cra 6 Nº 14 – 74 oficina 904, tel 313 11 46.

• Receiving money from abroad:
o Western Union, Avda Jimenez Cra 4 – 74, 1 floor, tel 651 05 00.
o MoneyGram (via American Express), Calle 53 Nº 26 – 60 Carulla, tel 255
66 49.
Sending packets:
• Servientrega Internacional, Calle 64 Nº 89 A – 83, tel 543 73 00 or 546 40 00.

• DHL, Cra 85d Nº 46a – 38 (bus 299 to the airport, get off at avda cali offsite
Dorado Plaza), tel 423 51 00 or 423 52 00.
• Deprisa (FedEx), Calle 64 A Nº 94 – 69, tel 40 53 00 Ext 46 or 01 8000 912 216.
• Speedway, Transv. 44 Nº 93 A – 77 B. Andes, tel 253 33 05 or 613 21 08.
• FedEx, Transv. 93 Nº 61 – 32 int 26 / 27, tel 291 01 00.
• Servientrega, Calle 64 Nº 89 A – 83, tel 770 03 80 – 770 04 10.
Shopping:
• Flea market Cra 7 Nº 24 Parqueadero.

• Flea market Cra 7 Calle 116, Hacienda Santa Barbara.
• San Andresito (Bogota's "smugglers market", electronics & imported goods), Cra
38 Nº Calle 12.
• Centro Comercial San Victorino, Cra 10 Calle 10.
• Confecciones "El Vaquero" (leather goods), Cra 23 Nº 63 E – 92.
Shopping malls:
There are lots of shopping malls, and richer Colombians love to hang out there.
• Bulevar Niza Centro Comercial (http://www.cniza.com), Cra 54 Nº 125 A – 48.

• Centro Comercial Atlantis Plaza, Calle 81 Nº 13 – 05.
• Centro Comercial Andino (http://www.centroandino.com), Cra 11 Nº 82 – 71.
• Centro Chia, Av Padilla 900 este – chia.
• Centro Suba, Calle 140 Nº 91 – 19.
• Centro Comercial Galerias, Calle 53b Nº 26 – 41 Entrada 8.
• Granahorrar (http://www.centrogranahorrar.com), Calle 72 Nº 10 – 34.
• Centro Comercial Hacienda Santa Barbara
(http://www.haciendasantabarbara.com.co), Cra 7 Nº 115 – 60.
• Centro Comercial Metropolis (http://www.ccmetropolis.com.co), Avenida 68 Nº
75 A – 50.
• Centro Comercial Plaza de las Americas
(http://www.plazadelasamericas.com.co), Transv. 71 D Nº 26 – 94 Sur.
• Salitre Plaza Centro Comercial (http://www.salitreplaza.com.co), Cra 68 B Nº 24
- 39.
• Centro Comercial Unicentro (http://www.unicentrobogota.com), Av 15 Nº 123 -
30.
• Centro Comercial Unilago (computer hardware), Cra 15 Nº 78 – 05.
• Army (t-shirts), Calle 7 Nº 18 – 42.
Handicrafts:
Handicrafts are always fun to buy, and there are some typical ones that can be useful
while traveling:
Muchilas (woven carrying bags) are popular with Colombians and foreigners. They're
made by the Arahuacos (indiginous community in the Sierra Nevada at Santa Marta), and
very useful to carry stuff around. Lately, you can even see them in New York. They're
available in many colors, but most have grey and black motives.
Ruana's are woven ponchos made of wool, the best place to buy them is Villa de Leyva.
They're used by the campesinos in Boyaca, and they're quite warm.
• Artesanisas de Colombia, Cra 3 Nº 18 A - 58.
• Artesanias Werregue (basketry), Cra 71 Nº 5 A - 60.
• Pasaje Artesanal, Calle 16 Cra 6, in front of the Museo de Oro.
• Pasaje Rivas, Cra 10, calle 10, a persian bazar in Bogotá.
• Artesanias Maku, Avda 19 Nº 106 – 30.
• Molas, Calle 15 Nº 1B – 02 Meidi Rios.
• Second hand clothes: Cra 15 entre calle 54 y calle 59.
• Tagua (a Colombian seed that's used for jewelry): Cra 10 Nº 11 – 73 local 220.
• Chewing Tobacco: Centro Andino local 314, 3º piso.
• Malabares (musical instruments): Avda 15 Nº 116 – 06, E-17.
PS: be careful when buying jewelry or emeralds, since you probably won't get a good
deal unless you really know what you're talking about (especially with emeralds).
Camping and sports:
There is decent camping equipment for sale in Bogota, although you can perhaps find
better quality at cheaper prices if you buy it before you leave in the USA or Europe. You
could also try asking around at the hostels, maybe someone is selling something.
With the improved safety situation, camping is ok again in many places in Colombia.
• Aventura Almacenes, Cra 13 Nº 67 – 26. Backpacks, stoves, tents ("carpas") and

so on.
• Acampar guias y mapas, Calle 57 Nº9 – 29 Of. 301.
• Montana Accesorios, Cra 13 A Nº 79 – 46.
• Tatto (http://www.tatto.ws), outdoors & travel, Cra 15 Nº 96 – 67
• Acampar - camping vive, Diagonal 5 A Nº 73 C – 16 Barrio Mandalay.
• Acampemos Iglu (http://www.iglu.com.co), Cra 24 Nº 48 - 24 and at Calle 140 Nº
23 – 61 Local 13.
• Montana Rescate, Calle 100 Nº 41 – 40 local 501 and at Calle 95a Nº 51 – 11 La
Floresta.
• Manglares (for cycling and kayak), Cra 5 Nº 55 – 68.
Gay & Lesbian (http://www.angelfire.com/pop/guiagay/bogotaq.htm, or

http://www.guiagaycolombia.com/bogota/).
Bogota has an active gay scene. The Chapinero area is a popular gay area, not seedy at all
with lots of bars and restaurants for gay and non-gay people.
• La Oficina.com, Calle 59 Nº 13 - 22, tel 249 49 98.

• Blues Bar, Calle 86A No. 13A-30.
• Boys Club, Av. Caracas. No. 37-68.
• Theatron (http://www.theatrondepelicula.com), in Chapinero, Calle 58 Nº 10 - 42,
tel 249 20 92, US$ 8 cover, a huge disco with several floors.
• Nextdoor, Lottus is similar and new, male only.
• Cafe Village, Cra 8 Nº 64 - 29, tel 346 65 92.
• Ponto de Encontro, Cra 7 Nº 48 A - 70, tel 288 58 36.
• Bianca, Calle 72 Nº 16 - 48.
• Apolo's Men (male striptease), Calle 85 Nº 11 - 18.
• El Closet Lounge (http://www.elclosetbogota.com).
ONG (non profit organizations and such):

(http://www.indetectable.org/pages/ong.htm)
• Confederacion de las ONGs de Bogota y Cundinamarca, Calle 175 Nº 40 – 65

oficina 536, tel 677 10 88 or 672 26 50.
• Confederacion Colombiana de ONGs, Calle 70 A No. 7 - 81, tel 606 07 04 or 606
15 48.
• Asociacion Creemos en Ti (sexual abuse and child abuse,
http://www.asociacioncreemosenti.org.co).
Safety.
Bogota is generally pretty safe. Like any big city, there are areas you should avoid (like
the south, but it is very unlikely you would ever go to a bad neighbourhood there), and
there are things you shouldn't do (walk drunk at 3am on an empty road). Avoid empty
streets late at night. If you're at a club, take a taxi home.
PLACES TO STAY IN BOGOTA

Before you choose a place to stay, you probably want to choose an area where you want
to stay. Most travellers stay in La Candelaria - the historic district. Other areas to stay
could be El Centro and La Zona Rosa (for partying). We don't have a lot of hostels listed
outside of La Candelaria yet - let us know of good ones!
To give you an idea of prices, the cheapest dorm beds in La Candelaria are about US$ 5,
a cheap double with bathroom is about US$ 15. The good places fill up early, so you
might want to make a reservation before arriving.
Budget hostels in La Candelaria.
Platypus (http://platypusbogota.com, tel 352 01 27 or 341 28 74, fax 352 01 27, Calle 16
No 2-43, platypushotel@yahoo.com), in La Candelaria, is probably the best traveler
hostel in Colombia. If you want to stay here, make a reservation (by phone or email) at
least a week in advance. Otherwise, you can just show up in the mornings around 9,
10am. You have like a 1 in 2 change for a dorm bed, or a 1 in 3 change for a double room
if you check on any specific day itself. If you show up at Platypus and they're full, they'll
still be very welcoming (free coffee!) and help you find a place to stay nearby.
Platypus has a great common area with tables, a kitchen you can use, a book exchange,
hot showers, free wifi and internet and free coffee.
The rooms are basic but clean. Dorm beds 15000 pesos (US$ 6), double without
bathroom 30000 pesos (US$ 12). Herman also has a few houses nextdoor where he can
put you up if there is space and you want to stay a bit longer. It's also a good place to ask
around for options for staying longer term.
The best thing about Platypus is its owner, Herman, who speaks more languages than
you'd reasonably expect and has travelled to more countries than you can count. He also
knows more than anyone about traveling in Colombia. If you have any questions about
going somewhere in Colombia, Herman will know. Platypus is also incredibly social, and
Herman works hard to keep it that way. I really can't say enough good things about
Platypus.
Hotel Internacional (http://www.es.geocities.com/hotelinternacionalbogota/ Carrera 5

No 14-45, opposite the "Alcaldia Local", Tel 341 3151 or 342 3768 or 341 8731,
hotelinternacionalbogota@hotmail.com) is a decent cheapie, dorm beds are 13000 (US$
5) per person, rooms with bathroom are 20000 (US$ 8) for a single, 35000 for 2 people,
45000 for 3 and 55000 for 4. Popular with budget travellers. There's a kitchen to use.
Centro Plaza (http://www.hotelcentroplaza.com, tel 243 3818 or 286 15 80, Carrera 4 No

13-12, hotelcentroplaza@gmail.com) is one of the best choices, and a bit nicer/cleaner
than Hotel Internacional. Dorm beds are 18000 (US$ 7), doubles are 45000 (US$ 20).
The owner is Israeli and that's clear in the decoration of the hotel. There's a kosher
restaurant and internet cafe attached.
Hotel El Dorado (Carrera 4 No 15 -00 (entry on the corner), Tel 334 399 88 or 281 72
71) is a decent option in a good location. The building is nice and colonial, and rooms are
clean and large enough. A double with bathroom is 30000 pesos (US$ 12) - rooms at the
street side can be a bit noisy on Friday and Saturday. Before you decide to stay here, you
should know that they do rent out rooms per hour as well, which might turn you off.
Hotel Santa Fe (Calle 14 No 4-48, Tel 342 05 60, 1 person 27000 pesos, 2 people 41000
pesos, 3 people 54000 pesos) is one of two deliciously run-down hotels in La Candelaria.
Rooms are big, have high ceilings, the hotel has a lot of wood and looks like it hasn't
been rennovated since the 1920s, which in this case is a good thing. It's not super clean,
but you get that old-school charm instead. Hotel Dorantes (Calle 13, between Carrera 5
and 6) is similar, it might even be more visually charming, but it's just as run down.
Rambling wood and high ceilings, and great light to take some pictures. Hey, it'd be a
good movie set, actually! 35000 for a single, 45000 for a double.
Hostal Sue (http://www.hostalsue.com, 16 # 2 - 55, Tel: 571 334 88 94, or 310 877 53
87 ,reservations@hostalsue.com) is a new budget hostal, right next door to the Platypus.
Unfortunately, it doesn't have the love, socialness or atmosphere of the Platypus. A dorm
bed is 14000 pesos, a single room is 25000, a double is 35000.
Hotel Avenida Jimenez (Av Jimenez No 4-71, Tel 243 66 85, or 286 7303) has small
(some say claustrophic) but clean rooms with bathroom at 40000 (US$ 18) for a double,
50000 pesos for 2 double beds and 60000 pesos for 3 double beds (a great deal if you
happen to travel with 3 couples that don't mind sharing a room?) It's a good place for a
night if the great places are full and well located.
Mid-range hotels in la Candelaria.
Abadia Colonial (http://www.abadiacolonial.com, Calle 11 No 2 - 32, Tel 341 18 84, fax

342 26 72, abadiacolonial@gmail.com) is one of the few boutique hotels in Colombia. It
is small and set in a beautiful colonial house. Rooms are clean with private bathroom and
comfy beds, and they even have a heater in each room, something that can be handy in
chilly Bogota but that you almost never find. Single rooms are 90000 pesos (US$ 40),
doubles are 13000. There's a tea room too.
There are also a mid-range few hotels that are kind of boring, the kind of place a
businessman on a budget or a family would stay, but they're ok and clean enough. Hotel
San Sebastian (tel 334 60 41, Av Jimenez No 3-97) is a good example, it's large and
clean, but not much atmosphere. Rooms with bathroom and television are 45000 (US$
20) for a single, 65000 (US$ 30) for a double. Hotel Ambala
(http://www.hotelambala.net, tel 342 6384 or 341 23 76, Carrera 5 No 13-46) is
similar, but more colonial-styled than San Sebastian. Rooms have bathroom and tv (and a
weird minibar), 46000 (US$ 20) for a single, 69000 for a double with 1 bed, 100000 for 3
people (2 beds).
I wish there were more interesting budget or mid-range places to stay in La Candelaria,
let me know if you know of any!
Elsewhere in Bogota.
Hotel Villa Karina (Calle 30 No 17 - 47, Tel 287 14 45 or 287 53 09 or 287 12 98 or 285
65 47) is a good option if you want to stay close-ish to the Macarena area and live
Colombian style: it's popular with Colombian businessmen on a budget. The service is
friendly, and the restaurant serves decent cheap meals all day long (a dinner with soup
and all for 4500 pesos!). You won't see any foreigners here. 50000 (US$ 20) for a double
with private bathroom. There's a laundry place across the road.
Other options that I haven't checked personally (but they have websites): Hotel La
Sabana (http://www.hotellasabana.com) charges US$ 35 for a double.
La Casona del Patio Amarillo (http://www.lacasonadelpatio.net) seems like a great

budget option up north, and charges US$ 20 for a nice double. It's not the best located,
but a nice athmospheric budget place to stay.
Real expensive.
I didn't visit expensive options these personally. Next time though!

