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Intrepid Nomads™

Columbia has had a lot of bad press in recent years, drug wars, guerrillas and political instability has meant that it has often stayed off travellers itineraries. However, things have changed, a majority of the country is now completely safe to travel through. We found Columbia to be a stunningly beautiful country full of warm friendly people. It has a lot to offer travellers including national parks, wildlife, trekking, history and culture. It’s easy to see why Columbians are eagerly awaiting the influx of tourists which will no doubt come in the next few years.

 

Average Cost per Day for a Couple – Columbian Peso CP$300,000.00


Our average cost includes;

 

  • Transport 
  • Hotels/Hostels
  • Daily spends 
  • Treks/excursions


In total we spent 33 days in Columbia. We didn’t expect to spend as much time as we did but there was loads to do and see and we found it to be excellent value for money.


Typical Costs


Hotels/Hostels: Prices for a private room can vary from CP$30,000 in more remote areas to CP$120,000 in major cities. On average a budget would be $70,000 – CP$ 80,000 per night. There are some excellent hostels in Columbia. Our favourites were La Mansion in San Gill and Hostel Hooaka-Ya in San Augustin.


Food: Meat, meat and more meat. A typical set meal can be found for CP$7,000 - $10,000 and will include soup, meat, rice, plantain and/or potatoes and a drink. There are loads of fast food restaurants mainly serving grilled meat or fried chicken. Vegetarians may struggle outside of the major cities.

 

Beer: A bottle of beer can found for between CP$1,500- $3,000 in restaurants.


Entrance Fees and Activities

We found all entrance fees and activities to be excellent value for money which allowed us to do a lot more than we expected.

 

  • Castle San Flipe Baraias, Cartegena – CP$17,000pp (Audio guides $10,000pp or $15,000 for 2) 
  • Museo de Atiquio, Medellin – CP$10,000pp
  • Pablo Escabar Tour, Medellin – CP$45,000pp
  • Tour to Volcano Nuiz National Park, Menizales - $130,000pp
  • Coffee Tour Hacienda Venecia, Menizales - CP$45,000pp
  • Tayrona National Park Entrance Fee – CP$39,000pp
  • San Gill Park – CP$6,000pp
  • White water rafting, San Gil – CP$125,000pp
  • Horse Ride, San Agustin – CP$120,000pp
  • Jeep Tour, San Agustin – CP$40,000pp
  • San Agustin Archaeological Park – CP$20,000pp
  • Tierradentro Archaeological Park - CP$20,000pp
  • Gold Museum, Bogota – CP$3,000pp
  • Walking Tour, Bogota – Free from Cranky Croc Hostel
  • Amazon boat tour, Leticia – CP$120,000pp


Transport


Between the major cities there is a choice of different bus companies to use. The buses are a safe, easy and cheap way to get around the country.

 

  • Cartegena to Taganga (5hrs) – CP$4,200pp
  • Taganga to Tayrona National Park (1hr) – CP$20,000pp 
  • Santa Marta to San Gil (13hrs) – CP$70,000pp
  • San Gill to Barichara (1hr) –CP$4,400pp
  • San Gil to Medellin (11hrs) – CP$70,000pp
  • Medellin to Manizales (5hrs) – CP$37,000pp
  • Manizles to Cali (5hrs) – CP$44,000pp
  • Cali to Popayan (4hrs) – CP$16,000pp
  • Popayan to San Agustin (5hrs) –CP$34,000pp
  • San Agustin to Pitalita (45min) – CP$5,000pp
  • Pitalita to La Plata (3hrs) – CP$18,000pp
  • La Plata to Tierradentro (1hr30) CP$12,000pp
  • La Plata to Bogota (8hrs) – CP$50,000pp
  • Flight Bogota to Leticha (2hrs) – GBP£60pp


Highlights

 

  • Cartegena - A grand, historic, colonial city.
  • Tayrona National Park – Beaches, wildlife and spectacular treks. 
  • Medellin – Clean, cosmopolitan city with excellent nightlife. 
  • San Agustin – Mysterious archaeological sites set in the gorgeous mountains.
  • Tierradentro – Get off the beaten track and see what rural life in Columbia is really like while trekking around the ancient tombs and lush countryside. 
  • Leiticha – Columbia’s gateway to the amazon. 
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