Sixty days in Colombia
Jul 24th, 2016, 05:18 AM
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Sixty days in Colombia
Now some 6 weeks into our time in Colombia my initial optimism in planning to blog and post a TR here appears to have been misplaced!
We are now safely tucked up in our wonderful cottage in Villa de Leyva which has decent wifi and so hope to catch up soon.
Briefly, our trip was was loosely based on trip reports from mlgb, yestravel, welltravelledbrits, and glover as well as Lonely Planets "See (almost) Everything route. Not impressed with the LP guide.
We started from the Ecuadorian border, spending our first nights in Pasto then to:
Popayan
San Agustín
Salento in the Zona Cafetera
Medellin
Jardin
Cartagena
Mompox (aka Mompos)
Bucaramanga
San Gil
Barichara
and now Villa de Leyva
We did plan on doing some diving from San Andres and Providencia islands but it was expensive and apparently not ideal diving conditions at this time. We also considered Tayrona NP but decided we wanted to get back to the hills rather than the beach if only for some relief from the heat of Cartegena.
After leaving VDL we are probably heading to some of the villages around Sugamuxi - Mongui, Iza etc. before heading to Bogota for our last few days before flying back to Lima to meet some friends who are flying down from NYC to join us for our last month or so of this trip.
I will post more over the coming days but a few interim thoughts:
We had planned to travel entirely by bus and indeed have done so mostly. Apart from flying from Medellin - Cartagena and Cartagena - Bucaramanga. Our experiences on the roads helped us make the decision to fly for the longer stretches as we really didn't like the thought of overnight buses here (and we are not by any means overly cautious travellers). We have seen so many road accidents involving buses oil tankers and have been on three buses ourselves that have been hit by other vehicles. The last was from San Gil to here which resulted in three hour delay whilst the police were called to sort out the mess.
We have used Viva Colombia for our flights. Part owned by Ireland's Ryanair, they are a budget airline whose fares are less than half those of the more established players. Their service and punctuality have been excellent. We are using them to return to Lima, again at a bargain price. We paid a supplement for 12kg hand baggage which also includes priority boarding - a bargain considering there are no seat reservations!
Bus travel although fraught with safety issues and appalling driving, is well organised, reasonably punctual and relatively cheap. We have just turned up at the stations and managed to get seats on most buses within the hour, more often than not, within 10 mins.
Apart from the driving, the other issue has been the demonstrations resulting from the deal the government signed with FARC. This has resulted in the farmers, who are losing subsidies as a result, blockading many of the highways to prevent fuel tankers reaching the cities. This has meant a huge army presence on some of the roads and massive queues at gas stations. There were also massive queues of oil tankers waiting outside of the towns.
These are only minor issues for we travellers, hopefully the country will continue its progress toward normality. We really love this country, incredibly diverse scenery, the people are amazingly friendly and helpful, the food is excellent and there is an huge amount to see.
For accommodation we have generally used booking.com and also just found places on arrival without any problems. Standards have been high and prices seemed low compared with other South American countries.
The weather has been changeable to say the least. Unsurprising as we are well outside of the high season. Mostly pleasant but with some incredibly heavy storms - the street outside our hostal in San Gil was turned into a river for a couple of hours!
We are now safely tucked up in our wonderful cottage in Villa de Leyva which has decent wifi and so hope to catch up soon.
Briefly, our trip was was loosely based on trip reports from mlgb, yestravel, welltravelledbrits, and glover as well as Lonely Planets "See (almost) Everything route. Not impressed with the LP guide.
We started from the Ecuadorian border, spending our first nights in Pasto then to:
Popayan
San Agustín
Salento in the Zona Cafetera
Medellin
Jardin
Cartagena
Mompox (aka Mompos)
Bucaramanga
San Gil
Barichara
and now Villa de Leyva
We did plan on doing some diving from San Andres and Providencia islands but it was expensive and apparently not ideal diving conditions at this time. We also considered Tayrona NP but decided we wanted to get back to the hills rather than the beach if only for some relief from the heat of Cartegena.
After leaving VDL we are probably heading to some of the villages around Sugamuxi - Mongui, Iza etc. before heading to Bogota for our last few days before flying back to Lima to meet some friends who are flying down from NYC to join us for our last month or so of this trip.
