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 The bus terminal in Maicao by MalenaN
As we arrived in Maracaibo I was immediately taken to another por puesto that was going to cross the border to Maicao in Colombia. It was also 30 000 Bs and it took 3 hours to Maicao. There were several police checkpoints along the way to the border. As we came to the first police the driver turned around and asked for money. I think he first asked for money from me and one of the man (but I‘m not sure he wanted me to pay as well). I had no intention to pay but only took out my passport from the bag. The man paid 5000 Bs and did so at several occasions. I soon realised he was travelling without a passport (I have later heard that is quite common at this border). Before leaving Venezuela you have to pay the departure tax, which is 37 500 Bs (July 2007). You must also leave the immigration form (if you have one from the airplane) or fill in a new form.
At the Colombian side everything was very quick.
From Maicao I took a bus to Santa Marta. It was leaving half an hour after I had arrived and it took 4,5 hours to Santa Marta. The bus ticket was 20 000 pesos.
Outside the terminal in Santa Marta there are minibuses going to the city centre and Taganga for 1000 pesos. It took 45 minutes to Taganga as the minibus first drove through Santa Marta. It was after 7pm and dark when I arrived to Taganga, but there are a lot of people out at that time who you can ask for direction. Leave a Comment Theme: Bus
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 No en route pick-ups
though by alza
If you're in Cartagena, you'll probably find info on the Golden Eagle's itinerary or where to get in touch with Peter at the Hostel Viena in Getsemani. (I'm not staying there, I prefer El Centro Historico nearby. But I know Peter left a flyer at the Viena.)
If you're in Panama City, la Casa de Carmen in El Carmen barrio can put you in touch with him.
Peter Rippingale, MCA Master 3000 gt
Email: ZCNZ4@sailmail.com
Cartagena: +(57)3114190428
Panama: +(507)6535 0356 Leave a Comment Theme: Ship/Boat
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Sadly, travelling overland from Central America to South America is not an option, at least for all but the most foolhardy of travellers. There is about an 80-mile-long break in the PanAmerican Highway which is known as the Darien Gap. There are various land and sea routes through the gap that have been attempted by small numbers of adventurous travellers in the past, but in recent years drug smugglers and armed groups hostile to travellers have been very active in this area, and it is now considered too dangerous to attempt the crossing, even by those who have done it in the past. So until peace returns to this largely unexplored region, you'll have to either sail or fly. The website below is run by a husband and wife team who made the trip several times and wrote a guidebook on the gap, but even they have not attempted it since 1999.
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From Europe Avianca, Iberia and Air France. Also the LCC Air Plus Comet serves Bogota from Madrid. From the USA: Delta, Continental, American and the LCC Spirit Airlines from FLL.
Bogota has 2 terminals, one called El Dorado (Int. + domestic), the other Puente Aereo. The latter is only Avianca-domestic and almost all (but not all) departures/arrivals of AV are handled here. Check. See also the Avianca website. All other domestic airlines use the main terminal (El Dorado, domestic part).
A taxi to/from Bogota city will cost around 7 Euros, well organised. Outside the arrivals hall (domestic as well as international) are booths where you get your taxi, safe procedure.
Leaving Colombia get the Exencion stamp BEFORE going to the check-in counter if you stayed less than 60 days. Otherwise you pay around $ 30 more as extra departure tax. The airport tax itself of $ 32 is now included in the ticket itself, otherwise you have to pay it at the check-in counter.
SAM is a fully subsidiary of Avianca. Both good and reliable. ACES doesn't exist anymore, nor does Intercontinental. Another good domestic airline is AIRES with Dash-8 turbo-props and now also 737's to smaller cities. Aerorepublica operates closely with Continental (USA) and COPA (Panama) and is now a member of the SkyTeam alliance. SATENA is the civil operations of the military and flies mostly to remote areas. In general, domestic tickets are reasonably priced. Tickets can be bought on-line through most airlines' website. Check and compare. When possible, travel by airplane; it's safer. All have modern and new airplanes.
If connecting by Avianca via Puente Aereo, AV has connecting-check-in just after leaving customs and arranges bus transportation to Puente Aereo. Can be hectic when several int. flights have arrived-allow ample time to connect when having to change terminals.