Hotel Los Urapanes (http://www.hotellosurapanes.com.co website down right now) is a
boutique hotel in la Zona Rosa, US$ 100 for a double.
Hotel La Boheme (http://www.hotelesroyal.com) is also in la Zona Rosa, about US$ 100

a double as well.
Hotel de la Opera (http://www.hotelopera.com.co, 336 2066) charges 100 US$ for a

double in La Candelaria.
Long term stays.
If you plan to stay a few weeks or months in Bogota, it's relatively easy to find an
appartment to share or rent. Just ask around in the Platypus and some of the other traveler
hangouts. You should soon be set. There are a number of houses and rooms in La
Candelaria that are rented out to travelers for longer periods.
Leave your experiences in the comments :)
Bad hotels.
I only list these because they're listed in some of the travel guides, and you might get the
idea that they're ok.
Hotel Dan Colonial (listed in the Lonely Planet) is not recommended: rooms are
overpriced and the service is rude.
We strongly recommend against staying in the Hotel Aragon, which is still listed in the
Lonely Planet travel guide. Many travellers report that the place is now unkept and run
down, it's not particularly cheap and the service is horrible. When I went there to check
the hotel like I do with all hotels listed here (and before hearing these stories), I was
treated like shit and almost got into a fight with the employees. A Japanese guy called the
cops on them recently and it was a huge fight. Everyone we spoke to in Bogota had
similar stories. Do not spend a peso in the Hotel Aragon, they really don't deserve it.
Your favourite hotel not listed? Or did you stay at one of these places and have
comments? Leave a comment! We'll check new places listed in the comments in a few
months, next time we're in Bogota.
CALI
Cali is one of the three big cities in Colombia (Bogota and Medellin are the other two).
It's most famous for it's love of salsa music: it's one of the best places in South America
(and the world) to dance Salsa. It's at a lower altitude (1000 m) and therefore warmer
than Medellin or Bogota. Luckily, evening breezes will cool you off in time for the
parties. Average temperature is 24 degrees Celcius. Bogota is chilly, Medellin is
springtime, Cali is tropical, Cartagena is hot.
Cali is not particularly pretty in any "colonial" sense. In the middle of the city runs the
Rio Cali. In the south, around Plaza de Caycedo is the historic part of the city. Avenida
sexta (6th) is the new part of town in the north, and a lot of hostels are here. To the north-
east is Juanchito, the salsa district.
Things to do.
Avenida Sexta is the modern party district, Juanchito is the place to go for salsa, but
only gets rocking after midnight. Taxis to Juanchito are about 10,000 COP. In the south
of Cali, around Calle 5 there's a party zone as well. Whereas in Medellin partying means
drinking, in Cali partying means dancing - so put on your dancing shoes!
In December, like everywhere in Colombia, Cali has more parties than ever. The Feria
de Cali is a huge, multi-day party in December that starts of with a cavalcade - a horse
parade where some of the riders are dressed up as Spaniards or criollos. They ride
through the strech designated for the cavalcade drinking aguardiente and joking with their
friends while people gather on the sidewalks to watch them. Usually the whole thing
deteriorates into a drunken revelry with flogged or abandoned horses, garbage in heaps
and general chaos and disorder.
A lot of people enjoy partying in Cali, but what do you during the day? Improve your
Spanish! To find a teacher, you can ask around at the hostels, or go with an official
program at one of the universities.
Universidad Santiago de Cali (http://www.usc.edu.co) has Spanish courses for

foreigners, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 7pm to 8:40pm.
Most travelers seem to go to the language center of Universidad Javeriana

(http://www.puj.edu.co/departamento/idiomas/efe.html). They charge depending on the
class size, about 10 to 15000 COP per hour, and you have to take the entire course (64
hours).
Another option is the Centro Colombo Americano but they're reportedly expensive at
17$/hour for private classes.
ESSO
(http://www.estudiosexterior.com/programas/spanish/spanish_dates_housing_prices.htm)
offers private classes ("Spanish for life") for US$ 14/hour. They have centers in Cali and
Bogota and also offer their program in Barranquilla.
The Zoologico de Cali (Cr 2A Oeste & Calle 14 Oeste, 9 - 5pm, admission 6000 COP) is
by far the best zoo in the country.
Places to Stay.
There are a few traveler hostals in Cali.
Guest House Iguana (Calle 21N No 9N-22, close to Avenida Sexta, tel 661 35 22,
iguana_cali@yahoo.com) is a great hostal run by a Swiss woman. Singles with bathroom
are 20000 COP (US$ 8), doubles 25000 COP.
Calidad House (Calle 17N No 9AN-30, tel 661 2338) has dorm beds for 15000 COP
(US$ 7), and is a good choice too. There's a shared kitchen and you can do your laundry.
Hostal Santa Rita (Av 3 Oeste No 7 - 131, tel (572) 89 26 143,

info@hostalsanterita.com, http://www.hostalsantarita.com/) is in a colonial house and
seems like a good option. All rooms have airco.
The following hostels and hotels are listed here for your convenience but we haven't
checked them. See this post.
Hotel el Prado (Calle 42 # 1N20, tel 4413585) might be the cheapest place in Cali at
13,000 COP for a room with bath and tv.
Aparta Hotel Plaza Norte (Calle 44N #28N-66 (just off Third Ave), tel: 665 0024 ) is an
aparta hotel that opened in 2006. Rooms with bathroom, fridge etc. are
supposedly $33.000.
Hostal San Fernando (Calle 3 No. 27-87, tel 011 (572) 556 4818,
calihotel@hotmail.com, http://www.calihotel.com/) is an American-owned bed and
breakfast. Rooms start at US$ 29 and apartments at US$ 39 per day.
Hotel Royal Plaza in the city center at the Plaza de Caycedo is about 65000 pesos plus
tax (roughly 30 USD).
Hotel Aristi (Cra 9 # 10-04, tel 882 2521) charges COP 60,000 (US 27) for single rooms
with a fan and COP 80,000 (US$ 37) for airco rooms. This area is not so safe at night.
Hotel Astoria (Calle 11 # 5-16, tel 883 3253) charges 39,000 (US 18) (ask for discount)
for a single bed with a fan.
Apartaestudios Segunda Avenida (Av2 N 8-47, tel 667-0426) charges COP 60,000 (US$
27).
Apartahotel Rivera del Rio (Av 2N # 19N73 Barrio Versalles next to Cali Tower, tel 681
4901) charges COP 70,000 (US 32) for rooms with fan, COP 80,000 (US$ 36)
for appartments with airco.
Hostal Casa Centenario (Av 1N #2-23 Barrio Centenario, tel 680 9600 , 661 4805) is in
a poorer neighboorhood, in front of the river, and charges 42,800 (fan) or 53,500 (airco)
Hostal Casa Tequendama (Calle 5A# 404-41 near to Imbanaco, tel 551-7198 , 553
4589) charges 43,000 (fan).
Hotel del Puente (Calle 5 # 4-36, tel 893-8484, 893 8289) charges 35,000. Not necesarily
the safest area at night.
More expensive places and long-term stays.
Cali Plaza (Calle 15 Norte No. 6N-37, tel: English: (From USA 011+57+) 312-287-9840
(Claude) or 315-537-6934 (Edgar)
Spanish: (From USA 011+572+) 668-2611 (Cali Plaza Reception)) is an American-
owned hotel/appartment building with rooms from US$ 55 and up.
Hotel Vizcaya Real (http://www.hotelvizcayareal.com.co) - only 1/2 block away from la

6ta Avenida.. north side - $120,000/night (US$ 55).
Hotel Don Jaime (Av. 6ª Norte 15N-25, tel (57)(2) 667 2828 - FAX: (57)(2) 668 7098,
reservas@hoteldonjaime.com, http://www.hoteldonjaime.com) is on Av exta can be very
loud at night. Rooms are 128,000 COP/night (US$ 55).
Hotel Granada Real (Avenida 8ª Norte Nº 15AN-31, tel (572) 661 4920,
hotelgranadareal@telesat.com.co, http://www.hotelgranadareal.com) is located in the
upscale neighborhood of Barrio Granada. Very posh and elegant and also a couple of
blocks from la 6ta. Rooms are 130,000/night (US$ 55).
Hotel Plaza Versailles (Avenida 5N No. 17-59, tel 682 27 27,

http://www.hotelplazaversalles.com) is very upscale too, only a block away from
la Sexta. Rooms are 135,000/night (US$ 55).
Hotel Valle Real (http://www.hotelvallerealcali.com) is probably the most upscale of all

but also the most expensive... 2 blocks away from la Sexta - 160,000/night (US$ 80).
Transport.
The Palmaseca airport is 15km from the city. You can take a taxi (COP 30,000) or a
colectivo (COP 2700).
To take a colectivo, go down to the doors where passengers arriving on national flights
leave the airport (opposite end from international flights) - there is always a colectivo
waiting. These arrive every fifteen minutes up to about nine or nine-thirty at night and go
to the bus terminal in Cali. Cost is $2.700 and almost as fast as a $30.000 taxi.
The bus terminal is in north Cali just a few blocks from Chipichape. You can walk to the
bus terminal from the center, or take a bus or taxi (US$ 2). Buses to go to Bogota (US$
22, 12 hours), Medellin (US$ 13, 9 hours - if you take the 10:00am bus you get to see the
countryside) and Pasto (US$ 12, 9 hours). The Pasto buses can drop you off in Popayan.
A brief intro to salsa music.
The king of tropical music, salsa used to be regarded as low class music - only poor
people would dance it. It's more accepted now though. There are different types of salsa
music.
Salsa originated from the Cuban immigrants in New York, which is why NY and Cuba
are some of the best places to hear salsa. In Colombia, Cali is the salsa capital, but
Medellin has a few spectacular places as well.
It's not easy to dance to though - much harder than the merengue that's popular in
festivals in Europe. Some people say it's in the knees, some say it's in the hips, some say
it's in the feet. And they keep telling you to feel the rythm. When you start to listen to
salsa, listen to the rhythm of the wooden thingies (called claves) that they do tick-tick
with. Once you get that rythm you'll be in much better shape.
If you're familiar with New York style salsa dancing (or styles of other countries), you'll
notice Colombians are much less "showy". Every city has it's style - Calenas dance
different from Paisas.
Some must-hear songs:
• Pete Rodriquez (el conde rodriguez): micaela. Get any CD that has this one,
you won't be sorry. You can get decent salsa CD's from the street vendors for as
little as 5 US$. Micaela is his woman who isn't very happy so goes to dance
alone, and quite spectacularly at that, it seems. And so will you! (health tip: try to
limit the amount of times you're gonna shout 'move that thing' or 'hug me mama'
when listening to this song)
• Cheo Feliciano : el raton. Just so you know, raton means mouse. (I thought you
should know that, since you'll be yelling it a lot if you get this song). Another
classic. I just love that piano driven salsa…
• Joe Cuba: Mujer Divina. Yet another classic, this ones gets a bit disco-y at
times, but is completely brilliant as well! (corazon is heart, and mulatta means
brown girl.)
• Ismael Riviera: negro bembon. Seems they killed the black guy just because he
had big lips (the title means negro with big lips). Yep, it's a though world in the
world of salsa! Boom boom boom!
More salsa artists to look out for in the CD store: Willie Colon, Naty y su Charanga,
Grupo Niche, Mon Rivera, La renovacion, Orquesta Colon, El conde Rodriguez, Negro
Bembon, Cheche Mendoza, TNT band, Ismael Rivera, Los melodicos, J. Mangual, Joe
Cuba, and anything from the FANIA artists. (there's a number of cd's called fania 1 to 9).
More useful information.
The Secretaria de Cultura y Tourismo (the tourist office) is at Cr 7 between Calle 9 and
Calle 10.
There are lots of ATMs and banks in the city, and you can easily find internet cafes along
Avenida Sexta.
Dentists:
• Dr. Jorge Latorre (Centro Comercial Holguines Trade Center, Torre farallones,
tel: 331 4504) Bilingual. Aesthetic dentistry. universidad Javeriana, U de Texas.
• Dra. Mayeli Sanchez (tel: 5524323, cell: 300 7907863) does general and
aesthetic dentistry, emergencies. Universidad Central, Quito Grupo Odontologico
del Sur- Spanish only.
Plastic surgeons:
• Dra. Angela Guevara (cell 0057- 315 274 2739, email

