Colombia Off The Beaten Path

  Iglesia Pedro Claver dome from port at...
by richiecdisc
 
  • Iglesia Pedro Claver dome from port at dusk
      Iglesia Pedro Claver dome from port at...
    by richiecdisc
  • one of Colombia's stunning churches
      one of Colombia's stunning churches
    by richiecdisc
  • Iglesia de San Felipe Neri's impressive facade
      Iglesia de San Felipe Neri's impressive...
    by richiecdisc
  • Iglesia Roque late afternoon
      Iglesia Roque late afternoon
    by richiecdisc
  • Ship picking up a pilot next to the lighthouse
      Ship picking up a pilot next to the...
    by grandmaR
 

Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in Colombia

26.

Zipaguira   Bogotá

Zipaguira, Bogotá

 5 Reviews  Zipaquira is an unassuming small town about 50 kilometers north of Bogota and would most likely not be visited by anyone aside from its star attraction, a salt mine of all things. But this is no... 

 See All 41 Off The Beaten Path in Bogotá

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

the salt of Zipaquira

by richiecdisc

Zipaquira is an unremarkable but surely authentic Colombian town a couple hours north of Bogota. Few would visit it if not for its “famed” salt cathedral that draws surely more Colombian tourists as those hailing from outside the country. That's okay, it is for this very reason you should perhaps go. It is a great chance to see Colombians enjoying their own country in a very natural setting. If you can combine this with a trip to sights further north, it is certainly a worthwhile stopover.

Tip Photo
steamy Mompós

by richiecdisc

Mompós sits steaming on the mighty but sauntering Rio Magdalena, an ode to its former glorious colonial self, parts in decay but others gleaming as any World Heritage Unesco Site might. This is a Colombia found nowhere else, half Bayou swamp and half romance novel ala Garcia Marquez, rolled into a somewhat inaccessible gem that more and more people are finding their way to. While many extol the adventure of getting here and surely that is half the fun, the town itself would be a stunner even if on a more mainstream path in a country that until recently was considered a no-go due to dangers having little to do with remote river travel.

Tip Photo
Chingaza National Natural Park

by traveldave

Located in the mountains east of Bogota, Chingaza National Natural Park protects 131,917 acres (53,385 hectares) of high Andean forest, sub-paramo, páramo grasslands, and fog forest. These habitat types are endangered, and are only located in the Andes Mountains in parts of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.The elevation of the park ranges from 6,500 feet (1,981 meters) up to 13,000 feet (3,962 meters). Most of the landscape consists of páramo grassland and fog forest, although taller canopy trees grow at lower elevations in the park. The mountainous park is the source of nine rivers which provide fresh water to the nearby city of Bogota. The Bogota Water Company in fact owns 40 percent of the park.Despite the fact that this area is a national natural park, and is supposedly protected, deforestation still occurs here, mainly from local people cutting trees for firewood. Commercial...

Tip Photo
La Conejera Wetlands

by traveldave

The Bogota Savanna is a high plateau that was once covered with vast wetlands, or humidales, that were home to innumerable species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and plants. During the last century, as Bogota grew, the wetlands of the Bogota Savanna were largely replaced with the urban sprawl of the city. Even now, the wetlands are quickly disappearing. In 1960, there were 123,553 acres (50,000 hectares) of wetlands, and by 2000, there were only 1,977 acres (800 hectares) left. What were once large tracts of wetlands are now reduced to seven small protected areas within the urban area of metropolitan Bogota. These wetlands are important because they perform hydraulic regulation functions for the Bogota Savanna ecosystem, including absorbing excess water from nearby rivers, collecting rainwater, and acting as natural water-filtration systems. In addition, they are home to two...