I will post more over the coming days but a few interim thoughts:
We had planned to travel entirely by bus and indeed have done so mostly. Apart from flying from Medellin - Cartagena and Cartagena - Bucaramanga. Our experiences on the roads helped us make the decision to fly for the longer stretches as we really didn't like the thought of overnight buses here (and we are not by any means overly cautious travellers). We have seen so many road accidents involving buses oil tankers and have been on three buses ourselves that have been hit by other vehicles. The last was from San Gil to here which resulted in three hour delay whilst the police were called to sort out the mess.
We have used Viva Colombia for our flights. Part owned by Ireland's Ryanair, they are a budget airline whose fares are less than half those of the more established players. Their service and punctuality have been excellent. We are using them to return to Lima, again at a bargain price. We paid a supplement for 12kg hand baggage which also includes priority boarding - a bargain considering there are no seat reservations!
Bus travel although fraught with safety issues and appalling driving, is well organised, reasonably punctual and relatively cheap. We have just turned up at the stations and managed to get seats on most buses within the hour, more often than not, within 10 mins.
Apart from the driving, the other issue has been the demonstrations resulting from the deal the government signed with FARC. This has resulted in the farmers, who are losing subsidies as a result, blockading many of the highways to prevent fuel tankers reaching the cities. This has meant a huge army presence on some of the roads and massive queues at gas stations. There were also massive queues of oil tankers waiting outside of the towns.
These are only minor issues for we travellers, hopefully the country will continue its progress toward normality. We really love this country, incredibly diverse scenery, the people are amazingly friendly and helpful, the food is excellent and there is an huge amount to see.
For accommodation we have generally used booking.com and also just found places on arrival without any problems. Standards have been high and prices seemed low compared with other South American countries.
The weather has been changeable to say the least. Unsurprising as we are well outside of the high season. Mostly pleasant but with some incredibly heavy storms - the street outside our hostal in San Gil was turned into a river for a couple of hours!
Jul 24th, 2016, 07:34 AM
#2
Looking forward to the rest.
That is a bit horrifying about the bus accidents. My one short excursion between Bogota and VdL was uneventful.
Hope you made it to the VdL market, if it isn't too late!
That is a bit horrifying about the bus accidents. My one short excursion between Bogota and VdL was uneventful.
Hope you made it to the VdL market, if it isn't too late!
Jul 25th, 2016, 10:35 AM
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Yes we did make it to VDL market. In fact our cottage is just around the corner from there. We stocked up with provisions there as soon as we arrived. Apparently there is another organic market on Thursdays which we hope to go to as well.
Yes the bus accidents have not been great. Half the people on our last bus just gave up and hitched or jumped on other buses. If it hadn't been pouring with rain we may have done the same.
Yes the bus accidents have not been great. Half the people on our last bus just gave up and hitched or jumped on other buses. If it hadn't been pouring with rain we may have done the same.
Jul 25th, 2016, 10:44 AM
#4
Nice location, those side streets up and down from the market are so picturesque.
Have you managed to learn the Villa de Leyva walk..hug the sides of buildings to avoid rolling ankles on the cobblestones.
Hope you are having a nice rest-up there.
Have you managed to learn the Villa de Leyva walk..hug the sides of buildings to avoid rolling ankles on the cobblestones.
Hope you are having a nice rest-up there.
Aug 9th, 2016, 06:28 AM
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The "Villa de Leyva walk" LOL . As we left I said the one thing I wouldn't miss where those cobblestones! Unusually for me, I managed to avoid injury. We did enjoy our time in VDL despite both suffering with heavy colds. We had to cancel our plans to spend some time around Sogomoso and Mongui as neither of us felt up to the long and involved bus journey to get there.
We are now in the Ibis Bogota (very nice) and have managed to catch up somewhat with our blog - a few entries there already https://accidentalnomads.com/category/colombia/ and more to follow soon.
The current entries cover our time in Popayan, a very pretty colonial town although not the gastronomic centre some would have us believe.
San Augustin archaeological park was exceptional. We followed in the footsteps of other fordors people, I think welltravelledbrits and yestravel and stayed at Huaka-Yo - a great place just out of town by the park. Excellent food. Had a few problems getting there from Popayan in the heavy rain. A truck went half off the mountain road which necessitated all men on the bus having to get out and heave muddy boulders from one side of the road to the other so the buse could get around. Oh well, I dare say I needed the workout!
