It was the start of the year and the grey clouds of London were looming over me. Winters in the Big Smoke can feel never-ending, but luckily I was forming plans to swap this drab city for colourful Colombia in a few months’ time.
“I need some inspiration,” I thought, as I opened my laptop and began researching routes. But after hours of looking for a simple itinerary that would make sense to someone new to the country of coffee and Shakira, I realised that this wasn’t actually going to be simple.
With Colombia being one of the most dangerous places to visit until quite recently and understandably languishing on the tourism trail because of this, I wasn’t able to find an obvious tried-and-tested backpacker route that worked for me.
So I decided I’d just wing it and see what would happen once I got there.
The colourful streets of Guatapé
Here is my one month Colombia travel itinerary:
- Day 1: Fly to Medellín from Cancún
- Day 2-7: Medellín (plus a day trip for Guatapé)
- Day 8-11: Salento
- Day 12: Santa Marta
- Day 13: Taganga
- Day 14-17: Minca
- Day 18: Back to Santa Marta
- Day 19 & 20: Tayrona National Park
- Day 21-23: Buritaca
- Day 24-26: Palomino
- Day 27-28: Mendihuaca
- Day 29: Back to Santa Marta!
- Day 30-33: Cartagena
- Day 34-36: Bogotá
If you want to know more about each place and my time there, then read on!
Medellín
I started my Colombian adventure in the second-largest city after Bogotá. Home to the country’s only metro system, a thriving nightlife scene and many Spanish language schools, I stayed in the El Poblado district for a week and quickly fell in love. My highlight was a tour of Comuna 13. This notorious neighbourhood was once controlled by Pablo Escobar loyalists and is now filled with political street art and galleries, groups of break dancers putting on impromptu shows, and vibrant bars and restaurants.
Looking out across Comuna 13
Guatapé
Whilst in Medellín, I woke up at 6am for an organised trip to the colourful pueblo of Guatapé after dancing around a pole on a loco party bus until 4am. Somehow I survived, and I even managed the climb up the 740 steps to the top of El Penon de Guatapé rock for sweeping views of the stunning lakes below.
Salento
‘Organised chaos’ is the only way to describe how the buses in Colombia operate, but after being booted out of my assigned seat for that what can only be assumed was the driver’s wife and child, I sat at the back and strapped in for the bumpy 6-hour drive south to Salento. This small, quaint town in the coffee region is used as a base to visit the beautiful Cocora Valley. Hiking amongst the wax palm trees — the tallest in the world — was incredible. Another highlight of my four days here was partaking in a game of Tejo, a traditional throwing sport involving gunpowder and lots of laughs and screams!
The soaring palm trees in Cocora Valley
Santa Marta
The port city of Santa Marta is the second oldest surviving city in South America. Although a bit gritty (I definitely saw a few dodgy things there), I enjoyed the bustling mayhem of the city as well as being able to go shopping — a ‘normal’ activity after months of feeling like the quintessential backpacker. Overall, Santa Marta ended up being a good base to explore the many must-sees in the surrounding area.
Taganga
The traditional fishing village of Taganga is just a 20-minute drive from Santa Marta, and I happily hopped into a taxi to check it out. After a refreshing passionfruit juice away from the sweltering heat, I hiked along the coastal path to a beach which was filled with locals enjoying a lazy afternoon. I had a quick dip in the sea before lying down on the rust-coloured sands to read a few chapters of my book, then headed back to the city.
Minca
If San Cristóbel de las Casas was Mexico’s magical vortex, then Minca was Colombia’s. A small town set in the lush jungle of the Sierra Nevada mountains, I felt at peace surrounded by the serene beauty of Minca. I stayed at Casa Loma, which ended up being my favourite accommodation in Colombia. With incredible sunsets over the sprawling clumps of broccoli-like trees and twinkling lights of the city below, Casa Loma was a slice of paradise. When not exploring the many nearby waterfalls or visiting the Wiwa indigenous tribe (a humbling experience), the hostel offered dance and painting classes, with live music from local artists many times a week.
The incredible sunsets from Casa Loma hostel in Minca
Tayrona National Park
After weighing up whether to relax for a few days or not, I made the decision to go on a two-day hike to the Tayrona National Park and sleep in a hammock on the Cabo San Juan beach. I was going to go solo, but ended up meeting the lovely Patrusca from Spain at my hostel who was also going to the national park the next day, so we made a plan to go together! The hike to the most famous beach in Colombia was fairly easy and very picturesque, and watching the sunrise from the hammock on the watchtower of the beach was something I’ll never forget.
The morning sun glowing over Cabo San Juan
Buritaca
You’ve heard about my favourite hostel, now hear about my worst. Rio Hostel was the only place on my whole four-month trip that I felt relieved to leave. Why? Because if I wanted to dance to techno with a bunch of 18-year-old British lads, rack up a bill of hundreds and not leave the confines of the accommodation for days on end, I would have booked a trip to Magaluf. One redeeming feature of this place was the river tubing which was a great experience, and I also met many nice people there, most of whom agreed with my thoughts about Rio.
Palomino
I had kept in touch with Linda, a kind soul from Switzerland who I had briefly connected with in Mexico months earlier, when we realised we would both be in Colombia at the same time. We arranged to meet in Palomino, a seaside town which mostly consists of a long, dusty road lined with little stores and restaurants leading to the beach. For a town so small, our two nights there somehow ended up being quite eventful. As we were leaving in the tuktuk up the main road, we found that we were waving goodbye to many familiar faces; it felt like we had met and befriended the whole town! Which we probably did.
Strolling around the small town of Palomino
Mendihuaca
By this point in the trip, I had been away for almost three months and was becoming a bit tired of meeting new people. I made the decision to slightly change my plans and accompany Linda to the surfer hostel she was volunteering at in nearby Mendihuaca. It was nice to let my brain relax and just follow someone else for once — anyone who has backpacked solo for months can probably attest to this! I can’t say I did much here other than walk along the beach and enjoy Linda’s fascination with the crabs we saw, from tiny ones that scurried by our toes to huge blue land crabs. Her fascination became mine because, to be fair, they are interesting critters!
Cartagena
After putting off leaving the Santa Marta region for a while, I made my way west to the colourful, colonial city of Cartagena. Founded in the 16th century, Cartagena is home to a enchanting walled Old Town and narrow, cobbled paths. Art, music and salsa dancing constantly filled the streets of the city when I was there, and it quickly became one of my favourite places in Colombia. A highlight for me was a visit to a new friend’s home on a rainy day to have what could have possibly been my tastiest meal on my trip. Nothing beats home-cooked food!
Statues in Trinidad Square, Cartagena
Bogotá
I had quite low expectations of Bogotá as I had met plenty of people who had stories to tell of muggings and a general feeling of danger. Having my wits about me and being at the end of my trip, I decided not to go out at night. But during the day, I absolutely loved this gorgeous, picturesque capital. I stayed in La Candelaria, the pulsating heart of Bogotá. Highlights were a food walking tour where I finally got to try hot chocolate with cheese (a strange yet pleasant delicacy), and a trip on the funicular up to the hills of Monserrate with its breath-taking views over the city. I left with a great impression of Bogotá.
The views over Bogotá from Monserrate
Colombia is beautiful, wild and exciting. If you visit this incredible South American country for at least a month, you might do a better route than I did, but you’ll probably go to the same places and others too such as Jardín, Cali and the Tatacoa Desert, which I sadly didn’t see.
I hope to go back to Colombia one day so I can experience it all and more again, because I have never been anywhere quite like it.
Alice World Travels 
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