Close User Name Password
Login Register
Travel alerts straight to your inbox:
 

Colombia Travel Guide

Tags: / / / / /

A Side Trip to Santa Marta

February 27, 2009 at 3:26 PM | by The Lost Girl | 1 Comment

All this week, Amanda Pressner will be bringing us reports from her recent trip to Colombia. Was her adventure more "Romancing the Stone" or more "Medellin"? Stick with us this week to find out. Any questions about traveling to Colombia? Let us know.

When deciding where in Colombia to spend our vacation, we were lured to Cartagena partly because of its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and partly because of its location along the southern rim of the Caribbean. Getting the chance to explore centuries old Spanish colonial architecture—after spending the day at the beach—felt like a two-for-one deal.

more ›

Tags: / / / /

Shake It All Night Long in Cartagena

February 26, 2009 at 3:26 PM | by The Lost Girl | 2 Comments

All this week, Amanda Pressner will be bringing us reports from her recent trip to Colombia. Was her adventure more "Romancing the Stone" or more "Medellin"? Stick with us this week to find out. Any questions about traveling to Colombia? Let us know.

Unless you’ve downed a few of the super-octane coffee drinks at Milas around 4 or 5 pm, we highly suggest catching a nap before attempting to take on the nightlife in Cartagena: it starts late (most clubs don’t even open until 11:00p or midnight) and ends when you might otherwise be getting up to start your day.

more ›

Tags: / / /

Wanted: An Authentic Taste of Cartagena

February 25, 2009 at 11:56 AM | by The Lost Girl | 0 Comments

All this week, Amanda Pressner will be bringing us reports from her recent trip to Colombia. Was her adventure more "Romancing the Stone" or more "Medellin"? Stick with us this week to find out. Any questions about traveling to Colombia? Let us know.

Ask a local in Cartagena to describe the flavors and dishes that make up his city’s cuisine (or better yet, as a head chef in one of the city’s myriad restaurants) you’ll probably be met with some quizzical looks, or as I did, blank stares. Define the local cuisine? ¿Cómo?

more ›

Tags: / / / /

Some Starbucks Alternatives in Cartagena

February 24, 2009 at 1:36 PM | by The Lost Girl | 0 Comments

All this week, Amanda Pressner will be bringing us reports from her recent trip to Colombia. Was her adventure more "Romancing the Stone" or more "Medellin"? Stick with us this week to find out. Any questions about traveling to Colombia? Let us know.

Pop quiz, caffeine junkies: What’s the only coffeehouse that’s actually headquartered in a coffee producing country? It’s Juan Valdez Café, a multinational chain created in 2002 by Colombian National Federation of Coffee Growers. Named after the country’s longtime java icon (you know, that mustachioed guy with the donkey who hand-delivers beans to sleep-deprived Americans in commercials) the company has locations in 25 Colombian cities, nine countries, including the U.S.

more ›

Tags: / / / /

Getting What We Paid For On Avianca

February 23, 2009 at 12:27 PM | by The Lost Girl | 1 Comment

All this week, Amanda Pressner will be bringing us reports from her recent trip to Colombia. Was her adventure more "Romancing the Stone" or more "Medellin"? Stick with us this week to find out. Any questions about traveling to Colombia? Let us know.

After traveling to Ecuador last year, my guy Jeff and I volunteered to give up our seats on a very overbooked Avianca flight from Bogota, Colombia back to New York City. The incentive: a total of four international airline vouchers, good for anywhere in the world that Avianca flies, plus a free night in the InterContinental Bogota Hotel. How could we pass up such a deal? We didn't.

more ›

Tags: / / /

Love For Cartagena Continues

October 29, 2008 at 10:00 AM | by sedona | 0 Comments

November's issue of Budget Travel reminds us all again of how vibrant Cartagena, Colombia has become and how it only seems to be gaining in popularity. A first-person feature on the seaside city explores some of its coolest must-dos--and dispels petty myths about crime.

Cartagena's tourist scene seems to be an authentic blend of the city's old and new, with funky, bright guesthouses springing up all over (read on for some recommendations) and Cuban- and Spanish-influenced restaurants and after-hours spots for passing the evenings.

We think we might need to break out our guyaberas pretty soon and head there!

more ›

Tags: / / /

Colombia Proud of Its Passion

Where: Colombia
October 28, 2008 at 2:00 PM | by pbb | 1 Comment

Seems Cartagena isn't the only place trying to reinvent its image. The whole of Colombia has been working its "Colombia es Pasión" slogan since 2004, and it's starting to pay dividends with more tourism and foreign investment.

The slogan and associated campaign--which includes licensing a logo to companies as diverse as chicken restaurants and Avianca airlines--cost Colombia just $5 million, a paltry sum in the world of national branding, something that's been a niche industry since 1996.