Tip Photo
Side trip to Salamina

by StephanB

We took a side trip, a little off the beaten track, to visit the small town of Salamina. What a wonderful little town. If you are looking for the Colombia of old where only the locals visit, this is your place. Within an hour of arriving in the town, we found a hotel and went to the plaza. We found a little store that rented DVDs, and when we asked if they needed a deposit, the owner laughed and said that he knew who we were, and where we were staying. We stand out a bit in South America, but you could tell that not too many gringos traveled that path.There is one larger hotel (Hotel Sanguitano, seen better days, but adequate), and a couple small hostals in the town square. It is a good 2 hour drive through the mountains from Manizales, in the Magdelena region.

Tip Photo
Head to the Ruins at San Agustin

by ricardo_emp

Personally I believe that everyone should get to San Agustin. The town does not offer a great deal, a pretty ordinary rural town...but the ruins are phenomenal... read onhttp://columbia-travel.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_ruins_at_san_agustin

Tip Photo
Take a taxi and .........

by almogaver

There are many places to go in Colombia, but any of this buildings, streets, beach, or island leave in my mind the same memory than the people I met. Perhaps in any other country people was so kind, soprepared to explain his life, his problems as I washis friend, or his brother.One day I took a taxi near my hotel and asked to the man to take me out of the city. I needed to see how was the life, the problems, the soul and the wishes of this people without a soldier or a policeman sideby side like in Cartagena de Indias. We went with thetaxi to a very small place, a village near the sea.In the while we arrive there, the man explain hisown problems, with his wife ill because of the deadof a child by a car not many time ago. The man spend all day with us, going up and down the village, talking with the people, drinking with us. I still canremember him near his yellow car taking care of us...

Tip Photo
The infamous Ciudad Perdida Trek

by AndreSTGT

This trek can be booked through the Casa Familiar and other posadas in Santa Marta.Costs : 125$ for 6 days including guide, accommodation in hammocks along the way and food.Ciudad Perdida is one of the most significantancient cities in South America. It was abandoned by the Tayrona Indians in the 16th century and rediscovered only as late as the 1970s.For more detailed information on this unique trek, please visit my Colombia Sports travel tips; and my Warning and Danger tip, i'm afraid!

Tip Photo
Parque Nacional Tayrona

by AndreSTGT

This national park close to Santa Marta offers picture-perfect Caribbean beaches with coconut palms, rock formations and white sand. If you don't have time to visit Ciudad Perdida, there are also some smaller Tayrona ruins within the national park.Accommodation is in hammocks on the beach (4.000 pesos), there are two restaurants and communal ablution facilities.To get there take bus 23 from the market in Santa Marta and get off at the park gate, where you have to pay 5.000 pesos entrance fee. From there a jeep takes you 5 km to the headquarters, from where it is another 45 min on foot to the beach of Arrecifes.

Tip Photo
Taganga

by AndreSTGT

Just a ten minute bus ride from Santa Marta this small fishing village is known for its excellent and inexpensive diving (unfortunately i did not have enough time to check it out).But even for people not interested in diving, Taganga is a great place to visit.The scenery looks very Mediterranean, very untypical for the Caribbean sea, esp. considering that the tropical beaches of Tayrona are only 30 km away.A beautiful 1 h coastal walk westward takes you, after passing several pebble bays to a very beautiful, deserted beach called Playa Grande, a nice place for a picnic and a swim.

Tip Photo

Top 3 Hotels in Colombia

Embassy Suites Hotel Bogota-Rosales  Bogotá

 2 Reviews and 86 Opinions  Hotel location was perfect. 30 minutes from airport, Great location, with Great reaturant accross... 

 Hotels in Bogotá

Casa El Carretero  Cartagena

 109 Opinions

 Hotels in Cartagena

Cali Plaza  Cali

 8 Reviews and 66 Opinions  My husband and I stayed at Cali Plaza Hotel while visiting family in Cali. We enjoyed the hotel an... 

 Hotels in Cali

Questions and Answers

jswnn profile photo

Q:  Hola Travelers - I'm planning a three week trip to Colombia. What is the cheapest way to fly from Bogota to Cali, from Cali to... 

xaver profile photo

A: bookmarking 

Read 8 Replies

postQuestion_button