Visas & entry
U.S., Canadian, UK, EU, Australian and many Latin American passport holders are generally visa-exempt for short tourism stays, usually up to 90 days, with extensions possible in some cases. Check your passport’s current rule with a Colombian consulate before booking—reciprocity charges and visa requirements can change—and carry onward-travel and accommodation details. Complete the Check-Mig form between 72 hours and one hour before departure; San Andrés/Providencia also require a tourist card.
Getting in
- Bogotá — El Dorado International Airport: The default international gateway and Colombia’s only genuinely useful national hub. Use it for Bogotá and for reliable onward flights to Medellín, Cartagena, coffee-country airports, Cali, Santa Marta, Leticia and the islands.
- Cartagena — Rafael Núñez International Airport: Best for a Caribbean-first trip or an open-jaw itinerary. It has international service and easy domestic links, but is not the place to connect onward across the whole country unless schedules happen to line up.
- Medellín — José María Córdova International Airport: The practical international arrival for an Antioquia-led itinerary. The airport is outside the city near Rionegro, so budget real transfer time before assuming a same-day Medellín connection.
- Cali — Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport: The sensible gateway for Cali, Popayán and the southwest, and sometimes the Pacific. It is a regional choice, not a substitute for Bogotá when the itinerary spans several distant regions.
- Leticia — Alfredo Vásquez Cobo International Airport: The Amazon gateway: fly in, then continue by river boat to lodges and communities. There is no meaningful overland alternative from Colombia’s main tourist circuit.
Getting around
Fly between major regions: Bogotá–Medellín–Cartagena, the Amazon, islands, Pacific and La Macarena are flights-first journeys, not heroic bus rides. Use buses, shared transfers or a driver for compact corridors such as Cartagena–Santa Marta, Medellín–Guatapé, Pereira–Salento/Filandia and Bogotá–Zipaquirá or Villa de Leyva. There is no useful nationwide passenger rail network; rent a car only for a self-contained area such as the Coffee Axis or Antioquia’s smaller towns, since mountain roads, freight traffic and weather make national driving slow.
Money
The currency is the Colombian peso (COP). Cards are normal in hotels, supermarkets and modern urban restaurants, but carry cash for taxis, markets, small towns, trailheads and informal food; use bank or mall ATMs in daylight and decline dynamic currency conversion. A roughly 10% voluntary service charge is often already on restaurant bills, so check before adding another tip.
Daily budget · COP (Colombian peso)
- Value
- COP 180,000–320,000
- Mid-range
- COP 420,000–750,000
- High-end
- COP 1.1 million–2.5 million+
- Bands exclude international flights but include accommodation, food, local transport, sightseeing and an averaged allowance for domestic transfers.
- Value means dorms or simple guesthouses, corrientazo lunches, buses/metro and modest activities; sharing rooms helps materially.
- Mid-range covers good local hotels or boutique guesthouses shared by two, restaurant meals, app taxis, guided day trips and a few domestic flights spread across the trip.
- High-end rises fast with Cartagena boutique hotels, premium coffee fincas, private drivers and boats, Amazon lodges, and frequent domestic flights.
- Cartagena, the Rosario Islands, San Andrés/Providencia, Christmas/New Year, Barranquilla Carnival, Ciudad Perdida trekking and Amazon lodges are the major budget breakers.
- Spend intelligently: fly between distant regions rather than losing days to mountain buses, but use buses or transfers within regional corridors; Cartagena is the place to splurge selectively, not to make your whole Colombia trip expensive.
Eating well
- Make lunch your main formal meal when possible: a busy local menú del día or corrientazo is usually the best-value way to eat.
- Dinner runs late in the cities, particularly Medellín and Cali.
- Reserve sought-after Cartagena restaurants and destination coffee-farm lunches in high season.
- Use markets for fruit, juices, snacks and ingredient-spotting rather than assuming they are polished sit-down dining venues.
- Ask before photographing vendors, and carry small notes for stalls.
