Amy

I would like to visit Colombia after my (fourth) short trip to the Peruvian Amazon. I will have about thirteen days in Colombia and know that I want to visit Medellin, go to a flower farm, stay on a coffee plantation, and tour Bogota, but am open to suggestions. In my various reading (travel books and forums) it seems that Cartagena is very popular, but I am not particularly a "beachy" person and wasn't sure if that would be the best use of my time. My only available travel time is in July to early August, so that might be a factor in the best use of time as well.

My favorite things to do usually involve history or nature, and I have worked in the flower industry for many years (thus the wish to visit a flower farm; Palenque Tours has a tour for this.)

So, my questions (along with any general ideas/opinions from anyone!) are:

1. Would it make the most sense to go to Medellin first to get somewhat acclimated to altitude before Bogota?

2. Should I try to schedule for Medellin during the Flower Festival (which I believe is early August), or is it really crowded and more expensive at that time?

3. Suggestions for coffee hacienda stay--I won't be driving, so transportation would be a question.

Thanks for any help; at this stage, I try to gather as much information as possible and right now I realize I'm pretty vague. (Cross-posted on TA, for those who are there as well!)

snapper212

You should make sure to spend some time in Cartagena! It is a beautiful city that has a lot more to offer besides for a beach. Santa Marta is a good 1-2 day side trip you can take to see Tayrona Park. I stayed in an apartment in the Old City and it was right in the middle of all the amazing culture Cartagena has to offer. Feel free to reach out to get more info on Cartagena or the [email protected]

gertie3751

Amy, I too am hoping to travel in Colombia in October. At the moment am looking at the G Adventures Colombia Express trip with a few days added on the end independently in Cartagena and Tayrona. Im not sure if Cartagena is a beach place so much as a scenic old town. And am checking carefully so as to avoid the cruise ships. I will be coming from Ecuador and moving on to Panama. Interested to see what you end up doing as I am still thinking about it and also don't have much information.

Amy

Hi, gertie3751! Right now I have 3 nights in Cartagena (in the Old City) after flying out of Iquitos, then a night in Santa Elena (the flower farm town) just before the Festival of Flowers, when I'll be going on to Medellin for four nights. At the end, I'm hoping to go to the Armenia/Salento area for the final three nights, but am still working out the logistics of that. I might stay closer to Medellin, in Jardin for example. Looks like I'll be giving Bogota a miss on this round, as my time is sadly, of course, limited.

thursdaysd

When I was planning for Colombia (didn't go, but it's still on the list) I definitely included Cartagena, although I am far from a beach person. Friends of mine were there a few years back and loved it, and they're not beach people either. As gertie said, go for the town.

fabienne

hi
Colombia is fantastic : You can minimize your time in Medellin and Bogota (1 or 2 days are enough for me - don't miss Botero museum and "museo del oro") : but you can add the beautiful Cartagena, Tayrona National Park on Caribbean sea if you like to walk, and La Guajira for an original experience. It's all i know in Colombia but i am planning to return again. Look www.lost-paradises-am.com : they have many beautiful pictures of different areas in Colombia and they helped me for this trip.
Enjoy Colombia

mlgb

Here is a highly regarded English-language guide for Cartagena. Even if you don't use her you might find the website helpful. And there are probably descriptions of the Cruise tour on cruisecritic.com

Since I just have a too-short cruise stop I will be going with her (not the cruise ship tour). I'll post when I get back in mid-April. Jealous that you have days, not hours!

http://cartagenatour.com/

mlgb

Here's my photo album from Cartagena. The old town is so "Pirates of the Caribbean" in feel. Apparently they close off the streets to vehicle traffic when there is a cruise ship in port.

https://flic.kr/s/aHskajW8JW