An all-time favorite destination of mine, I first traveled to Colombia in 2018 at the urging of one of my really good friends. While I was expecting to have a good time, I had no idea what I was in for. As someone who grew up in the 90s, I had internalized some of the bad press and resulting stereotypes from that era. And while Colombia, like all places, has its challenges today, I was blown away by what I experienced with the people, sites, landscapes, food, music, and history of the country.

When one of my friends invited me to travel to Cartagena with him, I admit I was skeptical. Colombia was a country I knew little about, and I was mired in an image of what the country would be like that was both reductive and outdated. Luckily, my curiosity and desire to experience the beaches around Cartagena won out. When my friend suggested adding a second stop, I campaigned hard for Medellin as I knew people who had traveled and lived there.

However, my friend campaigned hard for Bogota, so we went there instead and had an amazing time! But first, let’s talk about Cartagena…

The majority of our time was spent in Centro (aka the Walled City or La Ciudad Murada) and Getsemani. I know there are other great neighborhoods in Cartagena but aside from the first night when I stayed near the airport, I didn’t spend much time outside these two locales.

My travelmate found us a wonderful and centrally-located rental apartment in the Walled City for the first phase of our tour. Even though I was on vacation, he was working, so I spent a lot of time walking around the center of Cartagena, drinking the most amazing juices of my life (mamey, zapote, and lulo aka naranjilla FTW) and taking in the vibrant colors of the beautifully painted buildings. Although the first couple of days in Colombia were much more low-key compared to prior vacations, I really enjoyed the tranquil vibes. When my friend was able to join me in the evenings, we enjoyed excellent cocktails and ceviche.

One of the beautiful older buildings in El Centro.

Cartagena is interesting from a cultural and historical perspective, as well. However, that seems to get lost in the tourism conversation. Having just finished Marie Arana’s fascinating biography of Simon Bolivar, I now have a greater appreciation for just how important Cartagena was for the years-long fight for liberation from Spain and the eventual formation of Colombia as a nation. And while historical sites abound (La Ventana de La Denuncia from the Spanish Inquisition and Castillo San Felipe were my personal favorites), a lot of the tourism focus seems to be on the Walled City’s colorful houses and the beautiful beaches near Cartagena. [PRO TIP: Cartagena, like most cities, has organizations that give free or inexpensive walking tours that dive into the history of the sites. I usually do at least one per trip, but didn’t in Cartagena. I will definitely do this on a return visit].

As we drew to the weekend, we flew to Bogota. I’ll be honest. I didn’t know what to expect and I thought that we were headed to a run-of-the-mill large city. We landed on Saturday late morning and headed to Chapinero, where we were renting an apartment. Our first stop was to a neighborhood restaurant where we each had a glorious double filet with mashed yellow potatoes and amazing wine. Might as well get started big, right?

Double filet with a red wine sauce over mashed golden potatoes. This cost about $8.

Similar to Cartagena, I spent a lot of time walking and taking in the vibe of one of the more dynamic cities that I’ve visited. However, this time my friend was not working and was able to join me. From Chapinero, we made our way to La Candelaria, the central neighborhood of historic Bogota. And truthfully, no itinerary was needed. Just by walking and taking in the many points of interest and happenings, we were able to experience a lot. A few things we did (from what I can remember):

Perused Bogota’s outdoor weekend markets
Savored delicious Colombian coffee from an outdoor cafe
Tried an oblea from a street vendor
Checked out several plazas, squares, and cathedrals
Randomly encountered a roving celebration of Mexican heritage in Colombia (in both cities, we encountered unexpected jubilant marching processions, which seems on-vibe)

However, the highlight of the first day was our museum excursion. As afternoon faded into evening, we decided to check out one of the museums. We only had time for one and thus faced a tough decision between Museo Fernando Botero and Museo del Oro. Given our location at that moment, we opted for the Botero Museum. And wow, what a place! Prior to that point I was woefully uneducated about Colombian artists and Botero is one of the most famous. This renowned painter and sculptor is known for his exaggerated depictions, most often of people and fruit. Some refer to Botero’s style as “absolute units”. I was so glad to add Botero to my burgeoning knowledge of contemporary art history and strongly believe his work deserves more attention. Check him out!

