I just came back from a wonderful 26-day tour of Colombia that I organized myself. I found that my blog is an opportunity to show step by step the organization of this trip.
So I fed the articles as my project progressed.
You will find below the questions that I asked myself for the construction of this circuit. They are classified chronologically.
Why travel to Colombia?
After my magnificent trip to Peru, I had only one desire: to return to Latin America! And, I wanted to discover a country with multiple landscapes, that it is culturally rich, that it brings me a change of scenery and wonder. but where the cost of living is not too high and where it will be easy to find cheap accommodation.
First, I fell in love with Argentina but doing Patagonia in August is very strongly discouraged because of the freezing temperatures. Moreover, it is one of the Latin American countries where it is very very expensive to travel (high prices, long distances to cover…).
Finally, I chose a trip to Colombia. Indeed, the landscapes are very varied: Pacific coast, desert, Andes, Amazonian forest, Caribbean coast.
In addition, the cost of a trip is not very high, perfect for my small wallet (see budget at the end of my article: 3 week itinerary in Colombia).
When to go to Colombia?
The dry season, from November to March, is considered the best time to travel.
August is really not the ideal time to visit Colombia (school holidays so lots of people on the sites, highest prices of the year, significant heat in the Caribbean part).
But as I wanted to go for more than 3 weeks, other constraints pushed me to choose this period despite everything, which is not the most favorable.
And actually, I didn't regret it because we had sunshine and good temperatures throughout our trip!
What to absolutely visit in Colombia?
Colombia offers many must-see sites for travelers. Here are the most notable destinations:
- Bogotá and Medellin, the two emblematic cities of Colombia.
- Coffee Zone (Zona Cafetera): Colombian coffee culture and emblematic villages such as Salento or Filandia
- Cocora Valley: A unique site with giant wax palms reaching 60 meters in height and fascinating hummingbirds
- Cartagena de Indias: A colonial city classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, renowned as one of the most beautiful in South America
- Tayrona Park: A haven of peace on the Caribbean coast with heavenly beaches and lush tropical nature
After consulting dozens of catalogs, reading a lot of blogs and receiving a few quotes, I decided to skip the Amazon area because it was not very safe and to do a South-North circuit starting from Bogota.
I then developed my 3 week itinerary in Colombia (25 nights exactly with a seaside extension on the island of Mucura.
Local agency for parts of my trip to Colombia
To visit Bogota and Medellin and for some long journeys that I preferred to do with a private driver, I opted for some services from a local agency:
I chose Colombia Infinita which offers à la carte services and professional French-speaking guides as well as private drivers. They allowed me to organize my trip to Colombia myself with only a few services taken care of by this travel agency.
Do you need a visa to travel to Colombia?
To travel to Colombia, French citizens do not need a visa for a stay of less than 90 days.
Here are the main conditions to respect:
- Passport: It must be in good condition and valid for the entire duration of the stay. It is recommended that the passport have at least two blank pages and be valid for at least six months after the date of entry, although this is not strictly required.
- Return ticket: Travelers must present a return or onward ticket upon entry into Colombia.
- Migration form: Before boarding, it is necessary to complete the Check-Mig form, which must be done at least 72 hours before the flight and at least one hour before.
- Travel insurance: Although not mandatory, it is strongly recommended to have insurance covering medical expenses and repatriation.
- Supporting Documents: Upon arrival, supporting documents such as hotel reservations or invitation letters may be requested.
Are vaccinations required to travel to Colombia?
No vaccinations are required to enter Colombia.
However, when I asked my doctor, several vaccines are highly recommended:
- Hepatitis A: Recommended for most travelers.
- Hepatitis B: recommended for long or repeated stays.
- Typhoid and yellow fever: recommended for prolonged stays or in precarious hygiene conditions such as in the Amazon region.
Which companies to travel to Colombia?
To travel to Colombia from France, several airlines offer flights:
International flights to Colombia
- Air France: offers a daily direct flight between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Bogota
- Iberia: offers daily flights from Madrid to Bogota, as well as connections to Cartagena, Medellin and Cali
- KLM: offers direct flights to Bogota and other major Colombian cities
- Avianca: Colombia's main airline, serving Bogota and other cities from Paris with a stopover in Madrid
- Air Europa: offers several flights per day with a stopover in Madrid
- Other options include Lufthansa, American Airlines and Delta Airlines
The average price of a round-trip flight from France to Colombia is between €700 and €900, varying depending on the airline, options and season.
Domestic flights
- Avianca: considered the most reliable, with an extensive network
- LATAM Colombia: subsidiary of the largest airline in South America
- Viva Air and Wingo: low-cost airlines
- Satena: serves more isolated areas of Colombia
- Clicair (formerly Easyfly): serves smaller cities
Hello Coco,
thank you and compliments, again, deserved.
Despite all the answers given, two questions remain for our planning:
– can we consider renting a car and getting around on our own?
– is it better to book the services of private drivers before departure or can we do it on site?
The goal is flexibility, sometimes the desire to stay an extra day somewhere.
Thank you, good luck
Eric
Hello Eric,
Yes you can rent a car and make your circuit without going through an agency. It is indeed much more flexible in terms of freedom.
The difficulties you may encounter doing this circuit by driving yourself is the risk of getting lost but also having difficulty parking your car in the cities.
