Colombia is a country of striking contrasts: Andean metropolises steeped in history, colonial cities facing the Caribbean Sea, Amazon rainforests and tropical archipelagos coexist just a few hours’ flight from one another. In this section we take you on a journey to discover the main destinations proposed by Perú InsideOut, starting with Bogotá, the Andean capital at almost 2,650 meters of altitude, with its colonial center, museums and urban art.
On the Caribbean coast, Cartagena enchants with its walled city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while Medellín, the “city of eternal spring,” tells the story of one of the most extraordinary urban transformations on the continent, with an essential stop in the nearby and colorful Guatapé. In the central Andean region stretches the Eje Cafetero, the Coffee Triangle, a World Heritage Site for its unique cultural landscape.
On the north coast, Tayrona Park and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta combine Caribbean beaches and snow-capped peaks just a few kilometers apart. We then continue toward the Colombian Amazon, with Leticia as the gateway to the rainforest, and finally toward the Caribbean archipelago of San Andrés and Providencia, famous for its sea of seven colors.
The Andean capital between colonial history and urban art
At almost 2,650 meters of altitude, Bogotá is one of the highest capitals in the world. The colonial neighborhood of La Candelaria, the famous Gold Museum and the funicular up to Monserrate, which overlooks the city from above, coexist with one of the liveliest street art scenes in South America.
The colonial pearl of the Caribbean Sea
Encircled by mighty 16th-century walls and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cartagena de Indias enchants with its colorful houses, carved wooden balconies and colonial squares, while the lively Getsemaní neighborhood pulses with music, murals and nightlife.
The city of eternal spring and the most colorful town in Colombia
Medellín has undergone one of the most extraordinary urban transformations on the continent, symbolized by the Metrocable lines that connect hillside communities to the city center. A short distance away, the town of Guatapé surprises with its facades decorated in zócalos and the imposing rock of El Peñón de Guatapé.
The Coffee Triangle, a World Heritage Site
Among the gentle hills of Quindío, Risaralda and Caldas stretches Colombia’s coffee cultural landscape, recognized by UNESCO. Historic haciendas, colorful towns like Salento and Filandia, and the spectacular Cocora Valley with its wax palms, the tallest in the world, make up a landscape like no other.
Where the jungle meets the Caribbean Sea
Tayrona National Park is home to dream beaches framed by tropical forest, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the highest coastal mountain range in the world. Here live the Kogi and Arhuaco indigenous communities, guardians of the ancient Ciudad Perdida.
Leticia, Colombia’s gateway to the rainforest
At the point where Colombia, Peru and Brazil meet, the city of Leticia is the ideal starting point to explore the Colombian Amazon rainforest, Amacayacu National Park and the Ticuna indigenous communities, as well as to encounter the pink dolphins of the Amazon River.
The sea of seven colors
In the heart of the Caribbean Sea, the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina is famous for its turquoise waters shading into seven tones of blue, for its coral reef, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and for the raizal culture, with its English-based creole language.
A desert carved by erosion
The Tatacoa Desert, in the department of Huila, alternates red and grey canyons shaped by thousands of years of erosion. Thanks to some of Colombia’s clearest skies, it is home to an astronomical observatory where you can admire planets, nebulae and the Milky Way.
Colombia’s historic heartland
Boyacá preserves some of the best-kept colonial villages in the Colombian Andes, with Villa de Leyva as its main jewel. Around it, experimental vineyards have sprung up at over 2,100 meters, a young project already capable of surprising results.
The land of the wayuu indigenous people
Although many invaders tried to conquer this peninsula, none managed to defeat the indigenous wayuu. The town of Uribia is the gateway to the Alta Guajira region.