Signed by Scarlett

Colombia ended up being one of the places we stayed the longest and we have so many recommendations for food, things to do and tips!

So this final backpacking dairy is going to be a quick guide to Colombia!

Cali

Viajero Cali Hostel & Salsa School: nice, clean, good food and free salsa classes and events. Rooms are bit tight but they’re okay, however we felt the hostel was very disorganised.

Tips:
⁃ We recommend getting a taxi from the airport to the hostel
⁃ Stick together, maybe at night stay with the hostel groups or some people from hostel
⁃ You’ll notice cafes/restaurants usually are locked with gates so sometimes you ring the doorbell to go in or someone will let you in

Recommendations:
⁃ Walk around San Antonio and see all the murals
⁃ La Linterna: beautiful shop with posters/postcards and the front is covered in posters so perfect for a photo op
⁃ Salsa street
⁃ Walk around Parque de los Gatos and walk to Iglesia Ermita. Walk across the bridge too and there’s a huge trumpet statue which plays music – practice those salsa moves
⁃ El Mulato Cabaret – amazing cabaret/salsa show! I would say prebook as the hostel weren’t the best at sorting this so maybe book it yourself, we managed to book them on the door but had to wait till it started and had to sit at the top. But it was only £3.50!

Food:
⁃ Japan Ramen – so good!
⁃ Walk up to the church and grab a Cholados
⁃ Simbas: Indian restaurants – The chef is so lovely and he comes out and ask what kind of curry you usually like and will make it from scratch
⁃ Triada – amazing sangria and pasta!
⁃ Domingo – we had an amazing chocolate cake from here!

Salento

Bindi Hostel (beds are comfy, nice little rooftop with cheap and strong drinks for happy hour and games)

🚍 Took an uber to the bus terminal and then a 3 hour shuttle to Armenia, where we got another bus for 1 hour to Salento

Tips:
Get to locations like cocora valley and coffee tours from going to the main square and buying tickets from the hut and wait for the jeep to take you!

Recommendations:
⁃ Take a jeep to a coffee tour (we went to Don Elias coffee tour)
⁃ Cocora Valley (world’s tallest palm trees!) and the cafe has yummy cakes
⁃ Go and play Tejo
⁃ Walk up and down all the streets near the square and there are so many cute jewellery and gift shops and loads of food/drinks places!

Food:
⁃ Brunch de Salento – breakfast and great milkshakes!
⁃ The hostel we stayed at also had some nice food

Filandia

📍 Three House Hostel (we had our own room and was so nice – but the guy on reception did search up where we lived at home, so maybe give a false address…)

🚍 30 minute jeep from Salento

Recommendations:
⁃ Cute shops and streets to walk around

Food:
⁃ Across from the hostel was a dessert shop and arguably the best cheesecake I’ve ever had in our lives!
⁃ La Remesa – such good food and drinks (we recommend the BBQ ribs and chicken and veg dish)
⁃ Helena – lovely tapas food
⁃ Cafe Quindo – fabulous iced coffee

Tatacoa

🚌 1 hour bus from Filandia to Armenia. 2 hour bus to Ibague. 3 hour shuttle to Nieva. One hour truck/taxi to Villavieja

So a confusing journey to say the least. Not much to do there but if you have time and want to see a desert I’d recommend!

Tubo Hostel – we had our own room and were actually the only people staying there so instead of having a chef in the kitchen, they kept giving us local take away options, but they were good – recommend doing this as there isn’t loads of places to eat in the town.

The hostel can help order you a TukTuk driver to Tatacoa Desert. If you go, don’t go cheaper like we did and let the driver stay at the top and you walk the desert. We got lost for over an hour and had to find signal and ring for help, but the views are amazing!

Bogota

🚌 A 7 hour bus from Nieva and then got an uber to the hostel. Get an uber and make sure it’s legit, we heard some horror stories!

Viajero Hostel Bogota – very nice hostel! Great beds, bathrooms, games, books, lovely food and events.

Recommendations:
⁃ see the parliament building and the square
⁃ If you keep walking up past the parliament building there was like one area that was cute and some nice bars
⁃ Monserrate has excellent views

Tayrona

✈️ We flew from Bogotá to Santa Marta and then grabbed a taxi straight to the hostel

The Journey Hostel – bedrooms are very basic but you can’t fault the view of the hostel. Great pool and seating areas and fab food drinks. Family dinner is nice too! Very social hostel.

Recommendations:

⁃ We did the horse ride which we booked with the hostel and loved it
⁃ Tayrona national beach/park

Cartagena

🚕 We arranged a taxi with the hostel to take us to Santa Marta bus station and then got a bus to Cartagena. Then another taxi to the hostel. At the Santa marta bus station, make sure to check the bus a lot as ours arrived early and left an hour early!

Life is good hostel – this hostel was really nice, the beds were comfy and clean. A few toilets/showers and a couple seating areas. Also a very cute kitten called Life when we went!

Recommendations:

• Getsami – loads of cool artwork and murals
• We did the 3 island boat tour which we booked with a local travel agent it included some snorkelling and going to Pablo Escobar island. It’s okay but if you know you’re going somewhere else to snorkel in a different country I’d say this one could be a miss (we were spoilt with a very good one in Belize so this one felt not as good)
• Go to the Plaza and see the Cartagena clock – walk all around here and there’s loads of shops, cafes and bars.

Food:

• Cafe Del Mar – very famous place to grab cocktails and food with a beautiful view. Not cheap but was lovely
• Nia Bakery coffee shop – amazing iced coffee and cakes
• Di Silvio Trattoria – Italian food which was very good, but very small dessert (3 small profiteroles!)
• Cocktail street – a small street lined with chairs and tables and loads of different stalls of cocktails

Medellin

✈️ got a plane from Cartagena to Medellin and then an uber to the airbnb

Wynwood House – AirBNB – we got an airbnb as this was our last stop of the trip (and my birthday!) and I highly recommend this place. So modern and spacious.

Recommendations:
⁃ El Poblado – a lot of fancy restaurants and bars. Nice to walk around
⁃ Shopping centre for a good shop
⁃ Communa 13 walk around and go to the top for a drink

Food:
⁃ we fancied a takeaway in the Airbnb and had a dominos and it’s so much cheaper here that the UK!
⁃ Pergamino – the best waffles/cake/coffee/everything – would go back just for the waffles
⁃ Planeta Wings Poblado – such good chicken wings

And thats the quick and easy guide to Colombia and the end of my backpacking dairies. 2024 was a year to remember!