Covid - You just need to be double jabbed, so no need for PCR / quarantine to enter (Jan 2022)
Other vaccines - Check with your local GP to be on the safe side. This list suggests some jabs, such as Hepatitis A and Tetanus. You probably don’t need Yellow Fever or Rabies unless planning long treks or Amazonian adventures. Don't take malaria pills!
Money - Local currency is Colombian Peso (COP) and most places take card. We use a Revolut, which has free transactions and withdrawals and makes splitting bills easy. If you want to join the Revolut(ion) then use this link and we can both make £30 when you use it (shamelessly trying to claw back pesos!)
Getting in and out of Colombia
The most common and cheapest route will be in and out of Bogota but there are flights that go from other cities, such as Cartagena, back to Europe, which might be more suitable for guests looking to explore the coast with limited time. Easiest and cheapest is Bogota though.
If you are short of time or not keen on staying in Bogota, you can get an Avianca direct flight to Bogota with a short layover there before a connecting flight to Bucaramanga. Skyscanner is your friend on this.
We are flying Air France on 7th May to Bogota and returning on 4th June on the midnight flight. We will likely arrive in Bucaramanga on 19 / 20th May at the earliest.
Air France have free changes on any flight booked before 1st Feb that fly before 30th June (full info pops up when you get to booking screen). This route does require a stopover in Paris but is substantially cheaper than Avianca if taking big bags and arrives at a more normal hour.
Getting to Bucaramanga (Pronounced "Boo-ka-ra-manga")
There are regular flights from Bogota to Bucaramanga. You could also get there direct from Medellin or Cartagena if travelling before. Feel free to arrive earlier but we won't arrive in Bucaramanga until 19 / 20th May.
The hotel Club Campestre have a shuttle service that can be booked in before for a small fee.
On the big day
A series of vans will take guests from Club Campestre hotel to the wedding venue and will return all revellers back to the hotel at the end of the night. The journey is approximately 40 minutes each way. See Events for more details.
This is a vast and wonderful country and it’s easy to get carried away with trying to see all of it, but we have compiled a list of a few favourite spots.
There are direct flights from Bucaramanga to Bogota, Cartagena or Medellin, as well as limited flights to Santa Marta (Tuesdays and Thursdays only). We are hoping to go to the idyllic town of Barichara after the wedding and will provide transport for anyone that wants to join. Please advise if you want to join and we can arrange transport accordingly.
The picture book coastal city of Cartagena, with breath-taking colonial architecture, especially within the walled city. Decent spots for eating and drinking. Be aware it is very hot and very touristy though!
There are direct flights from Bucaramanga, so this is the logical route to the Caribbean Coast if you want some more sun and beaching! This and Santa Marta are the two main areas on the Caribbean coast. It’s a relatively short trip between the two (about 3 hours!).
If you are feeling adventurous and in search of some serious beaches then you can also head on to the idyllic beaches of Baru by boat or car or Islas del Rosario by boat!
There are only flights to Santa Marta on Tuesday or Thursday, but you could get here from Cartagena or with a stop off in Medellin or Bogota. This is a great gateway to Parque Tayrona and beyond to the still relatively unspoilt and relaxed beaches of Palomino.
Parque Tayrona is midway between Santa Marta and Palomino. Tayrona has amazing beaches and jungle to explore. It is a National Park so you will need to pay to enter and accommodation choices are limited (generally in a hammock surrounded by other travellers). The last time we were there we stayed just outside the entrance and walked in and out in one day, which had the benefit of allowing us to leave our bags in the hotel and then heading onto Palomino the following day. You can also do it as a day trip from Santa Marta if you don’t want to continue onto Palomino.
In Tayrona, the trek to El Cabo is a sweaty but rewarding journey, but well worth it even if just for a day trip (as long as you set off early). It's not easy though so maybe not great for the elderly or very young. I believe you also need Yellow Fever jab to enter, but don’t recall them ever checking.