Salento in Zona Cafetera was a delightful place. We arrived at a weekend when it was packed but stayed for a few days when it soon emptied out. Some great walks out notably to the Cocora valley and a few coffee farms.
From there we headed to Medellin . TBC
We are now in the Ibis Bogota (very nice) and have managed to catch up somewhat with our blog - a few entries there already https://accidentalnomads.com/category/colombia/ and more to follow soon.
The current entries cover our time in Popayan, a very pretty colonial town although not the gastronomic centre some would have us believe.
San Augustin archaeological park was exceptional. We followed in the footsteps of other fordors people, I think welltravelledbrits and yestravel and stayed at Huaka-Yo - a great place just out of town by the park. Excellent food. Had a few problems getting there from Popayan in the heavy rain. A truck went half off the mountain road which necessitated all men on the bus having to get out and heave muddy boulders from one side of the road to the other so the buse could get around. Oh well, I dare say I needed the workout!
Salento in Zona Cafetera was a delightful place. We arrived at a weekend when it was packed but stayed for a few days when it soon emptied out. Some great walks out notably to the Cocora valley and a few coffee farms.
From there we headed to Medellin . TBC
Aug 13th, 2016, 06:53 PM
#8
Bus travel was wild in Colombia. There were some 20 somethings from NZ who had been traveling for months in SA and said Colombia was the worst. Glad you have made it safely and encountered no ankle turns on the stones of VDL. It was quite the art getting around.
Continued good travels.
Continued good travels.
Aug 18th, 2016, 01:06 PM
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Another post on our blog, this time on Jardin, one of our favourite small towns in Colombia
https://accidentalnomads.com/2016/08...ars-in-jardin/
Very few foreign tourists, loads of horses - a must see for equine fans! think they are "Paso" horses and are the most elegant I have ever encountered. Some cable cars from the town will whisk you away into the hills and it also has a great street food scene on the main square, some great bars and restaurant as well. All this within within a three hour bus ride of Medellin.
Some great hiking in the hills outside of the town including one to a waterfall within a cave which will be in another post to follow shortly!
https://accidentalnomads.com/2016/08...ars-in-jardin/
Very few foreign tourists, loads of horses - a must see for equine fans! think they are "Paso" horses and are the most elegant I have ever encountered. Some cable cars from the town will whisk you away into the hills and it also has a great street food scene on the main square, some great bars and restaurant as well. All this within within a three hour bus ride of Medellin.
Some great hiking in the hills outside of the town including one to a waterfall within a cave which will be in another post to follow shortly!
Aug 22nd, 2016, 10:20 PM
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We have seven days in Colombia after we spend a couple of days in Bogota. Our priorities are colonial villages, scenery and national parks. We will not have a guide and we are not big on coffee tourism, but would be happy to employ local guides on a daily basis. Any suggestions about where to go and how to get there? Where to stay? We are going in early March.
Aug 22nd, 2016, 11:59 PM
#12
Read crellston's blog!
I recommend Villa de Leyva, a colonial village an easy reach from Bogota. You can go by bus, or hire a driver or I think there may also be tours.
In Villa de Leyva you don't really need a guide, although the place I stayed arranged for an English speaking owner of a nearby hostel to drive us around the countryside to some of the attractions. There is a tourism office in the middle of town as well. You can actually walk to the Casa de Barro, a Gaudi-esque adobe house outside of town.
Villa de Leyva is very popular with Bogota residents so there is no shortage of lodgings and good restaurants,except during holidays.
I recommend Villa de Leyva, a colonial village an easy reach from Bogota. You can go by bus, or hire a driver or I think there may also be tours.
In Villa de Leyva you don't really need a guide, although the place I stayed arranged for an English speaking owner of a nearby hostel to drive us around the countryside to some of the attractions. There is a tourism office in the middle of town as well. You can actually walk to the Casa de Barro, a Gaudi-esque adobe house outside of town.
Villa de Leyva is very popular with Bogota residents so there is no shortage of lodgings and good restaurants,except during holidays.
Aug 23rd, 2016, 12:54 AM
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Here is a link to our blog that mlgb kindly suggested https://accidentalnomads.com/category/colombia/
The are a lot more entries to be added. I have written most of them already but am having a few internet issues at the moment! Hopefull will post soon.
