General: Colombia > Reviews > A country misunderstood

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Excellent
Shopping	Excellent
Nightlife	Excellent
Ease of getting around	Excellent
Family Friendly	Excellent

Advantages:	A country of extremes
Disadvantages:	Its a long flight

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I went to Colombia for the first time in August 2006 with my family and friends asking 'why?' The immediate response to my decision to travel there was that it was a place of drug runners, murderers and thieves and yes, maybe parts of the country are best left alone but the rest of it is so big and so beautiful that to not see it is a crime in itself.
I stayed in Quindio but we traveled hundreds of miles in all directions from there, as far as Medellin, Bogota, Corcora, Villa de Leyva and Gautape.
Each turn in the road brought with it a new visual experience and a view more spectacular, although the 8 hours taxi ride from Quindio to Bogota was one I might not repeat.
Mountain folk on horses pull up alongside the 4 x 4's, children sit on the side of the road selling corn or arepa, streams tumble down mountains and the earth is red covered in a green and verdant blanket. There are too many ways to describe this beautiful country than could ever fit on this page and not enough to describe the hospitality of the people and the joy of just having been there