dr_angelaguevara@yahoo.com).
MEDELLIN
Medellin (elevation 1540 m, population 2.5 million, temp 23 degrees Celcius) is
a modern city with beautiful spring weather all year long, and very friendly people. The
city isn't particularly pretty (it's mostly modern and busy), but the surrounding area is
very beautiful (greener than Bogota) and not much explored. Paisas (the people from
Antioquia, the area around Medellin) are very friendly and open (shrewd businesspeople,
too).
In the 80s, when Pablo Escobar was running the town, Medellin was rather dangerous,
but things have changed and now it's one of the safest cities in South America.
Many travelers stay longer than planned, even though Medellin doesn't have any major
tourist attractions. You can take Spanish courses, although not as cheap or geared to
travelers as in, say, Quito.
For hostels and hotels, see our Medellin - Places to Stay guide.
General orientation.
Medellin lies in a valley with a microclimate - hence the perfect weather.
This map shows the metro and some major roads. La Oriental connects El Centro (the
center, a busy and old area) with El Poblado (a modern area where La Zona Rosa lies).
Most travelers stay either in the Center or in the Poblado area.
Medellin is a big city, and there's more to it than just El Poblado. Once you start
discovering the city, you'll find there are a lot of fun places to discover, eat and party, but
you have to kind of know where to go. I am dividing this guide in different areas.
El Poblado
El Poblado is a popular area with travelers - a few of the best hostels are located here. It's
relatively rich, and there are a lot of places to eat and drink. The main area of interest
is quite small and walkable.
(This map is oriented differently than the one above.)
Parque Lleras (the so-called "Zona Rosa") is surrounded with flashy bars and discos, and
full of rich people. Parque Poblado (3 blocks away) is where the more alternative scene
hangs out in El Poblado and drinks cheap beers and aguardiente. On La Diez (10th) are
some more bars and discos.
There's really no point in listing all the places to eat and drink here, just walk around and
see what tickles your fancy. It's a small area.
Berlin (Calle 10 No 41 - 64), on Calle 10, is the default hangout bar for foreigners. It's
quite nice actually, Medellin doesn't have as many bar/cafe style places as Bogota, so this
is where people go. It has pool tables, beers, the usual.
There are a lot more places on Calle 10, Blue is popular for dancing.
You won't go hungry or thirsty here, there are plenty of places to eat in El Poblado. One
of the few standout restaurants that's not a bland nor expensive place is Nuqui
(http://www.nuqui.com, Carrera 42 No 10 - 49, 1 block from Parque Poblado), a coastal
restaurant with an nice interior. The same restaurant has 2 more branches, one in the
center (Calle 55 No 45 - 83, tel 512 96 94) and one in Llano Grande. The main attraction
is fish. Lunch specials are pretty affordable.
Because after a while you can get bored of Colombian food, we tried out ThaiCo, in the
Parque Lleras, a thai place. They have a special deal where you get 3 coctails for the
price of 1, and everyone we saw was drinking, not eating. That should have given it
away. The food was bland and dissapointing, even at lowered Colombian standards. I
ordered a supposedly "spicy" curry, I couldn't even taste anything remotely Thai. Avoid
the food.
There is also a Sushi place in Parque Lleras called Sushi Togo, which is much better. For
great sushi and grand views, take a taxi to the Tesoro mall, there's a great sushi place
there with fantastic views, a good place to take a date.
To get to Poblado from the center just take the bus at the corner of the Exito marked
"Poblado".
Areas in the Center.
There are a few interesting areas, all within walking distance, in the center of
Medellin. The area is very busy with traffic and people, and old but not colonial like for
example Bogota's Candelaria area.
This map of the center shows most of the interesting areas: Parque de Bolivar, Plazoleta
de las Esculturas, Parque Berrio and El Guanabano.
El Guanabano.
Strangely neglected in the travel guides, this small area in the center is one of the
bohemian hearts of Medellin. There are a bunch of cafes that double as lunchtime
restaurants, and there is the very tiny Guanabano park where everyone just hangs out and
smokes. You'll easily recognize the tiny park because of the iron statues of humans. It's a
nice bohemian mix of streetlife with some more upscale-ish cafes.
This is a great area to have lunch, and a great area to have some beers at night.
El Estabon Prendido (239 34 00) is one of the few great salsa places in Medellin. It is
great fun and plays good music. During lunch, it's also a popular lunch restaurant. Next
door is Donde Eduard (Cl 53 No 42 - 63), which is also a popular lunchtime restaurant.
There are a few small cafes (they also serve food) right on the park that are quite good,
mainly open at night.
Amor y Sabos has lunch for 5000 pesos and is a cafe at night too.
El Acontista is a more upscale cafe and restaurant across the road from Amor y
Sabos. Lunch is 8000 pesos.
The Teatro Tobon is a large, classic theatre in the center. Tickets are between 30000 and
70000 pesos, and they tend to show classic ballet and theater shows.
Mary Cuba is a salsa & son bar, 1 block from el guanabano.
Delicias del Tolima has decent lechona (an entire fried pig), a specialty from Teloma, for
5500 pesos, and good tamales too.
Prado Centro.
Prado Centro is a hilly residencial neighbourhood with some beautiful houses and a
few theaters, right next to the center. It's a nice area for an afternoon discovery walk. You
could walk all the way to the Universidad de Antioquia (at metro stop Universitario), and
take a metro back. The interesting Medellin cemetary is at metrostop Hospital, on the
way.
Many houses in Prado Centro are really large and were built in the 1920s, 1940s when
that part of the city was where the rich people lived. These days, this area isn't rich at all,
but there are still great houses, lots of flowers and you'll probably stumble upon a few
theaters or dance schools while walking around. Ask for "Prado Centro" when asking
directions.
El Centro: around Parque Bolivar.
A short walk from El Guanabano, Parque Bolivar is kinda run-down but there's a nice
church to visit and some good restaurants. On Sundays there's sometimes live classical
music in the park, and the first Saturday of every month there's a crafts market called San
Alejo. At night this area is not always the safest, although ok if you keep your eyes open.
The absolute best place to eat in Medellin perhaps, Mango Maduro is a tiny bohemian
restaurant that's kind of hard to find, but once you've found it once you won't forget
where it is. You have to walk up some stairs to find it, there's a sign but it's hard to see.
It's next door to "Los Toldos" (a restaurant) if you're having trouble. It has 9 small tables
and friendly service. It's only open for lunch, and there's only 1 set lunch to choose from.
The food is very good, a different take on some Colombian classic every day for less
than 5500 pesos (US$ 2.5).
The cheapest place to eat in the center continues to be La Estancia, in the Parque
Bolivar. It's a big space with tables, you just line up and eat a lunch meal for 2600 pesos
(US$ 1.3). It's not fancy (at all), but it's good for a certain kind of people watching.
There's another very cheap lunch option in a hole in the wall place at the parqueadero in
the Parque Bolivar. I don't think it has a name, lunch is 4000 pesos (US$ 1.5).
Salon Versalles (in Pasaje Junin) is famous for its argentian empenadas (the owner is
Argentinian) and always full for lunch, although the food is pretty average. It's better as a
cafe in the afternoon, to have a coffee.
Another great place in the Pasaje Junin is called "Astor", at Carrera 49 No 52 - 84 (tel
511 90 02), open mon to sat from 9am to 7pm. It's a "salon de te" - a tea drinking place,
and it kind of feels like a diner of the 50s in the USA. The waitresses have uniforms, and
they'll wheel a cart full of sweet pastries to your table if you want to try one. It's a great
place to have breakfast (basic breakfast with eggs 3500 pesos) or lunch - they have good
sandwiches, salads, quiches and so on. One of the classics.
About the only real vegetarion option is Restaurante Govinda's (Calle 51 No 52 -

17), run by Medellin's friendly Hare Krishna's. Good vegetarian meals (lunch only, all
week except sunday) are 4500 pesos (US$ 2). The restaurant is upstairs.
While you're in the area, the Plazoleta de Esculturas has a bunch of Botero statues, and
in this area there are some museums too. The Museo de Antioquia
(http://www.museodeantioquia.org, Carrera 52 No 52 - 43) is very good and has a large
Botero collection. Alfredo Botero is from Medellin, so this is a good place to see his
works.
The church on the Parque Bolivar is called the Catedral Metropolitana, one of South
America's biggest brick churches. If the main door is closed look on the side.
The Basilica de la Candelaria, at the Parque Berrio, was built in 1770. There are always
people outside selling religious offerings and such.
Finally, El Hueco, southwest of the Parque Berrio metro station, is a big area where you
can buy cheap clothes and salsa CDs from street vendors who know what they're talking
about salsa-wise. You'll hear "amilamilamil" (indicating it costs 1000 pesos) shouted
hundreds of times.
There is a new park in the center, and a new library called Biblioteca EPM (Carrera 54
No 44 - 48, bibliotecaepm@eeppm.com), built by EPM (Empresas Publicas). The park
has dozens of huge pillars pointing the sky, you can't miss it. It's next to El Hueco. The
library is free, has a cafe and is a good place to read some magazines or newspapers.
There is also free internet and a childrens library.
You can take a tour in a chiva (tel 332 40 20) - one of those colored buses - at night.
They leave at the Teatro Pablo Tobon on La Playa in the center. A tour costs 12000 pesos
(US$ 5). They drive through various places in Medellin for about 4 hours and end up at a
disco.
In the center, El Pequeno Teatro (http://www.pequenoteatro.com/, Carrera 42 Nº 50A -

12, Tel: 2393947 - 2699418) is a theater in a beautiful old house - one of the oldest in this
area. It's a non-profit that hosts free theater shows: you pay a voluntary donation - 3000
pesos is typical. They bought the house in 1987. There are 2 theater rooms, a small one
that holds 80 people and a larger one that holds 500 people. There is also a theater school
here.
El Estadio / La 70
La 70 is another interesting area to party - lots of restaurants and bars. It's less high-class
than the Zona Rosa. You can get here easily by taking the subway to El Estadio. On
Sundays, thousands of people come here to exercise and run - some of the roads are
closed then.
El Rumbantana (Calle 44 (San Juan) No 74 - 80, tel 412 51 52) is the best salsa bar in
Medellin, and one of the best in the country and that includes Cali. It's a small bar with
great salsa, started in 1995 by Sergio Santana, who wanted to start a real salsa place in
Medellin where they play old school salsa, not the more modern commercial stuff that
you hear everywhere. You can just come to drink some ron (rum) and be amazed at the
dancing moves and the atmosphere, or have a go on the small dancefloor.
Around the Rumbantana there are a few more salsa places, and 2 popular reggae bars.
Other places to see in Medellin
La Placita de Flores (Carrera 30 No 50) is an interesting market in the center (off our
map), it opens almost every day all day. The special thing about this market is the
upstairs area where they sell herbs. You can buy teas, herbs for baths and so on. If you
want to try something, ask for palo sancto, small wooden sticks that burn like incense
(500 pesos for a pack). It's not touristy at all.
El Patio Del Tango (Calle 23 No 58 - 38, tel 351 28 56) is not in any of the main areas to
visit, but it's a great place to eat some decent (Argentinian) steak and listen to singers
singing live tango on the patio. The owner often throws in some songs too. It's small and
homey - a real hidden treasure of Medellin.
Envigado is a town outside of Medellin, but you can take the metro there (stop
Envigado). It's Pablo Escobar's hometown, but quite safe these days. It's a nice area to
party at night, it's more down to earth than the Zona Rosa. The main party area is Calle
38b, one block from the main square. There's a good salsa bar that plays old videos and
music, just walk down 38b.
Universidad de Antioquia (metro stop Universitario) is also worth a visit, especially

because you can visit the cemetery too once you're in the area - it's great. Also nextdoor
is the Jardin Botanica, the botanical garden of Medellin, also worth a visit.
El Cerro Nutibarra is a small hill in the middle of the town. On top is a small replica of
an Antioquian town, but the only reason to visit is really to walk up the hill, a nice walk.
Vinacure (Carrera 50 No 100D Sur-7), last but not least, is an incredible party place
outside of Medellin. You'll have to take a bus or taxi (less than US$ 10) but it's worth it.
An English artist settled in that area a long time ago, and started giving parties in his
house, which was full of art, statues, paintings and so on. They were so popular that he
opened a larger place. The art is very trippy, and the music is generally pretty good -
English house, pop and so on. Some days are better than others as always. It's totally
worth a visit just to see the art and the decoration (there's a small exposition area in the
back too).
Paragliding is popular with travelers too. Jaime, Zona de Vuelo (tel 388-1556) is a
recommended pilot. Flights cost 60,000 pesos or a course is 800.000 pesos.
El Borinquen (Calle 52 No 47 Bello) is a good salsa place in Bello, north of Medellin.

