Historic sites
Cartagena old town
Cartagena de Indias, Bolívar
A walled colonial port on the Caribbean, a UNESCO site, with colourful balconies, plazas and the San Felipe fortress.
Travel tips in Colombia
Walks and treks
Ciudad Perdida (Lost City) trek
Santa Marta, Magdalena
A 4 to 5 day trek through the jungle of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta to the Lost City, built by the Tayrona around 800 AD, with stone terraces re…
Walks and treks
Cocora Valley
Salento, Quindío
A valley in the coffee region with the world's tallest palm trees, wax palms up to 60 m, in misty green hills.
Natural features
Tayrona National Park
Santa Marta, Magdalena
Beaches and jungle where the Sierra Nevada mountains meet the Caribbean, with boulder-strewn coves such as Cabo San Juan.
Natural features
Caño Cristales
Meta
The 'river of five colours', where aquatic plants turn the riverbed red, yellow, green and blue, roughly from June to November.
Attractions
Comuna 13 and Medellín
Medellín, Antioquia
Medellín has transformed itself; Comuna 13, once very violent, is now known for murals, outdoor escalators and hip-hop, best seen with a local guide.
Natural features
El Peñol and Guatapé
Guatapé, Antioquia
A giant granite monolith rising 200 m above a lake district; climb its 740 steps for a view over islands and inlets.
Attractions
Gold Museum, Bogotá
Bogotá D.C.
A museum of more than 55,000 pieces of pre-Hispanic gold, including the golden raft of the El Dorado legend.
Buildings
Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá
Zipaquirá, Cundinamarca
An underground cathedral carved inside a salt mine, 180 m below ground, with the Stations of the Cross and a vast nave lit in changing colours.
Natural features
Volcán de Lodo, Arboletes
Arboletes, Antioquia
A mud volcano just outside the beach town of Arboletes on Colombia's Caribbean coast, with a large pool of warm, thick grey mud.