Book before you land
- Do not build a first trip around overland transport between distant regions. A domestic flight often saves an entire day, even after airport transfers.
- Tayrona has recurring Indigenous-led conservation closures in February, June and around October–November; dates change, and weather or security can also shut sections. Check the official park notice before committing to Santa Marta accommodation.
- Discuss yellow-fever vaccination with a travel clinician for the Amazon and jungle trips; Caño Cristales guidance calls for it at least 15 days before visiting.
- Big-city tap water is generally treated, but use bottled or filtered water in rural areas and smaller towns.
- Use app taxis where available rather than hailing casually, especially at night; keep phones and valuables out of sight in crowded urban areas and avoid isolated walking after dark.
- Domestic flights are cheap only if you travel light: low-cost fares often exclude checked baggage, and holiday weekends, Carnival, Easter and island routes should be booked early.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this country.
Season by season
December–March
Generally the driest, most dependable period for the Andes and Caribbean; Bogotá stays cool, Medellín temperate and the coast hot, while Christmas/New Year and January bring heavy domestic demand.
This is Colombia’s priciest and busiest stretch: Cartagena, beach hotels and domestic flights fill early, especially over Christmas/New Year and around Carnival.
April–May
One of the wetter Andean periods, with frequent afternoon rain in Bogotá, Medellín and coffee country but lush landscapes and plenty of usable city time.
Less suited to an itinerary built around daily hiking, boat trips or beach weather; Semana Santa sharply raises domestic demand in heritage towns and on the coast.
June–August
The Andes remain workable with rain gear, while the Caribbean is hot and can be windy; July and August are the strongest broad window for Caño Cristales’ colored river conditions.
International summer demand raises prices, and rain can still disrupt mountain roads and outdoor plans; the Pacific remains wet.
September–November
A wet peak across much of the Andes, particularly in October and November, with lush coffee landscapes, thinner crowds and continued strong seasonal conditions for Caño Cristales.
This is the least convenient period for a country-spanning first trip: Andean rain is more persistent, and the Caribbean also sees more showers, though it remains hot.
Events worth planning around
Semana Santa · Usually March or April, with dates varying by Easter · Nationwide, especially heritage towns and the Caribbean coast
Domestic travel surges; book transport and accommodation early if traveling during the holiday week.
Barranquilla Carnival · Usually late February or early March, tied to the pre-Lent calendar · Barranquilla
The city becomes exceptionally busy and festive; hotels, flights and parade seating need early booking, and it can distort coast itineraries.
Respira Tayrona conservation closures · Recurring closures in February, June and around October–November; exact dates vary · Tayrona National Park, near Santa Marta
Park access and lodging can close entirely for Indigenous-led conservation periods; confirm the current park notice before booking flights, treks or accommodation around Tayrona.
What to eat
Do not reduce Colombian food to arepas and bandeja paisa: the cooking changes sharply between cool Andean highlands, the coffee country, the Caribbean, the southwest, the Pacific and the Amazon. Use Bogotá for a broad survey and contemporary cooking, but eat regionally whenever possible; lunch is often the best-value serious meal.
Bogotá and the highlands: Ajiaco santafereño · Tamales · Chocolate with cheese · Onces snacks · A broad range of Colombian regional food and contemporary cooking
Antioquia and the Coffee Axis: Bandeja paisa · Bean soups · Sudado · Regional arepas · Trout in Salento-style mountain towns and coffee-country cooking
Caribbean coast: Fried mojarra with coconut rice · Arepa de huevo · Patacones · Seafood stews · Mote de queso, cayeye and juices of corozo, tamarind or lulo
Cali and the southwest: Sancocho de gallina · Empanadas vallunas · Aborrajados · Pandebono · Champús and lulada
Pacific coast: Coconut- and plantain-led cooking · River and sea fish · Shellfish · Encocado preparations
Amazon: Responsibly sourced river fish · Cassava preparations · Tropical fruit