Just down the coast is Palomino, which is a vast beach area. This was only home to a couple of small scale hostels a few years back but has grown to allow for some nice boutique hotels now. A very nice chilled beach area still and a more relaxed way to see the coast than the Tayrona trek. The beach meets the river here and you can float down in a rubber ring, but be warned, you must walk up to the top of the river with the ring before floating down!
Medellin is the most modern city, with a metro system and very green streets. The temperature is sunny but spring like rather than the heat of the coast. Nice city to hang out in for a few days, especially round Poblado and can be a good stop off if you want to travel to coffee region or coast, as there are direct flights from Bucaramanga. We stayed in Art Hotel, which was cheap, hipsterish and fine. Bit noisy if you get a room at the front though.
Couple of hours from here to Guatape, which is the massive rock and boutique cabin hotels on the lake, where a famous engagement and photoshoot (ours) recently took place! Nice town and place to chill for a few days.
Loads of amazingly lush green scenery here. There are no direct flights from Bucaramanga but you can fly into Manizales or Armenia airports if you are traveling around and get transport from there.
It’s a more temperate climate and a bit rainy but beautiful and good for walks / outdoors activities. The jewel in the crown is Salento and Valle de Cocora, but lots of decent places to discover nearby if you have time. We went to Filandia recently for a change, but really Salento is the one!
Salento is a colourful UNESCO world heritage site and is a great show of old Colombian architecture. Lot of nice hotels in the area and you can do a short or long trip from here to Valle de Cocora where you will see the famous mega wax palms , as featured in Encanto. Ride a Willy (local jeeps), enjoy some trout in the town and try and search out a game of Tejo (dynamite, clay pits, steel discs to hurl and some alcohol).
If you have time then definitely give all this a try for a couple of days!
This is unchartered territory for Sam! Barichara is described as the most picturesque town in Colombia and a favoured by la familia Martinez-Rodriguez for family holidays when growing up. If you don’t have time to get to Salento or prefer to try this out then come and join us after the wedding for a couple of days of relaxation. There is a cable car that links Mesa de los Santos (wedding area) to Barichara. We will send some transport with bags to meet us on the other side of the cable car and have a mooch around the National Park of Chicamocha.
You may also wish to visit San Gil, which is en route to Barichara. Big favourite for tourists and fans of water sports and adrenaline.
This is the capital and biggest city in Colombia. Highlights include la familia Martinez-Rodriguez, Monserrate, La Candelaria and loads of nice food and bars. Graffiti tour also well worth a look. You will have to contend with the altitude, British autumnal weather and the sound of beeping horns as you sit in yet another traffic jam, but it is a decent place hub for travelling out of and staying for the odd day or two.
Ale's parents live near Parque 93 in an area called Chico Norte, so we will be staying around there.
The home of salsa and former home of Sam. Great city but very hot, especially when being whisked off your feet for a dance. It is the salsa capital and you can do a class in the day and go to a local club at night.
San Antonio is the most picturesque area but Parque de Perro (San Fernando) also has good bars and restaurants but watch out for Kevin McCaffrey playing guitar or telling an Irish yarn. If you make it out this far then get chatting to one of the Caleños at the wedding and they will fill you in on all you need to know and probably rope you into a game of Friday night football!
Quick list of other great spots to explore if you have time
San Andres - this is the Colombians favoured beach holiday resort type area. Nice beaches and a route to the spectacular Providencia.
Providencia - Amazing Caribbean island, well off the Colombian coast and accessed by boat (not for the feint hearted / weak stomached) or air (infrequent). Not much by way of public transport but can hire bikes. Amazing for diving and snorkelling. Sam did his PADI here. Great if you have time but not an easy one. Was a big hurricane recently, which has really damaged the already shaky infrastructure so check out before committing.
Amazon - You can get a flight to Leticia and do some day trips or longer if you have time. Probably need a few days to get into the depths but can swim with pink dolphins, fish for piranhas and see some mad flora and fauna from Leticia itself.
La Guaijira - This is somewhere we have never been but often talked of. The furthest tip of Colombia and a rugged existence where desert meets the sea. Will this be the time we venture up there....