The Must Things to See and Do In Colombia

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The Best Things to See and Do in Colombia

Here is the most comprehensive list available of the top things to see and do in Colombia. Colombia is a South American country located at the northern tip of the continent. A land of sprawling mountains, lush rainforests, sparkling beaches, arid deserts, and colonial coffee plantations, Colombia has a dizzying number of tourist spots that will take your breath away. From the rarified heights of Bogota to the 16th-century Cartagena, and the majestic Amazon rainforest, Colombia offers a paradisiacal adventure for the fun-loving traveler. The Columbian peso is the local currency while Spanish is the official language. If you are in for this epic ride, here are some of the best things to see and do in Columbia.

Trek to the Lost City

Deep in the wilderness of the Sierra Mountain is the Ciudad de Perdida or the Lost City. A grueling 46-kilometer 4-day trek takes you through dense jungle to the enchanting ruins of a city built by the Tayrona people in 850AD! If there’s one thing you must do when you visit Colombia, its making this epic journey. This adventure will see you crossing rivers and mud, and you will spend some nights in the jungle sleeping on bunk beds and fighting off insects. Clambering up the 1,200 stone steps that take you to the ruins might be a challenge if your knees are weak. However, it’s a once in a lifetime experience you don’t want to miss for anything!

Lost city Columbia

Visit Minca’s Casa Elemento

High up in the mountains above Minca is Casa Elemento hostel with its breathtaking view of the Caribbean in the distance. One great feature of this hostel is its gigantic hammock, which is the largest in the world. In addition to an amazing view of the surrounding scenery, Casa Elemento is also a party hotspot where you can get down to some serious groove.

Casa Elemento, Minca

Hike the Monserrate Mountain

At the center of the sprawling Colombian capital city of Bogota is the sacred Monserrate Mountain. Considered hallowed grounds by the original inhabitants and even in modern times, Monserrate Mountain is an imposing structure in the city. At the top of the 3,153-meter-high mountain is a 17th-century church and some cafes and shops. You can reach the summit via the aerial tram, funicular, or hike up the mountain.

Columbia Hiking

Enjoy the Local Food

Colombia has a rich food culture which is a mishmash of Spanish, local, and exotic cuisines. The food is heavily fried, delicious and low on veggies. Each region has its local staple, and you should try and have a go at each one of them. In the Antioquia region, the local favorite is Bandeja Paisa, a dish made from white rice, red beans, fried egg, plantain, arepa, shredded meat, avocado, chorizo, morcilla (black pudding) and chicharron (pork rind). La Casa de Beto near the Toucan Spanish School serves an excellent dish of this food.

Ajiaco is a dish comprising of potato, corn, and chicken soup served with rice, arepa, banana, capers, and cream. You can get this at 3 Tipicos for 20,000 COP. Also, you can try Mondongo, a tripe soup with plenty of cilantro and vegetables accompanied by a plate of rice, avocado, ground meat, banana, cilantro, and arepa. Ajiacos y Mondongos is a popular spot that serves this delicacy. In the Paisa region, Arepa is the food of choice. It’s a type of cornbread that is served along with a wide variety of side dishes. It’s available almost everywhere.

Colombian foods

Hike Through the Colombian Countryside

Colombia offers abundant opportunities to hike some of the most breathtaking trails in the world. From the epic hike to the Lost City, to the 2-hour hike from the Instagram-perfect town of Barichara to the tiny town of Guane, rainforest hikes, desert hikes and more, this country is the hiker’s ultimate destination. And there’s more to Barichara than hiking. The town’s picturesque whitewashed buildings with brown tiled roofs, the scenic plazas, and the cobblestone streets take you back in time. Head off to Shanti when you need to refuel for a healthy plate of delicious Colombian delight.

Go on a Rainforest Tour Through the Amazon

Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, stretches from Brazil, Peru, Chile, to Colombia. Home to some of the rarest flora and fauna on the planet, the Amazon offers one of the most awe-inspiring rainforest tours that can take you through some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. A guided tour provides an opportunity to see indigenous tribes that have been living in the jungle for thousands of years without electricity or any modern-day trappings. You can also see wildlife such as the elusive jaguar, the monstrous anaconda, birds, monkeys, the super sluggish sloth, and the fiery piranha among others. If your itinerary takes you close to the Colombian Brazilian border, it’s an opportunity to witness the majestic Amazon in its full glory.