You can go there by metro, just go north until the last metro stop. It's 3 blocks from the
metro stop. It's 20 years old, and open every day with salsa music.
Transportation.
Medellin has 2 bus stations and 2 airports. When you arrive by bus from Bogota or the
coast (Cartagena, Santa Marta), you'll arrive in the northern bus terminal. If you arrive
from Cali or the south, you arrive in the southern terminal. From both terminals, you can
easily take taxis to your hostel. From the northern terminal, you can hop on the metro.
The main international airport is outside of the city, it's called Jose Maria Cordoba
airport, almost all flights land there. Only small planes that fly to Nuqui for example use
the airport that's inside the city. A taxi from the international airport is 40000 pesos (US$
18). There are also collectivo buses for about 5000 per person. The city is about 45
minutes away from the airport.
Taxis are metered in Medellin, and the meter shows the exact amount, so it's even easier
than in Bogota where you have to check on a chart.
Buses from the center to Poblado are labeled "Poblado" and leave at the corner of the
Exito supermarket.
The Medellin metro (http://www.metromedellin.org) is a source of great pride in

Medellin. It's clean, runs well, is affordable and is a great way to get around. If you want
to make a Paisa a compliment about their city, compliment them on the metro. It runs
above the ground, and doing a complete tour is not a bad way to see the city.
There is a new part of the metro called MetroCable that uses cable cars up the hills. It's
north of the center, and you see some great views of the city. The cable trip up and back
takes abut 35 minutes, you can take a break at the top to check out the views and eat or
drink something. To go, take the metro in the direction of Niquia, and change to the cable
cars in station Acevedo.
A few years ago, Medellin didn't have any traveler-oriented hostels, but it has become a
popular destination for travelers and there are a bunch of great places to stay now, and the
competition keeps prices affordable.
Hostels in Medellin
(Map of El Poblado)
Black Sheep Hostel (http://www.blacksheepmedellin.com/, Transversal 5A No 45 - 133,

tel 311 15 89 or 311 13 79 or 311 341 30 48) in El Poblado is owned by a New
Zealander and a good new option that opened in 2005. It's a 15 minute walk from Parque
Poblado, in a quiet residential neighbourhood. The house is large with lots of hangout
spaces and a garden, and has a good kitchen you can use, barbeque, hammocks, internet
and so on. To get there, tell the taxi driver it's in "Barrio Patio Bonito", or they'll have a
hard time finding it. If you don't want to take a taxi, you can go to metro stop Poblado
and walk from there (15 minutes). Dorm beds are 16000 pesos (US$ 6), a double room
is 28000 pesos (US$ 12).
Casa Kiwi (http://www.casakiwi.net/, Carrera 36 No 7-10, tel 268-2668,

casakiwi@gmail.com) is another great hostal. It's also in Poblado, a bit closer to the
action. Pool table, kitchen, internet and so on. Dorm beds are 7 US$, private rooms
without bath US$ 14 and with bathroom US$ 19.
The Palm Tree Hostal (http://www.palmtreemedellin.com/, Carrera 67 No 48D - 63 in

Barrio Suramericana, 3 blocks from Suramericana metro
station, palmtreemedellin@yahoo.com, tel (57) 4 260 2805) is another popular option. It's
not in the center, but in a residential area northwest of metro Estadio. You can fairly
easily walk to the metro (a few blocks) and head to any part of town from there. The
house is a plain residential orange house, behind the Exito supermarket, with lots of flags.
They can also help you out for long term stays.
The Provenza Hostal (http://www.provenzahostal.com, provenzahostal@gmail.com ) is

also located in Poblado. Dorm beds are more expensive starting at 25000 pesos (US$ 11)
and there are 2 private rooms too.
The following are less traveler-y, they're just cheap hotels to stay, mostly in the center.
Hotel Gomez Cordoba (Carrera 46 No 50-29 on Avenida Oriental, tel 513 16 76) is an
ok and very cheap option in the center: it's central but it seems safe and relatively clean.
A room is 15000 (US$ 6), even if 2 people stay there. I suspect they double as a love
hotel. Nextdoor is Hotel Caldas with "TV canal de adultos!" (adult TV channel), which
seems a bit more dodgy.
Hostal Odeon (Calle 54 (Carracas) No 49 - 38, tel 513 14 04 or 511 13 60), around the
Parque de Bolivar, is another (perhaps more decent) cheapie with rooms with bathroom at
25000 (US$ 11) for a single, 35000 for a double.
Hotel Cristal (Carrera 49 No 57 - 12, Tel 511 56 31) charges 42000 (US$ 18) for a
double room, 35000 for a single room with bathroom. It's a typical low budget business
hotel. Nextdoor, Hotel Capitolio (Carrera 49 No 57 - 24, tel 512 00 12) has some more
marble and glass in its lobby. 43000 (US$ 18) for a small but clean single with bathroom,
52000 for a double.
Upscale hotels
If you are looking for some really expensive hotels, you'll find them in Medellin too.
The Park 10 Hotel (http://www.hotelpark10.com.co, gerencia@hotelpark10.com.co,

Carrera 36B No 11-12, tel 57 4 266 88 11) is in El Poblado, and very fancy. Rooms are
225000 pesos (about 100 US$) with breakfast for 1 person. An extra person is 60000
pesos extra. In the weekend you can get good discounts, because it caters mostly to
businesspeople.
Other options.
For longer term stay, you have some options in Medellin too. Renting an appartment for a
few months is almost impossible, because they generally require lots of paperwork and
such. But some people rent out appartments to travelers - ask around and check in
the Rent, Sell & Buy section of http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia.
SANTA ELENA
Santa Elena is an area in the mountains 45 minutes from Medellin with beautiful nature
and great hiking and views of the valley. Flowers are grown here for export and for sale
in Medellin. It's very safe to visit. Santa Elena is also amous with students as a place to
go eat mushrooms (hongos). A lot of artist and some foreigners live in this area, since it's
so close to the city, is beautiful and has historically always been quite safe. I lived here
myself for 3 months in 1999 in a finca.
There aren't many easily accessible places to stay in Santa Elena. Most people come on
daytrips, but you can also rent a room or camp, or even rent a finca.
Santa Elena consists of a main road and multiple "veredas", which are sideroads. Each
sideroad has its own attractions. Some veredas have 2 parts, for example vereda El Cerro
later becomes Pantanilla.
El Plan.
One of the best veredas (sideroads) is El Plan. Just ask the bus driver to drop you off
there.
Just before the entrance of El Plan is a restaurant in an old house that's been there since
1820 called Conejos y Conejos (rabbits and rabbits). It's funky, and the food is very good
and affordable. Try the rabbit. Yes, you knew I was gonna say that. It's good. Lunch
(with rabbit) is 5500 pesos, and you can also eat delicacies such as pig ear or filled
chicken head. Recommended.
Once you walk up the road at El Plan, after about 25 minutes you'll arrive at El Chispero,
a small shop on a crossroads. Turn right, walk past the first crossroads, and then turn
right on a path (you might have to ask) to go to El Mirador (the viewpoint), one of best
viewpoints in Santa Elena. You'll have to go through some foresty bits, and then you'll
arrive at a place with an incredible view of Medellin down in the valley.
You could actually walk down through the woods all the way down to Medellin from
here if you want. It's far though, and you might get lost, but just keep going down and try
to follow some paths.
Santa Elena town & Places to Stay
Just beyond the stop for El Plan you'll see Santa Elena the town. It's just a square, a
church, a school and a few houses. You can go have a look at the cemetery.
Canela (tel 538 17 64 or 538 10 05) is a great cafe/restaurant to have a drink or lunch.
The food is quite good, lasagna is 7800 pesos. They also provide 3 double rooms with
bathroom for 70000 pesos each that are very nice. In December they're usually fully
booked. During other times of the year you might be able to get a discount.
If you walk beyond Santa Elena town, 15 minutes, you'll see a school at your right hand
side. Right past the school (before vereda Pantanilla) there is a new place called Asterix.
You'll see a sign, just turn right on the path 5 minutes towards the big house. It's in a
beautiful old house that the owner is restoring. He's got pool tables, and you can camp
here for 10000 pesos per tent. It's not officially open yet (Dec 2006), but we checked and
the owner welcomes campers.
If you ask around you should be able to find more places to camp.
If you walk up in the vereda Pantanilla, you can follow to signs to another Mirador
(viewpoint), that has great views of the other side of the mountains towards RioNegro.
This mirador is accessible by car and has a small shop. Walking there from Santa Elena
town will take about an hour.
If you want to rent a finca (a farm), here are some tips. First, it's much harder to find one
with furniture, most are rented out without furniture. In December, most fincas are rented
out too. A nice finca that can fit 2 or 3 couples with furniture can cost around US$ 500 a
month, but prices vary a lot. A barebones finca could cost US$ 200 a month. If you are
looking, go to El Chispero and ask for "Choza", a friendly guy who knows about most
fincas being rented out.
Transportation.
You can take a bus from Calle 49 (Ayocucho) and Carrera 42, in the center of Medellin.
Buses are 1300 pesos and take about 45 minutes. In Santa Elena itself, there are a lot of
taxis and collectivos, it's fairly easy to get around.
SANTA FE DE ANTIOQUIA
Santa Fe de Antioquia is a beautiful colonial town next to the Cauca river, at less than 2
hours from Medellin on the road to Turbo. In 2006 a tunnel was opened on this road,
increasing the amount of weekend tourists.
The region around it is very pretty too, and the climate is warmer than Medellin itself. In
the historic center, streets are cobblestoned, the colonial houses are painted in pretty
colors. It's perhaps not as picture-perfect as Villa de Leyva, but close.
It is the oldest town in the region, founded in 1541. In 1548 it became the capital of
Antioquia, in 1826 Medellin took over as capital. Originally a gold mining town, the
local economy is now based on agriculture and tourism. In 1960 it was declared a
national monument.
Six km east is the Puento de Occidente, one of the first suspension bridges in the world.
It's made of metal and wood and cars can only pass it one way at the time. It was built by
famous architect Jose Maria Villa, born in 1850, who studied in Hoboken, New Jersey
(USA) and helped build the famous Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. He returned to
Colombia to build 4 bridges on the Cauca river, and was famous for drinking a lot.
There's a camping/hotel at the bridge.
From the bridge, you could continue on the small road towards San Jeronimo, 2 hours in
car or a day on a bicycle, which is very beautiful - lots of flowers, trees and great views.
In Santa Fe, you can rent horses to explore the area around it, or just go for walks. There
are a bunch of churches and museums to visit too, including the Iglesia de Santa
Barbara, the Museo del Corral and the Museo de Arte Religioso. The church on the
main square is a cathedral.
Places to Stay
All places to stay charge more in December or around the first weekend of January when
there are festivities in town, sometimes much more.
Hostal Plaza Mayor (Parque principal, tel 853 34 48 or 316 281 67 99) is on the main
square and a great place to stay. It has a cute patio and friendly service. The rooms are
small but clean and have a private bathroom. They are 20,000 pesos (US$ 8) per person.
They have a small pool in the back to refresh.
Hospedaje Franco (Carrera 10 No 8A - 14, tel 853 16 54) is 1 block away and similar.
Rooms are around a patio and cost 30,000 pesos (US$ 12) for 1 or 2 people. On January 5
to January 8 ("festivo"), rooms are 75000 pesos.
Hotel Espana Colonial (Calle 10 No 7 - 60, tel 311 641 42 63) at 2 blocks from the main
square is a decent option too. Rooms are 20,000 pesos per person.
Hostal Guaracu (Calle 10 between Carrera 8 and 9 tel 250 50 07) is one block from the
main square. It's "colombian touristy" style. Room are 75000 per person.
Mariscal Robledo (Cr 12 No 9, tel 583 11 11) is a beautiful upscale hotel. It has a big
outdoor swimming pool with great views, beautiful rooms. Rooms are 180,000 pesos
(US$ 80) per night, including 3 meals and free drinks from 3pm to 7pm. Sometimes they
have a special where non-guests can use the pool and facilities (sauna, ...) for a fixed
price.
CARTAGENA
This is an "approved guide", which means that we think it is very accurate and up to date.
It's a "brief" guide which means that we think it can use some more detail - leave
comments! Written December 2006.)
Note: this guide is VERY VERY brief for such an important tourist destination, we'll
work on it to make it longer! Share your tips and experiences in the comments.
Cartagena de Indias is the number one tourist attraction of Colombia. The old town is
perfectly preserved between the walls (to protect from pirates). Beautiful colored colonial
houses and picture-perfect streets.
Cartagena draws lots of tourists, including from huge cruise ships. Around Cartagena
there are some nice beaches (the beach of Cartagena itself is mediocre) and the rest of the
Carribean coast of course!
Things to do.
The main thing to do in Cartagena is just to stroll around the beautiful streets of the old
town.
You can take a sailboat from Cartagena to Panama, ask in the Casa Vienna.
You can also do good scuba diving here, although it's more expensive than in Taganga.
Schools include Dolphin Dive School (http://www.dolphindiveschool.com) and Caribe
Dive Shop (http://www.caribediveshop.com).
You can take a boat to Playa Blanca (http://www.playa-blanca.net), a beautiful beach

close to Cartagena. Ask in Casa Viena. In the afternoons, it can be busy with people
passing by on tours, but the rest of the day it's quiet. There are a few places where you
can sleep in a hammock (make sure it comes with a mosquito net!) for about 7000 pesos
(US$ 3).
Budget hostels in Cartagena.
There are 3 areas to stay in: most traveler hostels are in Getsemani, a few blocks from the
old town. The old town itself houses some more expensive hotels. And Bocagrande is the
modern district with modern hotels but not much charm.
Hostal Casa Viena (http://www.casaviena.com, Getsemani, Calle San Andres No 30 -

