A route through Colombia for free It will be the trip we make during the months of December and January. We are not going to deny that it is a destination that has been in our head for a long time and that due to the great extension of the country and the days we thought were necessary to be able to know its most tourist places, we were delaying; until now.
As we mentioned in the travel guide to Colombia, the best time to travel to the country is the months of December, January and February, which are the ones that usually have better weather, especially in the places we want to know and especially in San Andrés and Providencia, which will be the places where we will be the last days of this route through Colombia for free.
The first thing we did to schedule this route was to look for the flights. For us it was very important to look for a direct flight from Barcelona, something that allows us to save a lot of time and also travel more comfortably. We were lucky to find a flight with Avianca to Bogotá, which is our point of entry and exit from the country, with which we will make a direct flight, in addition to a perfect schedule, since we will fly during the day, arriving at night to Colombia and the return will be on a night flight, something that we hope will allow us to better overcome the jet lag.
We recommend using this flight search engine to find the best options at the best prices.
In Bogotá we will be 2 full days, staying at The Grace Hotel, in Chapinero, one of the areas that you have recommended us the most to stay in the city.
The first of the days will be dedicated to the tourist neighborhood of La Candelaria, where we will know the Plaza Bolivar, the National Capitol, the Primada Cathedral, the Gabriel Garcia Marquez Cultural Center, the Santa Clara Museum, Nariño House, the Botero Museum, the House de la Moneda, Plaza Chorro de Quevedo and Callejón del Embudo, which are some of the places to visit in Bogotá, which we are sure, will make us fall in love with the city.
The second day will be dedicated to visit the Cerro de Monserrate in the afternoon to return to the center of Bogotá and visit the Gold Museum, the Church of San Francisco, the Journalists Park and at night go to the Barrio Rosa to the Zona T , where we have read, is one of the areas with more atmosphere in Bogotá.
Bogota
The next day we will move to Zipaquira, located northeast of Bogotá, by bus, where we will know the city and visit the famous Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira, how could it be otherwise, should be included in our route through Colombia for free.
Here we will stay at the Hotel Cacique Real, one of the most recommended in the city, where we are safe, they will treat us wonderfully.
On the fifth day we have hired a taxi that will take us from Zipaquirá to Villa de Leyva, in a journey of about 3 hours, making a stop at the famous and mysterious Guatavita Lagoon, one of the most sacred places for the Muiscas where the investiture ritual of the new Zipa (Cacique) was performed. This is also the place where the famous legend of El Dorado originated and the place where the famous Raft Muisca is inspired, which today can be seen in the Gold Museum of Bogotá.
In Villa de Leyva we will spend two nights at the Provençal House, which will allow us to know what they say is one of the most beautiful cities to see in Colombia, known for its whitewashed colonial buildings, its cobbled streets and impressive Plaza Mayor.
Villa de Leyva
The seventh day of the route through Colombia we will use private transport again to go to Barichara, in a journey of about 4 hours, a small town in northern Colombia that is known for its cobbled streets and colonial architecture, which have made it one of the most beautiful villages in Colombia.
Here we will also spend a night staying at Casa Barichara Boutique, which is one of the most recommended accommodation in the town.
At this point we must say that transfers to Villa de Leyva and Barichara can be done perfectly by public transport, although this implies taking 2-3 buses in addition to the occasional taxi, in order to reach the destination. In our case, we have preferred to opt for the taxi to make all the routes and thus have more time to enjoy these locations and even make an extra visit like the Guatavita Lagoon, which we did not want to miss in this Colombia for free.
Barichara
On the eighth day in the afternoon we will take a taxi again, in this case to take us to Bucaramanga, where we will spend the night at the International Hotel La Triada for the next day early in the morning take a flight that will take us to Cartagena de Indias, one of the places that we are sure, will make us fall in love and that as you can imagine, we could not stop knowing in this route through Colombia.
In Cartagena de Indias we will spend 4 days staying at Casa Venita Hostal Boutique, in Getsemaní, one of the most famous locations in the city.
The first day, after the flight, we will dedicate it to enjoy the city and the first full day, yes we want to dedicate it to know the old town, which is the most tourist area, for the second one to dedicate it to the San Diego District and the third and last day to dedicate it to Gethsemane, where we will be staying and that is another of the places to see in Cartagena de Indias.
Cartagena de Indias, one of the places you can't miss on a route through Colombia
On the 13th of the trip we will take a bus that takes us in about 3 hours to Santa Marta, another of the places that we could not miss either travel to Colombia. This Caribbean city, in the north of the country, was once the first Spanish settlement in the country and today it is, in addition to a colorful city, the gateway to Tayrona National Park and the start of excursions to the site Archeology of the Lost City, in the mountains of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
We will spend a couple of days in Santa Marta, staying in La Calzada del Santo, from where we can enjoy the historic center of the city, the boardwalk and an environment that, from what we have read, will not leave us indifferent.
From here and already on the 15th of the route through Colombia, we will take a bus again, which in 3 hours will leave us in the Tayrona National Natural Park, another of the objectives of this trip, where we will spend two days staying at Hotel Jasayma Parque Tayrona, inside the park and from where we will try to tour the most tourist places of this impressive reserved area, located in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, known for its impressive coves surrounded by palm trees and its rich biodiversity.