Amazon River tour

Explore Medellin

Colombia’s second largest city, Medellin, has a metropolitan atmosphere and a warm climate. The city is popularly known for its flower festival, unique museums such as the Botero Museum, colorful street art, an efficient transport system, and beautiful plazas. Medellin is a beautiful place that is best explored on foot. Several free walking tours of the city are available. These tours are run by private individuals who show you around the city’s landmarks, the best restaurants, the graffiti, and others in return for a tip.

You can also opt for a private city tour if walking with a large group isn’t your thing. Take time off to catch some fun at the Parque Explora, an interactive science and technology park featuring a museum, 3D theatre, and aquarium. The park promises lots of fun moments for kids and adults, making it one of the best places to visit if you are traveling with your family.

Medellin Colombia

Summit the Piedra Penol de Guatape

The ten-million-ton behemoth El Penol was a sacred rock of the Tahamies Indians, and this iconic granite monstrosity is nothing short of amazing. If you are in Guatape, you don’t want to miss hiking the 740 steps up to the top of the rock to enjoy a spectacular view of the scenery below. It’s a short way from the city of Medellin, and there are restaurants at the foot of the hill selling food and drinks.

Piedra Penol

Visit the River of Five Colors

Cano Cristales in the Macarena National Park is a breathtaking river with an enchanting deluge of colors, which is why it’s called the river of five colors. This spectacular sight is part of a 100-kilometer expanse of a river with natural pools and breathtaking waterfalls in an isolated part of Colombia.

Go on a Heart-Stopping Paragliding Adventure

If you are not afraid of heights, then you should go paragliding in Santander Department’s Chicamocha Canyon. For $55 (about 170,000 COP), the Parapente Chicamocha provide a breathtaking 30+ minute flights through the Chicamocha Canyon, one of the largest on the planet, with a mesmerizing view of the rugged terrain below and the surrounding wilderness. It’s one of the most action-packed activities you can do in Colombia.

Paragliding

Go Island Hopping on the Caribbean Coast

Colombia has some beautiful islands off its Caribbean coast. A trip to the beautiful and popular Playa Blanca (white beach) near Cartagena will make your day, but it can be too touristy for your liking. However, you can hop on the nearby islands in the San Bernardo Archipelago or Rosario Archipelago including Isla Mucura, Isla Grande, and Isla Tintipan to enjoy a quiet time on the beautiful Caribbean beaches.

San Andreas Columbia

See a Soccer Match

If you are in for a rowdy and action-packed time, nothing offers the perfect mix of passion and craziness like watching excited Colombian football fans rooting for their teams. From Bogota to Medellin and everywhere in between, Colombians have a unifying passion for the game of soccer. If you can get hold of a ticket, seat close to the fans and watch as they pour out their love and support for the world’s most popular sport. We promise it will be fun!

Columbian soccer fan

Get Groovy with Colombian Salsa

Colombia is home to some of the best music this side of the Pacific. You can’t help but move to the groovy tunes of salsa in the city of Cali, and the walled city of Cartagena offers a dance-steps-inspiring mix of Cumbia, salsa, and a touch of Afro-Caribbean beats. You will most likely stumble upon rock and pop American style music as well. Are you ready for the breathtaking booty-shaking moves of voluptuous salsa dancers? Take care not to forget yourself at the moment though.

Wherever you turn to in Colombia, there is always some beat going on, and the cities here offer plenty of nightclubs and bars where the beat never stops.

Salsa Dancing in Colombia

Get Up-close with Coffee Production

One of the mainstays of the Colombian economy is coffee production. If you can’t do without your caffeine kick first thing in the morning, you don’t want to miss the opportunity to see how your favorite beverage is made! Several farms and coffee tours will show you the process of making coffee from the bean to the fine product in your cup. Salento in the Quindío department is a popular destination to learn about coffee. Plus, the scenery will blow you away! In fact, you should also hike the rolling hills of Salento while soaking in the extensive coffee plantations.

Coffee Plantation in Colombia

Explore Tayrona National Park

Tayrona National Park is one of the must-see places on the northern shores of Colombia. This beautiful park offers plenty of opportunities for sleeping in hammocks close to the sea, swimming, and hiking to Cabo San Juan de Guia beach overnight. The park is sometimes closed when the weather is bad, so double-check before starting off.

Tayrona National Park is considered a holy site by the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta indigenous community. With dramatic beaches on the Caribbean coastline, snow-capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada, and lush rainforest, the Tayrona National Park, Magdalena is one of the most beautiful places in Colombia.