Simon Anholt, who coined the phrase "national brand," says there's more to the concept than just a snazzy logo and a catch phrase:

Rebranding requires sweeping societal transformations, he says, not just clever public relations. He says South Africa rebranded when it ended apartheid; Ireland when it became a prosperous nation, rather than a mass producer of immigrants; Slovenia when it embraced democracy, joined the European Union and showed that a historically unstable part of Eastern European could be different.

If a country does undertake fundamental changes, marketing can complement them, Mr. Anholt acknowledges.

Which means if tourism is on the rise in Colombia, it's not so much because of a new slogan--but because the country's finally getting back on its feet.

Related Stories:
· Colombia es Pasión [Official Site]
· Colombia Wants the World to Recognize Its Passion [WSJ]
· From 2007: Packaging a Nation [T+L]
· Colombia Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: *L*u*z*a*]

Tags: / /

Cartagena's Cuisine Revival

October 27, 2008 at 9:15 AM | by sedona | 0 Comments

When Cartagena, Colombia comes up in a convo it's often replete with references to Pablo Escobar, marching powder and imitation accents. It's hardly ever paired with hip bistros, authentic seafood fare, bright veggies mixed with pungent spices and refreshing mojitos.

But The New York Times begs us this week to look at that side of Cartagena, one that's rapidly making a mark on the (very) competitive foodie scene. The tropical city is home to some of the area's freshest fish, inventive, hip chefs and discerning diners. Folks that once headed to Paris and Rome for culinary vacations, the Times says, are re-thinking Cartagena.

Read on for some of the city's most amazing (and upcoming) new restaurants, and trust us, drop the "Romancing the Stone" references when you make your reservations:

more ›

Tags: / / /

Fall Culture Travel: Dig the Colombian Beats

September 17, 2008 at 4:15 PM | by egw | 0 Comments

Daddy Yankee may have endorsed John McCain a few weeks ago, but reggaeton is *so* 2005. Find out what the latest beats sound like at Bogotá's Hip Hop Al Parque.

Over 30 MCs from around the world will compete in the 11th edition of this year's fest, held October 18 and 19 in the Parque Simon Bolívar. Expect break-dancing performances, graffiti displays and DJ battles to surround the main stage at this free event, where some 100,000 fans will be on hand to cheer on their favorites.

Think that guy up there has a shot this year?

Related Stories:
· For Colombia's Angry Youth, Hip-Hop Helps Keep It Real [NYT]
· Hip Hop al Parque 2008 [Official Site]
· More Travel Videos [Jaunted]

Tags: / / / / /

Drug Travel: Welcome to Escobarland!

June 4, 2008 at 5:00 PM | by Hunter Walker | 0 Comments

Before he was gunned down by Colombian troops working with the US government, the infamous cocaine baron Pablo Escobar built Hacienda Napoles, a headquarters near his hometown of Medellin.

According to the BBC, Escobar's massive estate was

A fantasy land with concrete dinosaurs, a bullfighting ring and a private zoo that would have made Michael Jackson jealous, with giraffes, elephants, kangaroos and hippopotamuses.

more ›

Tags: / / /

World's Most Dangerous Airports: Carnevali Airport, Venezuela

April 1, 2008 at 4:02 PM | by pbb | 1 Comment


We love checking out the world's most dangerous airports--at least via YouTube. The latest to join our list is Alberto Carnevali Airport in Merida, Venezuela. Reader maky0317 writes:

The airport of the city of Merida, Venezuela is in between a valley with 17,000-foot mountains and houses at the end off the runway... As of matter of fact a passenger plane crash after take off on the 21st of February.

That was Santa Barbara Airlines Flight 518, and the crash killed all 46 people on board. The turboprop plane didn't get far from the airport because of the mountains surrounding the runway: Flight 518 slammed into a rock face just 6 miles from MRD.

Know another dangerous airport? Fill us in.

Related Stories:
· UAK: Narsarsuaq, Greenland [Jaunted]
· LUA: Lukla Airport, Nepal [Jaunted]
· World's Most Dangerous Airports coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: / / / /

Cliched Drug Travel: Snorting Coke in Colombia

Where: Colombia
April 1, 2008 at 1:33 PM | by pbb | 3 Comments

Hey, did you hear about all the great coke in Colombia? It's becoming the point of trips to the country rather than a sideline, says The Guardian:

It's hardly shocking that some travellers in Colombia can't resist trying the country's most famous product, but it seems the drug is becoming a tourist attraction in itself. Just as you try steak in Argentina and caipirinhas in Brazil; in Colombia, you sample the coke.

Backpackers are doing lines in their dorms, signing up to visit cocaine factories and word is going round that somewhere in San Augustin lies a place where you can make your own.

True enough. It's on the road to the Ciudad Perdida.

Of course, The New York Times was all over this trend way back when. Remember the sophistonauts? Totally into blow!

Related Stories:
· The Rise of the Cocaine Tourist [The Guardian]
· Adventures in Colombia: Cocaine! [WorldHum]
· FlyGlobespan Passenger Snorts Cocaine off Tray Table [Jaunted]
· Drug Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Cartagena: *L*u*z*a*]