Villa de Leyva is indeed a lovely place and has the advantage of being a three hour direct bus ride away from Bogota. Stunning main plaza, beautiful buildings and excellent choice of restaurants.
Barichara is a few hours further on via San Gil. A smaller, quieter and more expensive version of VDL. Again, stunning colonial buildings (often feature as a location for Colombian Period TV, films etc. wonderful scenery. We were there mid week so not too many food options. We really enjoyed walking the "Camino Real" to Guane 7-8 kms / 3 hours.
Jardin was possibly our favourite colonial village although that is closer to Medellin than Bogota and I am not sure how easy it would be to get there from Bogota.
Salento is in the zona Cafetera but is worth going just to see the Cocora Valley.
If into archaeology, then San Agustin is worth considering and maybe combining with Tierradientro
Getting around is easy by bus, although the driving standards leave a lot to be desired! We flew internally with Viva Colombia and they were cheap and fine (flew BOG -LIMA with them and they were not so good).
We mostly used booking.com for accomodation and found the prices good and the reviews fairly accurate. Depends what level of accomodation you are looking for, but accomodation standards were pretty good value for money
You don't really need guides in any of these places as you can arrange trips, hikes etc. Locally. We used Lonely Planet Colmbia Guidbook and in hindsight were not happy with it. Not terribly well written or laid out and quite a few inaccuracies.
The are a lot more entries to be added. I have written most of them already but am having a few internet issues at the moment! Hopefull will post soon.
Villa de Leyva is indeed a lovely place and has the advantage of being a three hour direct bus ride away from Bogota. Stunning main plaza, beautiful buildings and excellent choice of restaurants.
Barichara is a few hours further on via San Gil. A smaller, quieter and more expensive version of VDL. Again, stunning colonial buildings (often feature as a location for Colombian Period TV, films etc. wonderful scenery. We were there mid week so not too many food options. We really enjoyed walking the "Camino Real" to Guane 7-8 kms / 3 hours.
Jardin was possibly our favourite colonial village although that is closer to Medellin than Bogota and I am not sure how easy it would be to get there from Bogota.
Salento is in the zona Cafetera but is worth going just to see the Cocora Valley.
If into archaeology, then San Agustin is worth considering and maybe combining with Tierradientro
Getting around is easy by bus, although the driving standards leave a lot to be desired! We flew internally with Viva Colombia and they were cheap and fine (flew BOG -LIMA with them and they were not so good).
We mostly used booking.com for accomodation and found the prices good and the reviews fairly accurate. Depends what level of accomodation you are looking for, but accomodation standards were pretty good value for money
You don't really need guides in any of these places as you can arrange trips, hikes etc. Locally. We used Lonely Planet Colmbia Guidbook and in hindsight were not happy with it. Not terribly well written or laid out and quite a few inaccuracies.
Aug 23rd, 2016, 04:18 AM
#14
Thanks for the summary. Curious what time did you walk the el camino real? We left too late in the day and it was very hot. Funny, it didnt occur to me that Barichara was "more upscale version" of VDL, but thinking about it I guess it was.
Aug 23rd, 2016, 01:56 PM
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We started around 09.00 I think and arrived around 12.30 and it was really hot by the time we arrived in Guane. I wish we had started a bit earlier and really felt for those who had started later.
Sep 13th, 2016, 04:24 AM
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Finally got around to blogging about our time in Barichara
https://accidentalnomads.com/2016/09...lic-barichara/
Also, in the Colombia section is a recent post re Mompox.
Now in the final few days of our time in South America we are in Buenos Aires before flying home. The highlight has been Sunday brunch with Avrooster at the Alvear Palace! I will post separately about that but suffice to say we had a fantastic time with great food and service and even better company!
https://accidentalnomads.com/2016/09...lic-barichara/
Also, in the Colombia section is a recent post re Mompox.
Now in the final few days of our time in South America we are in Buenos Aires before flying home. The highlight has been Sunday brunch with Avrooster at the Alvear Palace! I will post separately about that but suffice to say we had a fantastic time with great food and service and even better company!
Nov 3rd, 2016, 12:32 AM
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I have just added entries for Villa de Leyva and Bogotá to our blog. Loved both places! Zipaquira and Cartagena to follow shortly and then onto our time I Peru's Colca, Arequipa and Sacred Valley.
https://accidentalnomads.com/category/colombia/
https://accidentalnomads.com/category/colombia/