Tayrona National Park Colombia

Chill Out on Costeno Beach

Costeno Beach is located a short distance outside of Tayrona National Park and is an excellent spot to escape the overcrowded streets of the city. If you want to have some “me time” while sipping lemonade or simply lazing around, this is the perfect place. The Tayrona Tented Lodge offers nice little bungalows to rest your head at night, and you can enjoy superb local and international dishes at the Costeno Beach Hostel and Surf Lodge.

Consteno Beach

Dance Salsa in Cali

Cali, the third largest city in Colombia, is the world’s salsa capital. The city has plenty of live bands, bars, street dancing, and music everywhere. If you want to learn how to dance salsa, then Cali should be on your list of places to visit.

Get Married in Colombia

Colombia has a breathtaking contrast of landscapes to spoil you for a choice of an epic wedding. From the dramatic Pacific and Caribbean coastlines with turquoise waters, lush rainforests, ancient ruins, to the desert, Colombia offers some of the best wedding venues and receptions in the Americas, and it’s unbelievably affordable.

You can have a colonial-themed wedding in the 16th-century walled city of Cartagena, using centuries-old colonial buildings as a backdrop for your photos. You can also go to the Tayrona National Park, using the beautiful beach and the spectacular Caribbean sunset as a backdrop. For your honeymoon, you can head over to San Andres Island, Isla Mucura, and many other islands owned by Colombia. Whether on the farm, at one of the picture-perfect churches in town, or on the coastline, Colombia offers an unforgettable wedding experience at a fraction of the price.

Destination Weddings in Colombia

Cartagena

The walled city of Cartagena was built on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. The city was walled at the end of the 16th century to protect its citizens from marauding pirates, and the wall is one of the main tourist attractions in the city. The walls include a system of forts and towers to protect the city from British and French invasion, and you can climb to the top of the forts to enjoy a stunning view of the city’s beautiful Spanish architecture.

Cartagena Colombia

Game Fishing

With an extensive coastline and the biodiverse Amazon river, Colombia is turning out to be the next big thing in game fishing. The Peacock bass is the favorite freshwater fish caught for sport. You can also catch catfish, arapaima, piranha, among others. For deep sea fishing off the Caribbean coast, tuna, dorado, white marlin, blue marlin, sailfish, billfish and other local species are abundant here. The best time to go fishing offshore Colombia is September to November.

Deep Sea Fishing

Bath in a Mud Volcano

The Totumo Mud Volcano is a mini mud volcano where you can have a warm mud bath if that’s your thing. It’s not far from Cartagena, and the Caribbean is nearby to wash off the mess.

Mud Mud Volcano’s

Enjoy the Nightlife in Bogota

Bogota is bubbling in the morning and goes on overdrive in the night. With popular clubs like Latin Power, Boogaloop, and Submarino and many others, you are sure of live music and endless flow of drinks from evening to the wee hours of the early morning.

Kite Surf at La Guajira

Cabo de la Vela, La Guajira is one of the top kitesurfing destinations in the world. Here you can learn to kitesurf at one of the many kitesurf schools or Jump right in and surf.

Kitesurfing Columbia

Go to a Music Festival

Colombia has a breathtaking array of brilliant carnivals and festivals. From the Storyland Festival, Rock al Parque, Estereo Picnic, to Baum Fest, you can’t be in short supply of live music and jaw-dropping dance steps if you come here at the right time.

Music Festivals

Diving in Colombia

Colombia offers a rich diving experience with its extensive Pacific and Caribbean coastlines, but the Caribbean coast is a diver’s paradise. The best dive sites are located in the protected waters of the Island of Providencia and Santa Catalina. This place has over 40 dive sites and has the third largest coral reef in the world. The seas around Providencia offer breathtaking marine biodiversity with mesmerizing caves, blue holes, sunken pirate ships, and an incredible number of fish and plant species.

On the Colombian Pacific coast is Malpelo, a craggy rock accessible only by boat. You will need to go on a dive boat trip to get there. You will be rewarded with the opportunity to dive with sharks including hundreds of hammerheads, whales, and even the reclusive sunray shark. Gorgona Island is also a great Pacific diving spot. Go in October to see breeding humpback whales, dive through underwater cliffs and explore centuries-old wrecks. Capurgana and Sapzurro, as well as many other dive sites, are scattered all over the Colombian Caribbean and Pacific coasts.