53, tel 664 62 42 or 660 20 77, hotel@casaviena.com), run by the friendly Austrian
owner Hans, Casa Viena has dorm beds (8000 pesos, US$ 3) and private rooms (25000
pesos, US$ 10), internet, safety boxes, book exchange, open kitchen and all the usuals of
a good travelers hostal. Hans can also help you get on a sailboat trip to Panama.
Hotel Marlin (Calle 30 No 10 - 35, tel 664 35 07) is a small backpackers place. Singles
are 16000 pesos (US$ 6), doubles 28000 (US$ 13).
Hotel Holiday (Calle de la Media Luna No 10 - 47, tel 664 09 48) is a good option when
Casa Viena is full. Singles with bathroom are 12000, doubles are 24000 pesos (US$ 10).
Expensive places.
If you feel like staying at a real nice place, you can easily spend US$ 100 or more per
night in Cartagena. Unfortunately, I haven't checked out these hotels, so if you have,
share your experiences in the comments!
Centro Hotel (http://www.centrohotelcartagena.com).
Hotel Tres Banderas (http://www.hotel3banderas.com).
Sofitel Santa Clara (http://www.hotelsantaclara.com).
Hotel Charleston Cartagena (http://www.hoteles-charleston.com).
SANTA MARTA
Santa Marta is a small town along the Carribean coast, right next to Taganga. It's not as
nice as Taganga, I'd recommend staying there instead, it's only 15 minutes away.
Santa Marta has a beach that's not particularly nice (go to Parque Tayrona instead if you
want beach, or to Taganga), but it's a good starting place to do the trek to Ciudad Perdida
(the lost city).
You can visit the Quinta de San Pedro Alejadrino, the hacienda where Simon Bolivar
died. Closeby Santa Marta is El Rodadero, which is a resort town where Colombians go
to do tourism.
Check out Minca, a small village a bit inland up the mountain if you're here.
Places to Stay.
There are loads of cheap places to stay in the center (Calle 10C especially).
The (inf)famous Hotel Miramar (Calle 10C No 1C - 59, tel 423 32 76) is perhaps South
America's oldest hostel. It's the typical hippy-style hotel, with dorms and some
hammocks on the roof, but it's not particularly great value, the owners don't seem to put a
lot of effort in it. It seems to be living of its past. Dorm beds are 10000 pesos doubles
20000.
Casa Familiar (http://www.hospederiacasafamilar.freeservers.com, Calle 10C No 2 -
14), friendly and clean, dorms at 10000 pesos, doubles at 20000.
Other options in the same street are Hotel Nueva Granada (Calle 12 No 3 - 17, tel 421
13 37 or 421 06 85) and Hotel Titanic (Calle 10C No 1C - 68, tel 421 19 47).
TAGANGA
Taganga is a beautiful small village in a bay at the sea, at 15 minutes from Santa Marta.
There are a bunch of good hostals, and you can get your diving certificate here for about
US$ 200 (4 days).
It's a much nicer place to stay than Santa Marta, so if you arrive in Santa Marta you migh
as well jump on a bus (15 minutes over the hill) and come straight here.
Things to do.
Apart from just hanging out, taking a diving course is the most popular activity.
Taganga's beach itself is ok, with a bunch of restaurants, but closeby are some nicer
deserted beaches (Playa Grande is a 15 minute walk, or take a boat).
Diving courses to get certified are about US$ 200. It takes 4 days and includes 6 dives.
Some schools:
Centro de Buceo Poseidon (http://www.poseidondivecenter.com).
Calipso Dive Center (HTTP://www.calipsodivecenter.com).
In Literarte (ask around) there is a big book exchange, a good chance to get stocked on
books which is generally hard to do in Colombia.
Places to Stay.
Please leave comments on these hostels or any hostels we've missed.
La Casa de Felipe (http://www.lacasadefelipe.com, Carrera 5A No 19 - 13, tel 316 318

91 58, info@lacasadefelipe.com) offers diving courses, laundry, internet and communal
kitchen. Dorm beds are 10000 pesos, double rooms 27000 (US$ 13). The French owners
Jean-Philippe ("Felipe") & Sandra are friendly and they've been here for a long time. The
hostel is a few blocks up the hill from the beach.
Casa Blanca (Carrera 1 No 18 - 161, tel 421 92 32, barbus85@latinmail.com, ) is close

to the beach and always full. !0 rooms are 15000 pesos (US$ 6) per person.
Techos Azules (tel 421 91 41, cacabelofreddy@yahoo.com.mx), a new hotel uphill from
Casa Blanca. Fairly fancy rooms with private bathroom and balcony are 18000 pesos per
person (US$ 8).
The (in)famous hostel Miramar from Santa Marta has opened a new hostel in Taganga
called Ramarim ("Miramar" backwards, Calle 12 between carrera 3 and 4, tel 423 32 76).
You can sleep in a hammock for 6000 pesos (US$ 2.5), probably the cheapest place to
stay in Colombia, or get a dorm bed.
Pelikan Hostal (Carrera 2 No 17 - 4, tel 075 421 90 57) is another decent option.
CIUDAD PERDIDA
Ciudad Perdida (the Lost City) is located near Santa Marta in the Colombian mountains,
the Sierra Nevada. It was built over a period of about five hundred years before the
Spaniards turned up, after that it was abandoned and lost to the jungle. It was
rediscovered in the 1970’s, it has been excavated and restored by the Colombian
government. It consists of uncut stone work and is a vast site of stairs and round
platforms where the wooden huts and “temples” were. In the 1990’s there were organised
trips to the Ciudad Perdida on foot, in 2003 a group of tourists were captured by
guerrillas and held for three months. None were harmed or ransomed, it was all a
publicity stunt. At that time the area was taken over by coca planters and “policed” by
para-militaries, private armies funded by the drug barons. After that the area was cleared
by the Colombian army and coca production has ended, the area is guarded by the
Colombian army at present. The Ciudad Perdida is pristine when you get there, no kiosks,
no souvenir sellers not even any guards, you really feel like Indiana Jones discovering it
for the first time.
To get there you either go by helicopter or you walk there. This is my trip report about
the walk that took place during the first week of November 2006.
First I must say that my trip was one of the most incredible things I have ever done and I
strongly recommend it to you all. Both the walk and the Lost City were superb. Secondly
I must say that it is incredibly dangerous, the walk is rough and you risk breaking a leg
every day and there are stretches where if you fall you will do yourself serious harm – it
is very slippery. The trip is also specifically mentioned by the Foreign Office (UK
Government) as not safe, no reasons are given but I assume that this is because of the
possibility of kidnap by the guerrillas.
Risk assessment: I consider that the risk of kidnap is minimal, I would be happier with
para-militaries than the boy soldiers of the Colombian army. Physically you should be in
good shape with good footwear, if you are scared of heights don’t go. I am but was able
to overcome my fear – but I was frightened. Because the area is not approved by my
government any insurance is invalid so if you break a leg or worse you’re on your own.
There is yellow fever and malaria which can be prevented and dengue which can’t. There
weren’t many mosquitoes about ten around me day and night, they didn’t bother me.
Good mosquito nets are provided.
The trip is for six days and five nights, fully inclusive and costs 440,000 pesos. I booked
at the Hospederia Casa Familiar, Calle 10c No 2-14
www.hospederiacasafamiliar.freeservers.com where a single room costs 14,000 pesos I
recommend the hotel as a basic clean family run hotel, it is opposite the infamous
Miramar backpackers hostel located in the heart of the red light district but close to the
beach. I felt very safe in that area, children play in the street at night. Or you can book at
the tourist office near the main square. On the trek I was given the option of paying
another 100,000 pesos for another day and night with a different route back, instead of
retracing my steps. This is very worthwhile but is even tougher than the main trip but still
do-able. They supply porters who do the cooking and setting up of the camp and mules
(mulas) that carry the gear. So you only have to carry your own personal belongings and
water. The campsites are basic but have proper flush toilets, showers and a roof over
everything. You sleep in hammocks, everyone sleeps well after a day’s walking. The
food is wonderful and lots of it. The water is untreated taken from streams and rivers, I
was shocked at this but I suffered no illness, it means you don’t have to carry much water
during the day. The pace is set by the group, you only walk for half of the day so I never
felt rushed.
When to go: even if it is dry in Santa Marta it rains up in the mountains so any month is
fine. For my trip Santa Marta was dry and sunny and out of season so cheap, on the trek it
rained in the afternoon but was dry during the morning when we were out walking. Also
the next week was the Miss Colombia election in nearby Cartagena.
What to take: you are provided with a list of things to take which isn’t that accurate, you
don’t need a sleeping bag as blankets are provided although a sheet sleeping bag would
be useful, I don’t know how often anything is washed. A one litre water bottle, a 1.5 litre
PET bottle is just as good and lighter. Toilet paper is provided at the site, on the trail I
preferred to use water. I took a wide necked 0.75 litre water bottle to pee into during the
night (well I am fifty five years old) this meant I didn’t have to leave the safety of my
mosquito net. I took a small bottle of talcum powder to put on my feet and did not regret
doing so.
During the day your clothes will get soaked by your sweat or by the rain. Any wet clothes
will never dry out in the humidity although there is plenty of space to hang out your
clothes at the camp site. So at camp you change into your dry clothes, make sure that
these never get wet by carrying them in two plastic bags – there is a real risk of dropping
your pack in a river, plus the rain.
The trek consists of crossing ridges so you are either going up or down steep slopes, the
path is muddy and slippery with lots of rocks. It is very important to have footwear that
you can trust to give a good grip and give a comfortable walk. There are lots of rivers to
ford so have some waterproof sandals to change into, the rivers are deep and fast flowing
so there is a danger of getting swept away but no danger of drowning. You walk for about
six hours a day. There are mosquitoes about day and night so I wore long sleeved shirts
and long quick drying trousers. It is hot so thin stuff. Others wore shorts, tee shirts and
flip flops for the trek so these are only recommendations, you know best. Carrying a
heavy pack is a bore so cut right back on stuff, a little hotel bar of soap is plenty there
seemed to be soap available most nights. A good torch is essential but take a lightweight
LED one.
I would recommend that you try out all your kit in the Parque Tayrona by visiting the
Pueblocito in the park a few days before the trip, it will also get you fit. You will need to
take two litres of water and food.
But above all, do the trip to the lost city.
PARQUE TAYRONA
Parque Tayrona is a beautiful park next to the sea, with white sand beaches, where you
can sleep in a hammock and relax (there's not much more to do). It's very popular with
travelers.
You can easily get to the main entrance at the east called Canaveral from Santa Marta.
Just take a collectivo to Palomino and get off at El Zaino (1 hour). From there, you can
take a jeep to Canaveral (15 minutes) or walk (about an hour). Even easier is a bus that
leaves from the Miramar hostel in Santa Marta almost every day.
In the park, you can walk up the hill through the jungle to El Pueblito, a small village.
Bring mosquito repellent and snorkeling gear if you want to go snorkeling.
Tayrona is very safe and generally not affected by any problems in the Sierra Santa
Marta.
Places to Stay.
Most travelers sleep in hammocks in Arrefices, a short walk from Canaveral. Just walk
there and you can't miss it. Hammocks are under a roof and cost about 6000 pesos per
person (US$ 2.5), or you can bring a tent (3000 pesos per person).
You could bring your own hammock and try to string it somewhere or sleep on the beach,
but you might get into trouble with the park people (not sure.)
You can bring food to cook there (make a small fire), or there are a few places with cheap
food (meals are about 10000 pesos).
Alternatively, you can rent some very nice cabanas (huts) with great views from
Ecohabs, a cabana with 2 beds is about 70000 pesos (US$ 30). You have to book these in
advance in Santa Marta (http://www.parquesnacionales.gov.co, tel 423 07 04).
MINCA
Minca is a small town close to Santa Marta and Taganga, but more inland and up the
mountain at 600m altitude. It's a great place to get a feeling for the countryside and get
away from the beaches.
To get there, take a pickup truck that leaves regularly from Santa Marta's market (45
minutes), or just arrange for a taxi to take you.
Places to Stay.
Mary Quinonez (http://www.taryona.org, tel 075 421 99 92).
Hostal Sans Souci (sanssouciminca@yahoo.com, tel 075 421 99 68) is a great place to
relax, run by Germans (yes, that's a contradiction in terms I know ;)). You can work on
the farm and get a discount. Rooms are about 25000 to 30000 pesos. It's really a good
place and way off the beaten coastal gringo track.
BARRANQUILLA
Barranquilla lies between Cartagena and Santa Marta. It's not particularly pretty or
anything (it's kinda ugly), and most travelers skip it. It does have the most famous party
in Colombia once a year, the Carnaval de Barranquilla. If you come during the carnaval
(February), make sure you have booked a room months in advance!
Places to Stay.
Hotel Villa Dilia (Carrera 47 No 68 - 40, tel 358 33 53 or 358 53 68).
Some more expensive options:
Hotel Versalles (http://www.hotelversallesinn.com).
Hotel Majestic (http://www.cotelco.org/hotelmajestic/).
Hotel El Prado (http://www.hotelelprado.com).