Presumably the Mona Lisa as interpreted by Fernando Botero.

Sunday brought us brunch, Monserrate, and my first experience with aguardiente.

If you’re like me, you enjoy exploring the everyday things of other cultures - things such as supermarkets, chain restaurants, public transportation. Fortunately, while in Cartagena, I was introduced to Crepes y Waffles, a Colombian chain focused on - wait for it - crepes and waffles. Crepes y Waffles has locations throughout Colombia as well as in a few other Latin American countries and Spain. I love crepes and Crepes y Waffles did not disappoint. While I have not verified this, I was told that Crepes y Waffles operators make a point out of hiring single mothers who may otherwise have trouble finding flexible work. I just learned that Crepes y Waffles is a certified B Corp, which is super cool.

Back in Bogota, Crepes y Waffles has a concept restaurant called Crepes y Waffles Arte-Sano (this is not the best analogy, but think Taco Bell Cantina vs Taco Bell). Arte-Sano is a bit of a play on words: it conveys both artisanal (artesano) as well as art (arte) & health (sano). Its menu includes some Crepes y Waffles staples plus more experimental dishes. I took the opportunity to step out of my standard savory crepe comfort zone and try a plantain-infused crepe with spicy sauce (my description from memory will never do it justice, so here’s a picture). Paired with a guanabana smoothie and Colombian coffee, it was the perfect fuel for our Monserrate stop.

I don’t remember everything that was in this savory crepe, but it was delicioso.

One thing I love to do wherever I go is visit a city’s highest point. Monserrate is the highest point in Bogota (over 10000 ft./3000 meters), offering breathtaking scenery and a spectacular view of the city. Monserrate is also home to a cathedral as well as a cafe and a coffee shop called Pro-Vocaciones. I’m beginning to think that Colombians (or at least Bogotanos) are into puns?

Visitors can reach the peak of Monserrate by foot or by tram. Normally, I would have been up for the hike, but we had been having some late nights and early mornings. Not to fear though, the tram up and down the mountain felt safe and offered good views. Be advised that the lines for the tram can be long and patience is key.

After touring the cathedral and getting pictures of the glorious surroundings, we headed to the cafeteria, where I tried the national dish, bandeja paisa, for the first time. Despite taking the tram, I had worked up quite an appetite and was so grateful for the beans, rice, egg, sausage, plantain, and avocado. Bandeja paisa is a great representation of Colombian food: hearty and tasty with the flavors of the core ingredients doing most of the talking. See the sites of Monserrate in the gallery below (plus the bandeja paisa!):

We concluded our Sunday with dinner in Zona T, a popular commercial area replete with the common trappings of shopping centers from around the world. Here, I tried my first cocktail with the national liquor, aguardiente. While I enjoyed the cocktail, I tried a shot of aguardiente on my next Colombia trip and found that by itself, it is not for me (it’s made from anise, and very much tastes like it).

The next morning, I got up early to enjoy another crepe (this time from Crepes del Otro Mundo - I highly recommend) and then headed to the airport for two more days in Cartagena, this time settling in Getsemani. We had two agenda items from that point forward, travel to Baru for a beach day and visit El Castillo San Felipe.

A lot of people visiting Cartagena hit up the city beaches in the Bocagrande neighborhood, and I plan to do that on my next visit. This time, we elected to hire a driver to take us to Baru, to enjoy the pristine white beaches of the former peninsula (it has functionally been rendered into an island thanks to the 1582 construction of the Canal Del Dique). Riding from Getsemani to Baru was about an hour or so car-ride followed by a very turbulent speedboat ride to get to a prime spot on the beach. And if you’re a beach person like myself, Baru is paradise. With white sand and clear, calm blue water, Baru was exactly what I had in mind when my friend suggested I come with him to Cartagena. I’m telling you - one afternoon in Baru will clear your skin, rid your mind of all stress, and make you feel ready to tackle your life back home!