For chauffeur services, I recommend that you book them in advance if you choose this option.
Bonne journée.
Hello !!
I just read your Blog for Colombia!!! I am planning a trip of about 6 weeks in Colombia and Ecuador or Bolivia, I wanted to know did you take a guide for each city?? it is better to have a security question guide ??Can we manage ourselves??
Hello Michel,
We went through a local agency that organized transport for us and provided a guide only in Bogota and Medellin because it was safer.
Here are their contact details Pierre VERGER: (57) 3208125670 Mail: pierreverger@colombiainfinita.com
The insecurity must be there because there are bars on all the windows on the ground floor of the houses, but we only felt it in Santa Marta and in Cartagena in the Caribbean part where there are more tourists. It is therefore necessary to avoid certain isolated places at night.
Otherwise, our whole trip went very well accompanied by the kindness and benevolence of the Colombians.
Have a nice trip !
Hello Coco,
Well done for this complete and precise story and… .without spelling mistakes (which is not the case with many other blogs!). It's very pleasant to read… We are leaving for Colombia for 3 weeks in March 2020, tickets are reserved on Air France Paris / Bogota (780 € return / return / person). I find your formula very interesting (half of the trip with a private driver and the rest on your own). My project will be quite identical to yours, but by removing the stay in Macura (lack of time). Can you give me an idea of what you spent (excluding France / Colombia flights) for this trip? As well as the costs for agencies and drivers? Congratulations again and thank you for your contribution. See you soon to read you.
Roland Marie
Hello and thank you ! I am currently in Laos. As soon as I return, I will give you the approximate budget for my trip to Colombia.
Hello,
The most important budget was the transport + guides item. We paid 7 COP for 070 for private transport + French speaking guides + Mucura transport. On the other hand, the hotel budget represented only 000 € for 2 (see details on: https://sacavoyage.fr/hotels-pas-cher-colombie/). For the restaurant budget, we mostly chose small local and inexpensive restaurants and ate for 3 to 6 € a meal.
Hello, we are looking to go on a horse trekking trip, my daughter and I, we are very well trained in horse treks, do you have any information on this subject? Thank you so much.
Sabine and Fanny
Hello,
The horse is very present in Colombia. We have seen a lot of it in the coffee region. I know there are horse rides in the Cocora Valley. I therefore advise you to contact fincas around the valley and Salento to find out more.
Thank you very much for all this information which is precious to me because on March 4th I am leaving for 1 month on the same route but in the opposite direction.
I hope the temperature will be nice and also not too much rain .. I also took my internal flights in advance
Thank you very much for your sharing
Your story is full of interesting and relevant information that I am already using for the preparation of my trip next September.
A very grateful Quebecer
Oh thanks ! I am delighted if my work pays off. But it's more fun than work ...
Hello
I am looking to organize transfers by car with private driver, in particular to do bogota salento
Do you have contacts? How did you go about finding one?
Are you going through travel agencies?
thank you for your reply
Hello Estelle,
We did not make the direct BOGOTA-SALENTO route because we had stops between these two destinations.
For private drivers, we went through Colombia Infinita (Pierre VERGER (57) 3208125670 pierreverger @ colombiainfinita.com).
For information, our driver for the BOGOTA-VILLAVIEJA and VILLAVIEJA-ARMENIA trips was Carlos RUBIANO (+ 57 3158390610).
Hello,
Thank you for your reply. I am rather considering direct flights from CDG and there is only Air France for around 900 euros.
cordially
Michel
Hi,
Thank you for sharing. Your blog will be very useful to me in preparing for my trip next winter.
I wonder about the cost of air transport. I imagine that 1222 euros in total is per person?
cordially
Michel
Hello Michel,
Yes, this is the total cost per person of the airplane budget. It includes the return flight Toulouse-Bogota, the Medellin-Santa-Marta flight and the Cartagena-Bogota flight.
I did well to book them in advance because I put an alert on skyscanner which shows me from week to week the increase in the Toulouse-Bogota ticket!
On my return from Colombia, I will complete these articles with the visits, the natural discoveries, the meetings with the locals (I hope) in order to put my impressions ... and little tips that will perhaps be useful for lovers of travel !
Hello,
You have already kindly answered me on the Forum, I just looked at your site which is very interesting. I had a question about the 12 days or do you use a guide / driver, he accompanies you during these 12 days or does he pick you up from your hotel only on certain days? Can you tell me the cost to have a driver / guide during this time? Thank you for your reply.
RD
Hello,
No, the guides and / or drivers are different depending on the areas where we will be. They pick us up from the hotel on certain days only… according to our schedule. We have quite a few “free” days where we will fend for ourselves.
I cannot give you the price for the drivers and guides because they offered us a package which also includes certain activities such as a visit to an indigenous Koguy house, a trek ... and the return boat transfer to the Island of Mucura. I don't have the details ...
Do not hesitate to send them an email with your specific request because they are very responsive and will respond quickly!
Hello,
I am leaving for Colombia and I will arrive in Cartagena on 10/08. Can you tell me about a private driver who can transport me between hostels and cities.
Thank you for the info.
delphine
Hello Delphine,
Why not contact the same agency I chose for my own tour this summer: COLOMBIA INFINITA?
pierreverger@colombiainfinita.com
I am sure they will be able to offer you private drivers throughout your tour.