Colombia Experience

A Hidden Gem In The Heart Of Colombia

Advantages: diverse, stunning, peaceful, cheap, friendly, coffee, climate
Disadvantages: language barriers, long bus journeys

My name is Jonathan, I am a 21 year old student at Warwick, I went to Colombia in the summer of 2006, and wanted to share a little bit of it... First of all, it was of little surprise to me that Colombia has had just five reviews on the country in general. This can probably be accounted by the fact that when you take one look at the foreign office website, all but a handful of Colombian provinces are blacked out as "no go zones." Whether feeling ...
...chose to kindly ignore this advice, and venture out to what has now become one of my favourite countries in the world, and despite my age, I have been to over 30 countries across all the continents. My journey in Colombia began on the caribbean coast and ended on the border to Ecuador, where my travels continued down the West coast to Santiago de Chile. I appreciate that I am just one traveller amongst many, but having travelled from one end of ...

goldentouch77 19.09.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of General: Colombia

Bogota across the divide

Advantages: Easy to navigate
Disadvantages: Traffic jams

This city is immense and viewed from the vantage point of Monseratte it seemed to fill the entire plain below. The phenomonal difference in the northern and southern suburbs is sometimes ovewhelming but both have thier own beauty. In the the north there are elegant and palatial homes, areas of great beauty and historical interest, modern shopping malls and restaurant areas (Zona Rosa). You can buy emeralds, sleep in comfortable and expensive hotels, ...
...in central Europe. In the south you will experience the shanty towns, poverty at ground level, literally, and some large part of the real Colombia which is the friendliness and happy disposition of the people. The city offers a multitude of historical and interesting sites all of which are better described in the Lonely Planet but the city itself offers more of the vibrancy that is Colombian, more of the energy that is Latin America and more of ...

jalazar1 09.03.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Bogota

Visit Cali

Advantages: Climate, people, nightlife, shopping
Disadvantages: Inequality, poverty, crime

...and celebrating (la rumba), and Cali is the salsa capital of Colombia. San Antonio has a nice view and buzzing atmosphere in the evenings before a night on the town (perphaps). Cali is a city with the feel of a small town but the benefits of a large city. However like most of Latin America there is a lot of poverty and inequality, be aware of this but dont let it ruin your trip, the colombian people dont let it ruin their lives and the positivity ...
...has a few large shopping centres (centros comerciales) which are worth a browse (Chipichape is one of the nicest). I recommend a day at the impressive Zoo (allegedly one of the best in South America) and a coffee at a local Juan Valdez is essential. There are some nice church buildings around worth visiting if you appreciate colonial architecture. Many parts of the city sell local, traditional handicrafts (artesanía) which make great souvenirs. Cali's ...

behind_the_cloudie 10.06.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Cali

Botero Botero

Advantages: Large City with Botero Museum
Disadvantages: Large city with bad reputation

We were only in Medellin for two days and we went to so that my friends could vist family and so that I could visit the Botero Museum that I had been whinging on about for days. It was also an excuse to experience the city after so long in the countryside. It was a bit of a culture shock at first and there were times when we felt a bit threatened on the street but this was probably just paranoia as in fact we had a great time. The museum is well ...
...of bronzes which children play on, you can touch and lie on, and generally just love! It is a magnificent sight and although it is a bit of a traffic island it is surrounded by beautiful buildings and the hustle and bustle of daily life, the colourful buses, the flower sellers and the balloon man seemed to complete the picture. We had coffe on the terrace and watched the world go by before setting off for the hills again. Delicious. ...

jalazar1 09.03.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Medellin

Natural Beauty and Relax

Advantages: Natural Beauty, no crowds.
Disadvantages: Aranged trips, not a lot of freedom to move.

...are one of Colombia's national parks and a lot of care is taken to keep them intact, and this I have to say is very nice to see, I recommend a trip to the Islas del Rosario they truly take your breath away and be sure to remember your camera. ...

gviscomi 30.04.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Islas del Rosario