Colombia help please

[Annie]

I’m in the early stages of planning just 5 days in Colombia prior to the Galapagos in June 2027.
Galapagos is all sorted but would appreciate some advice on how best to spend the 5 days in Colombia please. We will be flying with Iberia so arriving into Bogotá and we have to fly into Quito at the end.
We are not really city people for more than 2 days. I’m wondering about Salento and Cocora valley or perhaps Medallin and Guatape.
Any suggestions or advice greatly appreciated.

[JonathanC]

there’s so much to see and do in Colombia, 5 days wouldn’t really be enough, it depends on where you like the most, being in cities or out in the more rural countryside, it also depends on what type of life you’d like to experience there, Cartagena is going to be very different from say Medellín.

it’s hard to really say where’s best to spend five days in the country, depends very much on personal preferences, there’s all kinds of different types of local life to enjoy there

[Cat]

I’m not really a big city fan either (but I *loved Medellin, so if you decide to go for a city, I’d go with that one, and everyone I know who went to Guatape loved it), and always tend to head to the mountains and the NPs. My favourite spots in Colombia were Tayrona NP (the Ecohabs inside the park are fabulous) and Minca / El Dorado, all just outside Santa Marta (which is an easy flight from Bogota), and also La Minga ecolodge outside Cali (pay a visit to Dona Dora, while you’re there). Also Nuqui was incredible, if you’re interested in seeing humpback whales – I saw 14 of them, in two day trips!

I hope that helps!

[tootsci]

I visited Colombia last summer for a week at the end of my bigger trip to Peru. I also loved Medellin and it’s a good base for some day trips if you wanted a balance between city and nature. I did one that went to Guatape and it is lovely but was quite busy with tourists. I then did another day trip from there into the countryside to visit a coffee farm which was good. Last few nights I nipped up to Cartagena which was really just to see the Old Town and get some poolside R&R at the IC there. A colleague visited Colombia a few months ahead of me and she said that Santa Marta is a bit of a dump but that Minca was amazing but I decided to prioritise the R&R after my adventures in Peru

My suggestion would be if you want all nature then either head up to Santa Marta and the surrounding NPs as @Cat suggests, or down to the Coffee Zone. Or if you want a balance between the two then base yourself in Medellin and do day trips

[Annie]

Thanks that’s really helpful. I’ll look into those suggestions and report back.

[Gordon]

@Annie – Below is a trip report on my time in Colombia last year, hope it helps.

https://hfp2026mar.kinsta.cloud/forums/topic/colombia-trip-report/

[LD27]

@Annie – I went to Colombia last November after my Galapagos trip. I assume when you say you have 5 days, you mean full days as opposed to arrival day and leaving day. As @Gordon and I found, immigration in Bogotá was long, hot and tedious, let alone customs, where every item in my suitcase was searched. So if you’ve just arrived from Madrid, you would need to allow plenty of time for late arrival/immigration before taking another flight.

My thoughts. I really liked Bogotá, despite the arrival issues and my first tour guide letting me down – 5 days would not be enough to do it justice in my view. But perhaps because I’m a Londoner! After a walking tour, I did my own thing. Monserrate has stunning views. I visited the Gold, Emerald and Botero Museums. Wasn’t sure about the latter at the time, but his work grew on me. I enjoyed walking around the Candelaria and sitting in Bolivar Square. Good opportunities for coffee tasting. I took tours to Lake Guatavita and the Salt Cathedral. The scenery NE of Bogotá was unexpected – I felt I was in the rolling hills of Europe. Although I enjoyed walking around Quito, I much preferred Bogotá.

Medellin, I also liked. Had issues with flooding on a couple of occasions. But talking to other people, it seemed quite normal, especially the road from the airport. Communa 13 and others, well worth visiting. Good museums in the main square, plus lots of Botero sculptures. Public transport easy to navigate and cheap. Also enjoyed the Botanic Gardens and Parque Arvi. Went to Guatapé, which I enjoyed, but I think I came across more tourists in this area than anywhere else.

Cartagena was somewhere to relax at the end. A totally different, Caribbean feel. Reminded me of Havana at times. Walled town and Getsemani easy to visit and interesting. I had hoped to stay there but left it too late as there were lots of visitors for independence celebrations over a number of days. Parades worth visiting. I ended up staying in the IC, which had a good lounge which looked out over the ocean.

[TJ]

We recently came back from Colombia and covered most of the areas already mentioned.

Even though internal flights work well, if you only have 5 days I would just consider sticking to one or two areas max depending on the vibe that you are looking for. You can see the main sites in Bogotá in a full day. Medellin and Guatapé are a good choice but be prepared for lots of tourists at the latter. Cartagena is also a good choice if you don’t mind the heat…you can combine the culture and history of the walled city with a day or so on the beach (maybe even Rosario Islands which are quite nice). We also felt that the walled city had a slight feel of Havana minus the Hemingway-esque charm.

That said, if you have to fly to Quito then I believe the only direct flights are from Bogotá and Medellin so that will probably help you decide accordingly.