zachtotravel

Hello! I'm taking the summer off before I begin grad school in the fall, and have been wanting to take somewhere between 1-2 months to travel in South America. Now I know that June and July constitute the winter for much of the continent, but one place I've zeroed in on that from what I can tell is relatively warm during these months is Colombia. As a soon to be in debt grad student, I obviously Need this trip to be on a budget - I'm thinking somewhere around $3,000 USD including airfare from NYC. But, I'm a little over the partying-hostel lifestyle. Ideally I'm looking for some vibrant city exploration in the most non-touristy ways possible to really get a feel for the people, food, music, etc. (I'm in the field of urban policy so cities are very interesting to me, and Bogota seems particularly appealing), but also want to have some beach/non-city time to breathe and relax.

I'm in the very early stages of planning, so I'm looking for any advice whatsoever! Best way to spend my time / best places to go given my timeframe, budget, and goals (not just Colombia); sample itineraries; budget saving tips; visa issues, etc. etc.

Thanks so much.

pantanal

Medellin is pretty interesting and progressive as far as urban planning goes...cool new public architecture in the poorer areas of the city with new public transport too, so you may want to check it out, too.

zachtotravel

Yes I've heard similar things about Medellin. What do you have to say about the relative safety of the city? Thanks for responding!

pantanal

Well, to the best of my knowledge it is as safe as any major city in Colombia. But best to check current information.

My favorite city in Colombia though was Cartagena, which I just fell in love with. So much history there, and a lot of it has been preserved in the architecture. And it is right on the Caribbean coast; just gorgeous.

If you're going to Ecuador, too, Quito is definitely worth seeing as well, esp. for the colonial architecture in the old part of town. I recommend seeing places out of cities as well. In Ecuador, focus on the Andes and add a short (4 to 5 day) trip to the Amazon. The beaches aren't worth it, especially if you go to the beaches on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, IMO. If you have the $$, Galapagos is great, but it is pricey.

pantanal

Oh, and re reading your message I see you do want to go to the beach. Tayrona National Park out of Santa Marta in Colombia has beautiful beaches, the best I saw in South America outside of Brazil.