Two Coasts, Three Andes and One Warm Welcome
Colombia is a country in northwestern South America with coastlines on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, known for colonial cities, coffee, emeralds, biodiversity and a growing reputation for hospitality. The Andes split into three ranges that run through the country, creating a landscape of high plateaus, river valleys and cloud forest. Bogota, the capital, sits at about 2,600 metres, while the Caribbean coast is warm and tropical and the Amazon lies to the south.
Colombia is one of the world's most biodiverse countries, with more bird species than any other nation, and its cultural variety is just as impressive. Vallenato and cumbia grew from the Caribbean coast, salsa defines Cali, and Garcia Marquez, the Nobel Prize-winning author of One Hundred Years of Solitude, drew inspiration from the Caribbean region. Colombian food rewards curiosity, from arepas and bandeja paisa to ajiaco soup in Bogota, fresh seafood on the coast and tropical fruits such as lulo and guanabana.
Cartagena, Medellin and the Coffee Region
Cartagena is the showpiece, a walled colonial port on the Caribbean coast whose old town, forts and harbour were inscribed by UNESCO in 1984. Pastel facades, bougainvillea balconies and horse-drawn carriages give it a romance few cities can match, and the Rosario Islands lie a short boat ride offshore. Nearby, Tayrona National Natural Park combines jungle trails with beach coves, and Santa Marta is a gateway to the Sierra Nevada.
Inland, Medellin, the City of Eternal Spring, has reinvented itself through cable cars, galleries and its Botero sculptures, while the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, a UNESCO site, is a region of fincas, hill towns such as Salento and the Cocora Valley's tall wax palms. Bogota offers the Gold Museum and the Candelaria old quarter. A tourist board can sell this range to a very wide audience. Colombia pairs naturally with the Galapagos Islands, with Rio de Janeiro and with the Caribbean islands offshore.
Read the full Colombia guide on Visit Travel Group, or see ColombiaTours.co.uk on Visit Travel Group.