Here are also the ruins of Pueblito, an archaeological site that is accessed after a trekking and we hope to do to learn a little more about the Tayrona civilization.
Tayrona National Natural Park
On the 17th of the trip we will transfer in the morning to the airport of Santa Marta to fly to Medellín, the next stop of our route through Colombia for free. Here we will spend almost three full days staying at the Medellín Vibes Hostel from where we will know the most tourist places of the city such as the Botero Square, the Palace of Culture, the Museum of Antioch, the Berrio Park, the Church of the Candelaria, La Gorda Botero, the San Antonio Park, the San Antonio Church and the Park of Lights, in addition to of course, visit the Commune 13, go to the Paisa Village and enjoy the Christmas lightingWhich, from what we have read, is among one of the best in the world.
Another day we want to make a day trip to Santa Fe de Antioquia, municipality located in the northwestern part of Colombia, which is famous for its colonial buildings, its cobbled streets and its tamarind sweets, which we are sure, will become part of our memories.
Medellin
On day 20 of the trip we will move to Guatape, where we will stay at the Hotel El Paisaje, to meet the famous day Stone of the Penol, one of the places we could not miss in this route through Colombia and on the second day, dedicate it completely to enjoying Guatapé, one of the most tourist locations in the Andes, famous for its houses decorated with colorful bas-reliefs.
Guatapé, a must on a route through Colombia for free
On the 22nd we will start another stage of the route through Colombia flying from Medellín to Pereira, where we have chosen to rent a car in Colombia to tour the Coffee Axis, where we will be 8 days, counting the days of transfers.
Although we know that it is quite a while, this was one of the areas we most wanted to know on this trip and also, here we will spend Christmas Eve and Christmas, so we have preferred to have some extra days to rest and above all, Enjoy this place that we intuit, will be one of the most unforgettable of the trip.
In the Coffee Axis we will stay 2 nights in Filandia, in the Mythos Hostel and 6 nights in the Hotel El Mirador del Cocora in Salento, with unique views, which we are sure, will make us fall in love.
During the days we are in the Coffee Axis of Colombia we want to visit Filandia, Tapao Town, Buenavista, Circasia, the Mirador Alto de la Cruz, Salento, Armenia, the Botanical Garden of Quindio, Quindio, Río Verde, Córdoba and Pijao as well as of course, trekking to Cocora Valley (once or twice).
And as an extra, we also want to visit one or two Haciendas, to know the whole coffee process, something that interests us very much, since we are true lovers of black gold.
Cocora Valley
On the 29th in the afternoon we will return to Pereira, where after returning the rental car, we will spend the night at the Mh Pereira Hotels for the 30th of the route through Colombia for free catch a flight to Neiva, where we have rented a car in Colombia to travel for almost 3 days on Tatacoa Desert, the second largest arid zone in Colombia after La Guajira, which is also one of the most impressive landscapes of the country.
Here we will spend the last and first day of the year, an experience that we are sure we will not forget, staying in Payande Tatacoa, next to the Red Desert.
Tatacoa Desert
On January 2 we will continue the route through Colombia for free returning the car in Neiva and then take a bus that will leave us in 6 hours San Agustin, another of the places we most wanted to know on this trip.
San Agustín is a town in the Andes, in the west of the country, which is the gateway to the San Agustin Archeological park, where you can see pre-Columbian remains in several archaeological sites, such as the Forest of Statues. Here we will stay two nights at the Asgard Hotel.
San Agustín, a visit on the route through Colombia
On January 4 the last stage of the trip to Colombia, moving to Pitalito, where we will take a flight to Bogotá and then connect that same day with another that will take us to San Andres, an island in the Caribbean Sea, located off the coast of Nicaragua, which is one of the holiday destinations par excellence in the country.
Here we will spend 3 days, enjoying its beaches, its coral reefs and Johnny Cay Park, a small island with coconut trees and white sand beaches that would be perfect as the image of any postcard.
In San Andrés we will stay at Casa del Mar, from where we will surely rent one of your famous golf carts to tour the island and get to know the most remote areas of San Andrés.
San Andrés, another of the essentials on a route through Colombia
After these days in San Andres, the route through Colombia since there have been few who have recommended us to go to Providence, an island located near San Andres off the coast of Nicaragua, which can only be reached by boat, on a route that for what they say is horrible due to the bad sea that is usually there or flying, in a small plane few places, which is the option we have chosen.
There we will be the last 7 days of the trip, staying at the Cabañas y Restaurante Miss Elma, where we want to rest and enjoy what they say, is one of the last paradises that exist in the world.
Providence. Sun
Route through Colombia for free
As you can see, this route through Colombia It is designed to enjoy the places with some tranquility and after organizing the trip, we can say that in this trip you could reduce the time of stay in each of the places, making a trip to Colombia of many fewer days.
We will talk about all this in each of the posts that we will publish, making special mention of the necessary times in the visits, so that in case you do not have so many days, you can adjust the trip to your times.
Day 1: Lloret de Mar - Barcelona Airport - Flight to Bogotá Colombia
