The Wanderlust Guide to the best of Colombia
Shrugging off its edgy reputation, Colombia is a tantalising mixture of Andean foothills and Amazon jungle, pre-Columbian sites and Caribbean beaches – get there soon…
It was once South America’s kidnap capital, but now most of Colombia is now wholly safe and thrillingly uncommercialised – in 2010, Wanderlust readers voted it their favourite emerging destination worldwide.
Opportunities for climbing, trekking and diving are excellent. You can bathe in pools of volcanic mud, hike through acres of flowers, hole up in remote coffee fincas high in the mountains and revel at a plethora of music festivals. To top it all, there are some superb historical sites.
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Something for everyone. It’s a worn-out cliché, trundled out by every tourist board on the planet. But in Colombia’s case, it’s actually true.
If colonial towns, haunting deserts and mysterious pre-Incan sites are your thing, Graeme Green recommends heading for the Colombia’s little-visited south. Chris Moss, on the other hand, suggests the country’s ‘coffee corner’, a region of verdant plantations, laid-back haciendas and stonking nightlife.
With both a Pacific and Caribbean coastline, whale watchers are spoiled for choice, says Nick Boulos. While Sarah Barrell reckons divers should head to the crystal clear waters of Islas del Rosario.
If ancient cultures are more your bag, Paul Morrison suggests coming face-to-face with the mysterious stone men of San Agustin.
More information
Discover Colombia’s Latin quarter – Graeme Green
Coffee and culture in Colombia – Chris Moss
Whale watching in Colombia – Nick Boulos
Islas del Rosario: diving off Colombia’s coast – Sarah Barrell
Faces in stone, Colombia – Paul Morrison