Within S-America, the airlines Avianca, LAN (from Santiago, Quito and Lima), COPA (Panama), and TACA (San Salvador, San Jose and Lima) serve BOG via their respective hubs with extensive networks.
Info updated January 2009. Theme: Airplane
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If you fly from Panama City to Cartagena, you may be told by the travel agent that you have to buy a return ticket to satisfy immigration requirements, even if you have no intention of returning to Panama. We were initially sold a one-way ticket, but the next day the travel agent called us back into the office and told us we would have to pay significantly more for a return ticket. We were told that in Colombia this would be partially refunded by the airline (Aires), which made it not as bad. Of course, at the Aires customer service desk in the airport we were told to write a letter (in Spanish) documenting our reimbursement request, make photocopies of our tickets, etc. and then we could expect a deposit in our bank account within a month. The deposit never showed up. After numerous emails and attempted phone calls, the money still never showed and I eventually gave up.
Of course, immigration never asked us to see our return ticket either, so it was all a waste of time and money. So try to shop around until you find someone who will sell you a one-way ticket, and never believe anyone from Aires who mentions reimbursement. Theme: Airplane
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If you don't want to fly to get from Panama to Colombia, the other option is to find a private yacht that is willing to take you for a fee. This is a fairly common practice, although you might have to wait a few days before you find a boat ready to go. You can ask around and put up notices in the yacht clubs in either Panama City or Colon. We inquired at a hostel recommended by our guidebook for that purpose (sorry I can't remember the name), but they didn't have one leaving when we wanted so we took the flight instead.
It will take about five days and will cost upwards of two hundred dollars (only slightly cheaper than the flight), but you get to pass through the remote San Blas Islands, known for outstanding coral reefs and traditional Cuna society. Theme: Ship/Boat
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Some websites for long distance buses:
http://www.bolivariano.com.co/
http://www.fronteras.com.co/r />
http://www.berlinasdelfonce.com/
http://expresobrasilia.com/
Most are comfortable, preferably, when feasible, to travel by day.
Info updated January 2009. Theme: Bus
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 In Pamplona by MalenaN
Well it is easy to miss the immigration/emigration office in both countries, but make sure you really get the stamp, or it can be very expensive later.
From the immigration office I took a taxi to the bus terminal in Cúcuta. It was 10 000 pesos and took 20 minutes. In Cúcuta I found a shared taxi that was soon leaving for Pamplona. It was 13 000 pesos and with a lot of road construction along the road it took two hours to Pamplona. The family I had shared the taxi with were going to the same hotel as me so in Pamplona we shared another taxi, but it is actually walking distance to the hotel from the terminal. Leave a Comment Theme: Car/Motor Home
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 At the playa in Santa Marta by MalenaN
Before going to Venezuela I wanted to change my Colombian pesos for Venezuelan Bolivares and that you can do in an office inside the terminal (It is a better rate here than the money changers have at the border in Paraguachon).
I took a shared taxi to Maracaibo and there was only one other passenger, a woman. The taxi was 23 000 pesos or 40 Bs (August 2008). The other passenger didn’t have to get a stamp in her passport so as I went inside the immigration office on the Colombian side the driver said they were driving on to the Venezuelan side because there were a lot of cars. I was a bit worried about my luggage in the back of the car but as I came walking to the Venezuelan side the car was waiting there and it had already passed the line of cars that were waiting. After leaving the border we were stopped several times, five times I had to show my passport and other times the police only looked in through the window and said we could pass.
About halfway we stopped at a shop (for water and bathroom) and the driver was checking the engine of the car. After that we drove even slower and all other cars (and taxis) passed us. As we reached Maracaibo we went to a gas station and then we stopped along the road to wait for a taxi for the woman who was going to another part of the town. The driver thought I could take a taxi from the same spot but I wanted to go to the terminal as it is not far from the hotel where I stayed. I was dropped only one block from the hotel. The taxi drive from Maicao took more than 3,5 hours. Leave a Comment Theme: Car/Motor Home
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 Galarza - Ibague, Tolima by WaRPer
Prepare yourself for a long, curvy, dizzy ride!!! Theme: Bus
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