SAN ANDRES AND PROVIDENCIA

We visited the islands of San Andres and Providencia in November 2006 for 2 weeks -
this is our tripreport.
In short:
• San Andres and Providencia have a culture that's a mix between Caribbean
(English) and Colombian (Spanish).
• Go now before it gets spoilt by tourism.
San Andres and Providencia are 2 Caribbean islands that are part of Colombia. Especially
Providencia is still incredibly unspoiled by tourism - a real tropical paradise. The islands
are somewhat expensive (everything has to be imported), but still affordable and worth it.
Providencia is very family-friendly and has great atmosphere.
The culture is a mix of Caribbean (the islanders speak Creole English natively, and some
Spanish with an English accent) and Colombian (Colombians came here to do business,
and as tourists). Most tourists here are Colombians who can afford the trip to the island. It
gets very busy in the Colombian high season (December mainly).
San Andres.
Like everyone, we went to San Andres first (there is no way to fly to Providencia
directly, although you could book a flight to San Andres and the same day move on to
Providencia). There are regular flights from Bogota with Avianca (see the transportation
section below). San Andres is a beautiful island, rather flat,covered in coconut trees. It's
population is about 80,000 people - you wonder where they all hide.
San Andres town is at the north, close to the airport, and is the biggest town. It's kinda
ugly - lots of concrete, and it's filled with stores selling rice cookers, stereos, perfume and
such. From the 60s to recently, the islands were a duty-free zone and Colombians would
come here on holidays and buy lots of stuff. Now, the duty-free laws have changed and
the economy is more reliant on tourism.
We stayed in Hotel Mary May Inn, a friendly place in town. One morning a policeman
came to search our place and it turned out the person staying in the room next door was a
criminal.
A much nicer place to stay than San Andres town is San Luis, on the eastern side of the
Island. It's not much more than a row of houses and a few hotels along the beach road.
There aren't any hostels, just a few hotels - but some of them have a nice feel. We stayed
in the Cocoplum Hotel (see the Places to Stay & Eat section).
Providencia.
We took a plane to Providencia (US$ 125 return, see the Transportation section below).
This was the best part of our trip.
There are a few areas to stay: Bahia Aguadulce is the most popular and has a number of
hotels, Bahia Suroeste is just south of that and is more deserted and a much more
beautiful beach. We stayed in Cabanas Miss Mary (see Places to Stay & Eat) in Bahia
Suroeste.
The beach at Bahia Suroeste is the nicest on the island: totally swimmable, incredibly
beautiful, very quiet. There are a few types of large birds, you can see the sunset (it's at
the west side of the island).
On Saturdays the locals often have horseraces on the beach. Two horses race each other -
it doesn't last long but everyone gets pretty excited. Bets, sometimes of 1000s of
dollars, are placed. The horseraces are surrounded by their own types of magic - each
owner will use their own magic tricks to try to ensure their horse wins. The night before
the race people might patrol the beach to make sure no crazy magic is being done there
by the other party, like burying a dead dog perhaps.
Safety.
The islands are very safe. The only thing to worry about are mosquitos, sunburn and
perhaps pickpockets. For mosquitos, you can buy Caladril (calamine lotion) locally to
ease the itching, and El Frenchie (see below) sells an organic repellent. In San Andres
you should be a lot more careful with pickpockets and such, Providencia is very safe
(although of course you wouldn't go swimming leaving your valuables on the beach,
cameras do get stolen and such). Altogether, the islands are some of the safest places to
visit in Colombia.
Providencia is a perfect place to take your family and small children, because tourism is
mixed with local life, so your kids will be playing with the local kids on the beach
(especially in the low season).
You can tell there is money on the islands. San Andres got a lot of money from the tax-
free days, and a lot of the mainland mafia groups of the 90s invested in the island. Also,
in the past, the islands were an important transportation hub for illegal drug transports to
the US. In 2006, US forces came down hard on the trafficking and now most trafficking
is finished, which also has stopped an important flow of incoming money.
Food.
The basic menu of the islands is rice, fried fish and patacones (fried plantain). The rice is
imported so the real basic menu is fish and patacon. Crab is also popular - on
Providencia, if you go for a walk at night, you'll see 100s of crabs walking the island, so
they're not hard to find.
All over the islands, but especially on Sundays, they also sell delicious tortas (pies),
made of coco, or lemon, or pumpkin, and so on. A piece is 2000 pesos.
See also Places to stay and eat below.
Transportation.
The islands are expensive to get to - you basically have to pay US$ 140 for a plane to San
Andres, and another US$ 125 to Providencia (or take an off the beaten path boattrip).
To San Andres.
Getting to San Andres is by air - there are no boats, unless you can arrange a trip on a
cargo boat from Cartagena. Avianca and AeroRepublica both fly to San Andres. There
are flights from and to Bogota, Cali, Medellin (each US$ 140 return) and Cartagena (US$
125 return).
To fly to San Andres, before you get on the plane you have to pay a tourist tax of 20,000
pesos per person (+- US$ 8) - we paid it in Bogota airport and almost missed our flight
because we had to pay it in pesos. You have to keep the receipt because they'll check it
when arriving in San Andres, and also when arriving in Providencia if you go there.
To Providencia.
There are 2 ways to get to Providencia: by plane or by boat.
Satena Airways flies the only planes from San Andres to Providencia. In the low season,
you should call ahead a day in advance, since the plane might be full if you just show up
at the airport. In the high season, you should definitely make reservations, since there are
not enough planes for the amount of people that want to go to Providencia - it's
something hotel owners in Providencia complain about, but at the same time it keeps the
amount of tourists low, which you might enjoy.
Tickets are 307,000 return (+- US$ 125). You can easily change the dates of the ticket
without penalty - which also means you should remember to confirm your return flight to
San Andres when you're in Providencia or the plane might be full that day. You can also
reserve tickets online (recommended in the high season) at http://www.satena.com
Because the airplanes are small (about 20 people), baggage is limited to 10 kg per person.
Extra weight is charged at 1000 pesos per kg, so be careful.
Boat.
An alternative way to Providencia from San Andres is by boat. We didn't take the boat
but did the research anyway. It's not listed in the popular travel guides like Lonely Planet,
so it's pretty much off the beaten track.
A few times a week (Wednesday and Friday at the moment but check) there's a cargo
boat going to Providencia that takes passengers. You basically sleep outside on the boat
on a mattress. Vomiting is quite possibly part of the trip.
The boat is called the Dona Olga. To arrange a trip, go to Maritime El Cove del Muelle,
Av. Newball 2 - 40, which is a pier with boats on the east side of San Andres town. Just
go inside and talk to the people there. The trip should cost 40,000 pesos per person (US$
20), one way.
Getting around.
Getting around on both islands is easy - there are plenty of buses, taxis and motorbikes to
take you where you need to go. Since life (and gasoline) isn't cheap on the islands, taxis
are usually 10,000 pesos (US$ 4). Compared to a 6 dollar New York taxi that seems
expensive, but you get used to it. When the taxi takes other people on the same trip, it's
called a collectivo and it's 2500 per person. Taxis from the airports have fixed (but higher
than regular trips) prices to anywhere on the islands.
You can also rent bicycles or motorcycles at various places on the island. Renting a
motorcycle is a great way to get to know the island. There are some gas stations, filling
up costs about US$ 4.
Places to stay & eat.
San Andres:
There are plenty of places to stay in San Andres town. They fall roughly in 3 categories:
package tour hotels, where everything is included and that you can best reserve through a
travel agent in advance, regular beach hotels, and some other hotels.
In the last category are Posada Dona Rosa (512 3649, Av Las Americas), one of the
cheaper options at US$ 10 - 20 for a single/double and Hotel Mary May Inn (512 5669,
Av. 20 de Julio No 3-74, kettlenan@yahoo.com), a friendly place with doubles at US$
20.
Other hotels include Noblehouse Hotel (http://www.sanandresnoblehouse.com), Hotel

Portobelo (http://www.portobelohotel.com), Hotel Tiuna (http://www.tiuna.com) and in
the top package tour class Hotel Decameron (http://www.decameron.com).
We stayed in the Cocoplum Hotel (http://www.cocoplumhotel.com), in San Luis (just

ask your taxi driver), which is a friendly, family kind of place.
Providencia:
The main beach where most hotels are is Bahia Aguadulce. 2 other beaches are Bahia
Suroeste (just south of Aguadulce) and Bahia Manzanillo. In the low season, most hotels
are pretty much empty, and you can do some bargaining, although not much.
The best place to stay on Bahia Suroeste (and perhaps on the island) is Cabanas Miss
Mary (tel 514 8454). We paid 80,000 pesos (+- US$ 35) a night, breakfast included, for a
double after some off-season bargaining. They have a restaurant, airco and very nice
cabanas right on the beach.
On the same beach is the restaurant Divino Nino. Another place to stay up the road (not
on the beach) is South West Bay Cabanas (US$ 15 per person for a suite, 514 8221).
At Bahia Aguadulce we staid at Hotel El Pirata Morgan (514 8067,

http://www.hotelpiratamorgan.com ). They have rooms from 60,000 pesos on, but Bahia
Suroeste is just plain more beautiful. There is a string of other hotels at Aguadulce, so
you have plenty to choose from, you can just walk from one to the other, they're all next
to each other.
On Bahia Manzanilla is the Roland Roots Bar, a very nice reggae bar (although often
empty in the low season) that serves beer and food (Roland will make you the usual fried
fish). Roland lives above his beach bar and rents out a room - if you love reggae you can
rent it for 20,000 pesos per person (US$ 10) and I'm sure you can bargain if you stay
longer. And he'll let you use the kitchen, so for rock-bottom budget living this is the
place. The road to the bar from the main road is rough and cars won't go there - either
take a motorbike or walk for 20 minutes.
Back at Aguadulce, there's a small supermarket underneath the Hotel El Pirata Morgan,
and there are a few cheap eateries on this road. A fried fish meal is generally about 10 to
13,000 pesos (US$ 4 - 5). For more supplies you need to go to Santa Isabel, the main
town on the island.
The best place to eat that we found is Cafe Studio, on the main road outside of Bahia
Suroeste. It's run by a friendly Canadian woman and serves island food at island prices,
and a few western favourites like cappuccino (2500 pesos) and spaghetti with homemade
pesto (13000 pesos).
Another great place in the main town is Panaderia Seaflower. It's a small cafe/bakery,
run by a Belgian guy called Jean-Claude. It's a nice place to hang out, you can have a
coffee, they have a book exchange and sell light beach clothes imported from Bali,
designed by the daughter of Jean Claude.
In Bahia Aguadulce, on the road, a place called Arts and Crafts (just walk north towards
the main town, you can't miss it, it's got the words Arts and Crafts in huge letters over the
building) is run by "El Frenchie", a French guy who moved to Providencia. He sells great
popcicles (frenchie paletas) made of frozen local fruits (no sugar added), and a
homemade wine made of tamarind or plumbs - probably the only one in the world. And
arts and crafts, of course.
In 2005, a hurricane hit the islands and destroyed a lot of property. You don't really
notice it when visiting, but the local businesses are still recuperating from that.
One of the great things about Providencia is that Big Tourism hasn't arrived (yet -
November 2006). Most of the hotels are actually owned by islanders. Recent zoning laws
say that only residents of the islands can own property on the islands, and that has
stopped the influx of Colombians from the mainland buying up property.
However, this situation might change soon. In 2006, a number of the hotels have signed
deals with some big chains to send more tourists in return for a percentage of the profits.
Some see this as the first steps of the big hotel chains to take over the island and fill it
with package tour tourism, which would be a shame. Hopefully the islanders and some of
the rich, well-connected Colombians that own property on the island can stop this from
happening.
VILLA DE LEYVA
Villa de Leyva is a perfectly preserved colonial town north of Bogota, and the
surrounding mountains are stunning too.
• Incredibly beautiful colonial town, with decent tourist infrastructure but not
overrun by tourism yet. You easily can see the entire village in a few hours, but
you'll want to hang out longer.
• Hiking in the surroundings is great, and you can go camping too.
• It's safe.
Villa de Leyva was declared a national monument in 1954, and has been preserved
almost perfectly: houses are whitewashed, streets are cobblestoned. The town is small,
but the surrounding area will make you want to stay and hike and perhaps camp out. The
weather is nice (fresh at night, 18 degrees C average).
Most tourists here are Colombians, and people from Bogota (mostly in the weekend).
During the week you'll find the town nice and quiet.
You'll notice (as of December 2006) that half of the houses (including the church) around
the plaza mayor are no longer white - they've been painted in various colors for 8 months
(until June 2007) for the filming of a motion picture called La Espada y La Rosa (the
sword and the rose) - an adaptation of the Zorro story. After that they will be restored to
their previous state. If you go during the week (Mon to Wed), you can witness the filming
activities.
If kids ask you for something ("me invitas a una gaseosa?") say no, and if your Spanish is
good enough, tell them kids shouldn't be asking things from strangers.
The whole area is one of the safest in Colombia. There are a bunch of fast internet cafes
all over town.
Getting there and away.
Bogota. Buses from Bogota leave twice a day at the Bogota terminal, and take about 4
hours (6 US$). There are nice views along the way. There are also 2 buses a day to
Bogota, one leaves from the Villa de Leyva bus station at 5am and one at 1pm. The
alternative to a direct trip like this is to take a bus to Tunja and change there.
Tunja. There are regular minibuses to and from Tunja - 45 minutes, US$ 2. From there
you can move on to Bogota.
Buses to the ecce homo convent leave at 8:00am, 9:00am, 10:00am, 13:00pm and
16:00pm (2500 pesos - US$1).
Taxi prices: to El Fosil 17000 pesos (US$ 7), to El Fosil + Infiernito + Ecce Homo
convent 47000 pesos (US$ 20). There is a paper with official taxi prices posted at the bus
station.
Places to stay.
(Research updated November 2006.)
There is lots of good accomodation in Villa de Leyva. Prices in the high season
(December, or during the weekends) might be somewhat higher, or less negotiable than
in the low season.
The cheapest way to stay is to camp, there are a bunch of places within the town that
offer camping, and it's a good way to meet students from Bogota (in the weekends and
holidays).
Zona de camping (for lack of a better name, on the corner of Calle 10 and Carrera 10) is
just a big grassy square with a wall around it. You just put up your tent, and someone will
come to collect 5000 to 7000 per person. There's a shower and basic bathrooms.
Casa Molina del Balcon (Carrera 12 # 11 - 51) is on a similar terrain, but with lots of
trees and a house (it's like a big park). At the entry (there's a sign), pull the chord at the
door to ring a bell. They charge 5000 per person for camping, there are showers,
bathroom and you can cook.
There are also some places with dorm rooms and affordable double rooms.
A brand new budget place (from December 2006 onwards) is EL Solar, 1 block from the
main square. Run by a friendly lady called Martha, it offers camping (8000 pesos), dorm
rooms (15000 per person) and double rooms. She has an outside shower in the garden,
surrounded by plants, that could be fun.
2 other cheapies 1 block from the main square are Hospederia Colonial and Posada Don
Blas (next door, tel: 987 320 406). Both charge 30.000 for a double, 15.000 for one
person. Hospederia Colonial is slightly nicer, but none of them are great.
The family Fitata doesn't run an official hostel but they rent out rooms anyway at Calle
12 # 7 - 31, tel 7320 574. Prices are negotiable around 15000 per person.
The Renacer Guesthouse (732 1379) is out of town (quite a walk, or go to Colombian
Highlands and they might take you there), in a very nice house. It's run by Oscar Gilede,
and it's connected to the Colombian Highlands tours. It's one of the only backpacker-y
places. Dorm beds are 12000, rooms are 18000 per person (more in high season), and
they have a "suite" (a big double room) for 24000 per person. Breakfast is extra at 5000
pesos, and you're unlikely to walk all the way to town to have breakfast there. You can
also camp there for 7000 per person (12000 in the high season).
Mid-range places.
There are a lot of very nice mid-range hostels.
One of the friendliest must be Posada San Martin. It's located in a beautiful historic
house, and the friendly couple (that lives there too) will make you breakfast beyond the
usual eggs-n-toast. It charges 50000 for a double with bathroom and breakfast. Rooms
are very clean and well kept.
Hospederia La Roca seems to have raised its prices, it now charges 50,000 for a double
without breakfast. It has a great location on the main square, and a lot of rooms.
Dino's is listed in the Lonely Planet but no longer exists - the house has changed owners
and is no longer a hostel.
Posade de Los Angeles (Cra 10 No. 13-94 Tel: 987 320 562) is a step up, they have a
variety of very nice rooms at 35000 (US$ 15, US$ 20 in the high season) per person.
Hotel Plaza Mayor is even more expensive. 1st floor rooms are 176000 for a double, 2nd
floor rooms have a king-size bed and are 198000 for a double, and 3th floor rooms have a
real bathtub and are 220000 (US$ 100) for a double.
Hosteria del Molino La Mesopotamia (US$ 50 for a double) is a fancy hotel in an old
flour mill on the border of the town. They have a natural swimming pool (with healing
properties) where you can have a swim for 4000 pesos (take a towel), or they might
forget to charge you. Careful with the mosquitos.
Places to eat & drink.
As usual, most restaurants serve a decent meal at noon with everything included for about
5000 pesos (US$ 2). Your hotel will usually serve breakfast. There are also a bunch of
fresh bakeries in town, as you walk around just follow the smell of freshly baked bread.
Sazon y Sabor, on the Plaza Mayor next to De La Cava (on the corner, a good place to
drink) serves the best lunches for 5000 pesos (a different menu every day).
Casa Quintero, on the other corner of the Plaza Mayor, is a type of 'shopping mall' - a
large house filled with small shops and restaurants. There is a good Lebanese place called
Zarina, a healthy ecological restaurant called Xirrus with some Indian specialties (try the
lentil wrap) and a brilliant bar whose owner "El Pote" is a local character. The bar
is filled with writing on the walls and chairs, and the floor is full of eucalyptus leaves. It's
probably the most bohemian place in Villa de Leyva.
There are a few more of these 'shopping malls' on Carrera 9 where you can find other
interesting restaurants.
Don'd Bill, a great place mentioned in the Lonely Planet and other guides is closed. The
owner, a drummer who used to drum with Elvis Presley, died recently.
There are 2 'discos' to dance, Latin Dreams Disco Bar (Carrera 10 1 block from the Plaza
Mayor) and Cava del Marquez (on Carrera 9, 2 blocks north of the plaza mayor), which
is downstairs and seems more popular. In the weekends, the action is on the main square.
Things to do.
Villa de Leyva is a town for walking. You can just stroll through the streets (it's pretty
small), sip a coffee on the main square, drink a warm wine in the evening.
The market on Saturday is a must of course. It's locals selling fruits and vegetables (no
handicrafts), and you can eat there too. There is an older gentleman who uses a
particularly hard-core selling method to sell overpriced cheese - be warned. He's friendly
but insistent!
Apart from that, there are lots of stores that sell very nice warm clothing and handicrafts,
just walk around the town, especially during the weekends. The ruanas (warm woollen
ponchos) are particularly nice. Not all of them are made of real wool or handmade, so
shop around.
There is a lot of great hiking around Villa de Leyva - see our separate Villa de Leyva
hiking guide.
There are also a number of sights to see in the surrounding area. You can take buses there
(ask at the bus station), taxis (who offer tours) or hike (not to all of them). Sights include:
• Ostrich Farm (about 5km southwest). You can visit and eat ostrich meat at the
restaurant.
• El Fosil. A baby-kronosaurus fossil measuring 7 meters.
• El Infiernito. A kind of stonehenge of the Indians.
• Convento del Santo Ecce Homo: a convent founded in 1620. The monks will
show you around.
• Santuario de Iguaque: see our hiking guide.
• The architect Octavio Mendoza has built an interesting, Gaudi-like mud house.
It's a short walk from the town.
For friendly tourist information, tours etc try Guias y Travesias (732 0742
guiadevilladeleyva@yahoo.com), run by the friendly and knowledgable Enrique
Maldanado. He has lots of maps (6000 pesos for a map of the region) and information,
and rents bicycles (30000 for a day, 17000 for 6 hours) and tents (15000 for 2 people).
He also does tours to various sights and can help you organize custom hikes.
Another good option for tours etc. is Colombian Highlands (732 1379
colombianhighlands@hotmail.com), which is connected to the Renacer guesthouse.
The atmosphere of the village can get touristy in the high season and on bus weekends.
During the week in low season it's pretty quiet.
Some of the dates when it gets really busy:
• June 12: this is the "birthday" of the town and the market is held on the main
square for once.
• July 16: fiesta de carmen: this is a big local event, tourists don't really come here
at this time, but all the campesinos from the surrounding area have a big event.
• 7-8 December: festival de luzes (big party with fireworks).
• The whole of December is tourist season.
RAQUIRA
Ráquira is a tiny town close to Villa de Leyva. The town (pop 1600) is full of brightly
colored shops that sell mainly pottery and handicrafts. It feels pretty touristy, almost all
the shops sell the same stuff. There are some workshops around where you can see how
the pottery is made.
Closeby is the even smaller town of La Candelaria. It has a monastery Monasteria de la