My Baru photography was seriously lacking, but you can see how clear the water is here.

Before leaving Baru, we stopped at one of the beach restaurants. It’s an interesting experience to eat at one - it seems that many rely on bottled water, even for hand washing, as tap water doesn’t extend to every part of the beach. I don’t remember what I had for lunch, but I did take the opportunity to try a borojo smoothie. Borojo is a superfruit indigenous to Colombia that tastes a bit like tart apple mixed with pomegranate. There are a lot of different health benefits attributed to borojo, but I am not a doctor or nutritionist, so I just say try it for the flavor.

As our time wound down in Colombia, we said our goodbyes to new friends and left on separate flights (I’m typically a Delta guy, so I landed and departed one day earlier than Chris). I squeezed in a very last-minute trip to Castillo San Felipe (photo gallery below), a UNESCO heritage site that served as a fortress during Spanish rule. As I was in a bit of a time crunch, I wasn’t able to take in all of the history surrounding the castle, but loved its views, the verdance surrounding it, and the great lower-body workout hiking it provided. From there, it was back to the apartment to gather my things and head back to the US.

At the end of it, I was so glad to have traveled to Colombia. At that time of my life, I was bogged down in my work, as well as personal losses. I went into the trip with few expectations, but came away with a life-affirming week of experiences that I’ll never forget. In my next blog, I’ll dive into my return journey to Colombia, where I double down on Bogota and fly east to Bucaramanga.

Other random notes and observations:

Safety in Colombia: this topic is well-covered on the internet, so I’m not sure how much I have to add. I advise people to be vigilant no matter where they go, but the reality is that you should stick to the common tourist areas for lodging and exploring. I felt pretty safe staying in The Walled City and Getsemani in Cartagena, and by all accounts, Bocagrande is also safe. I spent my first night near the airport, which was fine, but not as central as I’d prefer, as that area is quieter. In Bogota, the northeastern neighborhoods are generally going to be the safest for lodging. I personally don’t recommend staying in Candelaria, as it can become noticeably less safe at night. Chapinero will give you good proximity to everything and is a safer area, especially for solo travelers. Teusaquillo, Zona T/Zona Rosa, Parque 93 and Usaqen are also recommended, although the latter two might put you farther away from the center than is ideal. If there is something you want to see in a less safe area, or would like additional guidance, I would highly recommend hiring a local tour guide from a reputable source.

Coffee: While Colombia is rightfully known for its coffee production, Cartagena didn’t have as strong of a coffee culture. When I stayed near the airport, I searched in vain for a coffee shop and didn’t find one. Coffee selection is better in Centro, but seems to be dominated by chain shops, primarily Juan Valdez (it’s quite good though). Bogota had a much better selection of cafes. And if you must have Starbucks or Dunkin, you’re going to find that much more easily in Bogota. (As a New Englander, I almost always end up hitting up the Dunks on my trips for research and comparison).

The crisis in Venezuela: At the time of my visits, Colombia was receiving vast numbers of Venezuelan immigrants fleeing the Maduro regime. You couldn’t talk to anyone or overhear a conversation without the situation in Venezuela coming up - and there was no shortage of tension or strong opinions. I write this to say that it is a good idea to be informed about the context between the two countries, as geopolitical events continue to contribute to tensions there.

Language: I speak a bit of Spanish now and was very actively learning the language during my first visit. Any Spanish you can speak is only going to help you in Colombia. While most hotel desk staff speaks English, you need some Spanish to truly take part in all Colombia has to offer.

Have questions or want to share about your Colombia experience? Let me know in the comments!