Colombia Road Trip

September 2022 – Ten days with no plans and cheap return tickets with AirCanada from Copenhagen to Bogotá got me to Colombia for my first time. I only had two days to do my planning, googled “Top Tourist Attractions in Colombia” and settled for a road trip from Santa Marta in the north along the Caribien coast and back to Bogotá. Getting to Santa Marta upon arrival in Bogotá is super easy, one way airline tickets are frequent and super cheap. I landed in Bogotá two hours late and only had two (instead of four) hours to get off the plane, to get through immigration, to find the domestic terminal, to get through security and finally to get to my new gate. I boarded as the last passenger! In Santa Marta airport i got my small rental car and headed for downtown Santa Marta.

I ended up hiking the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, visit Cartagena with its antique walled city along the Caribien coast, visit cozy and sleepy Rincon del Mar, also along the Caribien coast, visit El Poblado in Medellin, a popular neighborhood in Colombias second largest city, and finally Salento with nearby Valle de Cocora, home of some of the tallest palms in the world.

Hiking Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains. I spent a whole day driving up to Minca and hiking an 18 kilometer roundtrip up the mountains. First picture is from where i got breakfast, and the remaining are from the hike.

Cartagena – the antique walled city along the Caribien coast. A super cozy place full of squares, cafes, restaurants, bars, souvenir shops and hotels.

Rincon del Mar – A sleepy town along the Caribien coast. Last place i visited along the coast before heading south. I stayed at Hostel Blue Sea and got their best room right on the beach for usd 20. With private bathroom.

El Poblade in Medellin – A super popular tourist spot in the city that only ten years ago was said to be one of the worlds most dangerous ones. I spent almost a day visiting cafes, restaurants and just walking around. Stayed in Hotel Lleras 10 right in the middle of the neighborhood where my car could be parked in their basement.

Salento – A tiny super cozy town close to Valle de Cocora. The main reason for coming to and staying in Salento is Balle de Cocora (see below), but the town is absolutely worth visiting in itself. I stayed at Hotel Salento Real for two nights, one of the better hotels in town, but still only usd 50 pr. night. First day was spent exploring the town, second day hiking Valle de Cocora. And last morning taking two hours of Spanish at a local language school.

Valle de Cocora – Valley full of Vax Palms, the national palm of Colombia. The palms in this valley is among the tallest in the world, up to 60 meters. I hiked for 25 kilometers, 1350 meters up and down, perfect day for me. I did the big roundtrip, including detours to Casa de los Colobrios and Estrella de Agua