Candelaria, founded in 1660. You can take a tour of the place with the monks. You can
walk there from Ráquira.
Getting there & away.
Getting to Raquira from Villa de Leyva is relatively easy, getting back is a bit harder.
Collectivos leave from the bus station in Villa de Leyva every day at 7:30am
and 12:30am and cost 4000 pesos (US$ 2). The trip takes about 45 minutes.
To go back, a taxi costs about 25000 pesos (US$ 11), or take a collectivo to Sachica and
then a collectivo to Villa de Leyva.
Things to do.
The town is pretty small, you can easily walk around and look at the shops in an hour.
The shops in Villa de Leyva are better. There isn't really a good place to eat, there are a
few basic restaurants if you're hungry. The church seemed cute (we didn't go in).
You can also walk to La Candelaria in about an hour, just follow the trail (see map) over
the hill and down again, which would be a nice walk.
Places to stay.
Hosteria Nemqueteba (room for 2: 30000 pesos (US$ 12), room for 5 US$35, with
bathrooms) is a hotel with a pool, but it's a little bit run down and the pool is muddy.
Rooms are clean enough though.
Hotel Suaya charges 15000 pesos per person, La Posada de Santa Maria charges 20000
pesos per person for rooms with bathroom. Both are pretty standard.
BARICHARA
Close to San Gil (40 minutes in bus) on the road from Bogota to the coast, Baricharra is
an incredibly beautiful tiny colonial town, with whitewashed houses and stone streets.
There are a few local sights to see.
Places to Stay.
Hotel Corata (carrera 7 No 4 - 8, tel 726 71 10) is in a 280-year old building. Rooms
with really high ceilings are 24000 (US$ 10) per person.
Aposentos (Calle 6 No 6 - 40, tel 726 72 94) charges 20000 pesos per person.
Calle Real (Calle 6 No 6 - 40, tel 077 726 72 94).
Rosario Garcia (Calle 10 No 7 - 46, tel 077 726 72 25).
Hotel Aleman (Carrera 4 No 6 - 36, tel 077 726 74 32 or 677 74 80)
Hostal Mision Santa Barbara (http://www.hostalmisionsantabarbara.com, Calle 5 No 9 -

12) charges US$ 50 for a double in a colonial house.
SAN CIPRIANO
On the way from Cali to the Buenaventura, San Cipriano is a tiny town that's famous
because the locals have created a special transportation system: they have a bunch of train
cars that they move themselves with their own strength and small motorcycles.
The town is very small and friendly, and you can swim in the river.
Take a collectivo to Buenaventura, get off at Cordoba (2 hours), and ask where the
railway track starts. You can then take this special train through the jungle to San
Cipriano.
Great place and a nice trip for a day or two. We caught the bus as per above and got off at the drop
off point. Walk down the hill to the rail tracks (ignore the touts, they are just going to charge you
more). There you can have some lunch (chicken and rice, arrepas) and then choose your cart.
Basically now there are two ways, a cart with a motor bike that goes along the rail track, or one
with a hand pole.
It cost us 4000 each, and they basically go when they are full (lots of locals so they leave on a
regular basis).
The scenery is spectacular and sort of follows the river. You hoot along with the wind and rain
whipping you. We were all soaked, but it was a lot of fun. About 15 mins later we arrived at San
Cipriano. We went into town. Its really two dirt tracks with wooden houses built along the river.
Very green and the river is perfectly clear.
We found Casa David, our hostel, which was 10,000 ea for the night. It was clean and
comfortable, run by locals, but very basic. You can buy lunch, dinner breaky here and
softies/beers if u want.
There are some nice walks and you can swim in the river (or go down the very small rapids on tire
inners.
POPAYAN
Popayan is a very beautiful colonial town in the south of Colombia with white-washed
houses and beautiful streets. The area used to have a bad reputation, but it is very safe to
visit these days.
Relatively closeby are Tieradentro (6 hours by bus) and San Agustin (8 hours by bus),
two other great places to explore.
Places to Stay.
Residencia Lider (Carrera 6 No 4N - 70, tel 072 823 09 15).
Casa Familiar Turistica (Carrera 5 No 2 - 11, tel 072 824 448 53) is a good backpackers
place. Dorm beds are 10000 pesos, a double room is 18000 pesos.
Plaza de Bolivar (Carrera 6 No 2N - 12, tel 072 823 15 33).
Hotel Capital (Carrera 5 No 7 - 11, tel 072 838 83 63).
SAN AGUSTIN
San Agustin, close to Popayan and Tierradentro, is a town that lies in a beautiful and
mysterious area where a civilization that has long died has left lots of intruiging statues
(over 500 of them), scattered over a large area. You can explore the area on a horse, on
foot or by jeep.
A lot of people may hussle you to sell tours and stuff (unlike in the rest of Colombia).
Renting a horse is about 25000 pesos per day, and for another 40000 or something a
guide will come with you.
Places to Stay.
Most of these places are somewhat out of town, which is nice.
Camping San Agustin (tel 837 31 92, at about 1 km from town.)
Posada Campesina (Carrera 14, Camino a la Estrella, tel 078 837 39 56).
Casa de Francoise (at 1 km from town via El Tablon, tel 078 837 32 14).
Casa de Nelly (at 1km from town via La Estrella, tel 078 837 32 21) is a quiet place with
a beautiful garden. A room with bathroom is 15000 pesos (US$ 6).
El Maco (http://www.elmaco.ch, at 1km from town via Al Parque, tel 078 837 34 37).
PASTO
Pasto is a small city in the south of Colombia. It's not an especially beautiful city, but it's
in a nice area to explore.
On January 5 and 6 it has the famous Carnaval de Blancos y Negros, when everyone
goes crazy and throws flour and chalk and stuff around. Don't miss it if you're in the
neighbourhood.
Around Pasto you can visit the pretty Laguna de la Cocha (half an hour away) and the
Volcan Galeras (the local volcano), you can hike to the top.
Places to Stay.
Koala Inn (Calle 18 No 22 - 37, tel 072 221 101) is a great backpackers option and
charges US$ 5 per person for a large room. It has all the usual facilities: laundry, book
exchange, ...
Hotel Rey del Sur (Carrera 9 No 15A - 10, tel 720 79 09) is slightly more expensive and
close to the bus station.
SALENTO & VALLE DE COCORA

alento is a cute tiny typical village in La Zona Cafetera. In the weekends, local tourists
come and visit, during the week it's pretty quiet. You can climb up the hill Alto de la
Cruz for great views.
Hiking.
Close to Salento (you can take a jeep, about an hour) is the Valle de Cocora, a very
beautiful valley surrounded by mountains, with a unique type of palm trees that you'll
only find here called palma de cera. You can spend all day walking around there, there's
a trail that goes up the mountains into a cloud forest where you have to cross hanging
bridges and other fun things like that. It's beautiful and great for taking photos. You can
also organize horse-rides.
Salento is also an entry point to the Parque Nacional Los Nevados.
For a short (day) hike, go up to the Mirador de Acaime at 3000m, which has beautiful
views. If you are fit and leave early, you should be able to make it to Estrella de Agua (a
meterological station which was burnt down during the elections last April) or to the
Páramo Romerales.
It is possible to hike to the Laguna del Encanto from here, a lake in the páramo at
3900m. From there, serious mountaineers go to the summit of the Nevado del Tolima
(5215m), but be warned, it's easy to get lost, so a guide is worth considering.
It's even possible to hike to Juntas (a village near Ibagué) from Cocora, via a route
known as "Camino del Filtro". These hikes could take 2-3 days.
There are fincas where you can overnight, namely Finca Primavera, Finca Acquilino
and Finca Japon. This is a very beautiful place.
The Corporación Regional del Quindío used to have an excellent 1:40000 colour
laminated hiking map. I'm not sure if the 2nd edition, which was due to appear at the end
of this year (2006), is available.
Places to stay.
The Plantation House (Alto de Coronel - Calle 7 No 1 - 04, tel 6 759 3403 or 6 759 31
47, theplantationhousesalento@yahoo.co.uk) has private and dorm rooms. There's a book
exchange, hammocks and free coffee.
Hosteria Calle Real (Carrera 6 No 2 - 20, tel 759 32 72) in a typical local house with a
patio and friendly service. Rooms are 25000 pesos (US$ 12) per person.
Posada del Cafe (Carrera 6 No 3 - 8).
LETICIA
Leticia is a small town that lies in the south-east border of Colombia, in the middle of the
Amazon jungle. You can take a plane from Bogota. You can take boats down the river
and visit parts of the jungle. Jungle tours (http://www.palmari.org, tel 1 531 14 04 or 623
42 65) has info.
Across the Brazilian border is the town of Tabatinga. You can enter Brazil, and go on to
the town of Benjamin Constant, from where you can take more boats down the Amazon.
Places to Stay.
Travelers jungle home (86 Rua Marechal rondon Tabat, tel 033 281 33 01).
Mochileros.org (Carrera 5 No 9 - 117, barrio 11 de noviembre, tel 078 592 54 91).
Hotel Casa Selva (Fernando Martinez), tel 211 32 64 or 345 73 01) charges 45000 pesos
for a double.
Hostal Los Delfines (Carrera 11 No 12 - 83, tel 078 592 74 88 or 592 73 88).
Casa de viajeros (Carrera 5 No 9 - 117, tel 592 54 91 or 310 604 01 11) has rooms for
16000 (US$ 7) per person.
BUCARAMANGA
Bucaramanga is a city on the road from Bogota to the coast. It's not particularly
interesting by itself, but it's an ok place to break the road and to visit Giron, a nearby
town that's worth visiting.
When you're here, try to eat the famous hormiga culona ("ant with butt"), a fried ant.
Places to Stay.
Parque Centenario has some budget hotels.

Tayrona Hotel (Calle 13 No 19 - 39, tel 630 48 32 or 642 12 20).
Hotel Balmoral (Carrera 21 No 34 - 75, tel 630 46 63) is a good budget option. A double
room with private bathroom is 28000 pesos (US$ 12).
Villas de Oriente (Calle 10 No 10 - 47, tel 724 50 89 or 724 72 10).
MANIZALES
Manizales is a small city in the middle of the Zona Cafetera (coffee region).
Things to do.
In Manizales itself, there are a few churches and the Plaza de Bolivar (the main square)
to see.
Around Manizales, you can visit the Parque Nacional Los Nevados, which includes
the Nevado del Ruiz. You can take a 1-day tour there (about US$ 25), check with
Ecoturismo (http://www.aventurascolombia.com) for this and more tours. There are
also the hot springs, the ecopark Yarumos, the Rio Blanco reserve, various lakes and
much more.
You can also go trekking, paragliding, rafting, fishing and more.
Places to stay.
Mountain House (http://www.mountainhousemanizales.com, Calle 65 No 24 - 97 or ask

for Avenida Lindsay - Barrio Guayacanes, tel (6) 887 47 36 or 315 230 69 86,
mountainhousemanizales@yahoo.com). Located 3 blocks away from the shopping center
CABLE PLAZA, this new travelers hostel is close to Manizales' nightlife, and a great
place to stay.
Hotel Fundadores (http://www.hotelfundadores.com, Carrera 23 No 29 - 54, tel 884

6490) is a small upscale hotel with double rooms for US$ 45.
California Hotel (tel 884 77 20, Calle 19 No 16 - 37) has single rooms for US$ 15
(35000 pesos), doubles for 45000.
FROM COLOMBIA TO PANAMA OVERLAND

This guide was provided by Kevin of the Black Sheep Hostel in Medellin.
It is possible and fairly safe to cross the border to Panama (mostly) overland, as opposed
to taking a plane or a boat from Cartagena. The area around the border is called the
Darien Gap.
It is important to remember though that the inland area (the Darien Gap) around the
border is dangerous due to guerilla and paramilitares presence, and we recommend
strongly not to explore the inland area. The route below is safe though.
1. Take a bus to Turbo. Especially on this route, its safer to travel during the day, avoid
the nightbus (which is fine on most Colombian roads but not this one). From Medellin
buses depart at the caribe terminal each hour and cost 45,000 pesos ($20). Journey time is
9 hours. From Cartagena you have to go to Monteria and change there to get to Turbo.
2. Basic to expensive accomodation is available in the centre of Turbo. Residencia Turbo

charges 7000 pesos (3) per person.
3. Take a boat to Capurgana. The harbour is a few minutes walk from Residencia
Turbo. Boats depart at 9am, but arrive an hour before to get a ticket as boat gets full, and
to check in with immigration. Dont get your exit stamp here. Price is 40,000 pesos ($18)
to Carpugana. Ride can be bumpy and takes 2.5 hours. Put backpack in binliner as can
get wet.
3. Capurgana. Get your exit stamp at the DAS in Carpugana by the harbour.
Accomodation is available here from 7,000 pesos ($3) per person. Hotel Uvita on the
harbour is very nice for ($5). Nice resorty town to stay in for a few days.
4. Take a launch over the border. In Carpugana launches to Puerto Obaldia cost $30.
Price is for the whole boat, regardless if theres 1 or 4 people. Not many locals continuing
on to Puerto Olbaldia so look out for other travellers if you are travelling alone.
5. Puerto Olbaldia. At Puerto Olbaldia (the town is a military base) get your entry stamp
at immigration. You will be asked for an exit ticket but can get around that by saying you
have an e-ticket and havent printed it out yet. Basic accomodation is available at Pension
Conde for $5, and food is limited. Nothing to see or do here, but you may get stuck
waiting for the next flight. Flights get booked so arrive a few days before in Puerto
Olbaldia to make a reservation at the office there, or make a reservation at the Panama
city office.
6. Flight to Panama city. From Puerto Olbaldia Aeroperlas flies to Panama city at 9am
Wednesday and Sunday. Cost is $57. Journey time is 1 hour. Again you have to go
through immigration at the airport, but can blag it.
The same trip can be done the other way round:
1. From Panama city Aeroperlas flies to Puerto Olbaldia at 9am Wednesday and Sunday.
Cost is $57. Journey time is 1 hour. Reservations should be made in advance.
2. At Puerto Olbaldia (the town is a military base) get your exit stamp at immigration. In
Puerto Obaldia launches to Carpugana cost $30.
3. Get your colombian entry stamp at the DAS in Carpugana by the harbour.
4. Boats to Turbo depart at 7.30am, but arrive an hour before to get a ticket as boat gets
full. Price is 40,000 pesos ($18) to Carpugana.
5. From Turbo buses depart hourly and arrive at the caribe terminal in Medellin. Travel is
safe during the day.
Below information provided by a guest of the Black Sheep Hostel in Medellin,

James. August, 2006
The bus to Turbo cost 49 000 pesos. It took about 8 hours. The bus was stopped and
searched twice by the army and we arrived after dark.
Turbo doesnt have a terminal, and according to locals on the bus there are no cabs
besides the occassional one that is dropping someone off from another town. So it is
important to have some idea of where you are going. A kid named Elgin took me to the
Residencias Turbo for a little change.
Residencias Turbo is an absolute dire dump. I am talking post apocalyptic type conditions
here. Easily the worst place I have stayed. And, for 12000 pesos a night it was not even
that cheap.
There is apparently a boat direct from Turbo to Puerto Obaldia but I did not inquire
further becuase the Das office was closed anyways so I couldnt get a stamp.
The boat to Capurgana is a decent speedboat with life jackets, padded seats, and a rain
canopy. It cost 44 000 pesos. Capurgana is really nice. I was stuck there for a while
because the DAS office guy was taking a nap or something.
It should be noted that it is posted at the DAS office that to exit to Panama you need
proof of Yellow Fever vaccination and sufficient funds. But the guy didnt ask me
anything. I was asked to show funds in Panama City when I got off the plane and the guy
just looked at my credit card for two seconds and that was good enough.
The boat to Puerto Obaldia cost me 25 000 pesos and took under an hour.
Puerto Obaldia is bad. Just bad. Safe, but it is barely a town, and I am very lucky there
was a plane the next day. Planes go Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday. There is one hotel
that is not too bad, besides the rats. It is called Pension Cande, and a room costs five
dollars.
The Immigration official is called Mr Bass, and he is an idiot. He was playing baseball all
saturday (the day I arrived) and the next day made me wait over an hour while he was
standing around the beer fridge with his buddies at the corner store shooting the shit. He
stamped me through quick enough without any questions really, besides where I was
going to stay. I had to buy a tourist card in Panama city at the airport. I paid $20, which I
believe is not the proper price.
The plane to Panama City cost $58.72 with tax.
If you are going to do this route, you should make sure you change your money to some
American in Medellin. I had a little bit that got me by, but I had to use my visa to pay for
the plane ticket (you don't pay until you get to Panama City). Pesos will not be accepted
after Capurgana, and the rate I got to change them in Panama City was a disgrace to the
good people of Colombia.
The whole thing took two nights. It is very important to time it so that you don't have to
wait too long for a plane or you will cry it is so boring in Puerto Obaldia. It would have
been nicer to spend the second night in Capurgana and then come over on the boat in the
morning before the plane, which leaves at 10, and was not full. The same guys who took
me over the day before were dropping people off before the plane.
Note that another option to go from Colombia to Panama is to take a sailing boat from
Cartagena. Or you can just fly from any major city in Colombia.
RIO SUCIO
Rio Sucio ("dirty river") is a small town in the Cauca department. It's most famous for it's
carnaval del diablo, held two years (on un-even years, like 2007, 2009 and so on) in
January, where a week-long carnaval is held focused on images of the devil. the church
gates are closed, a big statue of the devil is put in front of it. Locals put gold powder on
the devil for luck, and there is some magic involved.
At the end of the week, the devil is burned. It's one of the most famous, and some say the
best carnaval in Colombia.
No one knows for sure when the carnaval started, but 1846 is the official first year. In
January 2007, the church finally declared that the carnaval was acceptable for Christians
to attend.
During the carnaval, up to 100,000 tourists visit the town, so if you want to stay there
make sure you have reservations.

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The first ever

First Edition January 2007

You can find updates and more detail on the website,

(And yes, it’s free.)

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FEEL FREE TO PRINT/COPY/SHARE THIS GUIDE

• Why are you here? - "Turismo".

Yes, it's very safe to take a taxi to your hostel/hotel.

For hostels in Bogota, see our Bogota - Places to Stay guide.

Becoming familiar with the city.

In La Candelaria, La Plazoletta del Chorro de Quevedo (Calle 13 with Carrera 2) is a

L'Jaim (http://restauranteljaim.tripod.com, Cr 3 No 14 - 79), open from 11AM to 6PM, is

General useful Information.

Population: 7.5 million. Area Code: 1.

Taking Spanish classes.

Individual recommended teachers:

• Marcia tel 221 28 41 or 311 241 07 27

The following people interchange Spanish classes for English classes.

• Gustavo tel 493 75 63

A bunch of the universities have Spanish courses for foreigners:

• UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL http://www.unal.edu.co

If you tried any of these, share your comments!

Here are some places that show alternative movies:

• Camerin del Carmen, Calle 9 Nº 4 – 93, tel 283 17 72.

• German Embassy, Carrera 69 Nº 43 B – 44 Piso 7, tel 423 26 00 or 423 26 26.

• Lasik Eye Surgery:

Banks and money:

• American Express office, Cra 6 Nº 14 – 74 oficina 904, tel 313 11 46.

• Servientrega Internacional, Calle 64 Nº 89 A – 83, tel 543 73 00 or 546 40 00.

• Flea market Cra 7 Nº 24 Parqueadero.

• Bulevar Niza Centro Comercial (http://www.cniza.com), Cra 54 Nº 125 A – 48.

Camping and sports:

• Aventura Almacenes, Cra 13 Nº 67 – 26. Backpacks, stoves, tents ("carpas") and

Gay & Lesbian (http://www.angelfire.com/pop/guiagay/bogotaq.htm, or

• La Oficina.com, Calle 59 Nº 13 - 22, tel 249 49 98.

ONG (non profit organizations and such):

• Confederacion de las ONGs de Bogota y Cundinamarca, Calle 175 Nº 40 – 65

PLACES TO STAY IN BOGOTA

Budget hostels in La Candelaria.

Hotel Internacional (http://www.es.geocities.com/hotelinternacionalbogota/ Carrera 5

Centro Plaza (http://www.hotelcentroplaza.com, tel 243 3818 or 286 15 80, Carrera 4 No

Mid-range hotels in la Candelaria.

Abadia Colonial (http://www.abadiacolonial.com, Calle 11 No 2 - 32, Tel 341 18 84, fax

La Casona del Patio Amarillo (http://www.lacasonadelpatio.net) seems like a great

I didn't visit expensive options these personally. Next time though!

Hotel La Boheme (http://www.hotelesroyal.com) is also in la Zona Rosa, about US$ 100

Hotel de la Opera (http://www.hotelopera.com.co, 336 2066) charges 100 US$ for a

Long term stays.

Leave your experiences in the comments :)

Universidad Santiago de Cali (http://www.usc.edu.co) has Spanish courses for

Most travelers seem to go to the language center of Universidad Javeriana

There are a few traveler hostals in Cali.

Hostal Santa Rita (Av 3 Oeste No 7 - 131, tel (572) 89 26 143,

More expensive places and long-term stays.

Hotel Vizcaya Real (http://www.hotelvizcayareal.com.co) - only 1/2 block away from la

Hotel Plaza Versailles (Avenida 5N No. 17-59, tel 682 27 27,

Hotel Valle Real (http://www.hotelvallerealcali.com) is probably the most upscale of all

A brief intro to salsa music.