Colombia Complete Travel Guide
Bogotá, the capital of Colombia and the last place I’m visiting in Colombia and South America. I struggle with mixed feelings of saying farewell to the continent and almost going home. But before I definitely cross the Atlantic Ocean, I first have a last week in sunny Curaçao.
Are you going to Colombia and packing your summer clothes? Throw in a sweater or jacket in there too! Compared to the rest of Colombia, Bogotá can be quite chilly because of its higher altitude. At 2600 meters it’s one of the highest capitals in South America. Although nothing compared to La Paz in Bolivia.
Meeting friends in Bogotá
Just before arrival, I texted my Colombian friends Carolina, Mario and Felipe who I met 2 months prior on the train from Machu Picchu to Cusco. They were excited to meet again and picked me up at the airport. That same day we chilled in the park, enjoyed delicious home cooked Colombian food and went to a festival at night. It was such a warm welcome in Bogotá.
At the festival with Felipe, Mario and Carolina
Festival vibes
Spending 2 days in Bogotá
Bogotá Bike Tours
The next morning I joined the 10:30 AM bike tour. The tour is 60.000 COP and doesn’t need any registration, just show up and they’ll form a group. Just like my bike tour in Medellin, I joined again on a Sunday. The advantage of cycling on Sunday is that the big cities block the center for cars, making it more accessible for bicycles.
Bogotá by bike
It’s obvious the Dutch like to cycle, as the majority of the people who joined the tour were from the Netherlands. It was actually quite fun to be surrounded by fellow Dutchies for a change. All of them just started their Colombia trip, so I was able to give a few tips and tricks!
What I love about joining a bike tour is that you see a good part of the city. You can easily reach a broader area by bike, seeing neighborhoods of Bogotá I wouldn’t have visited on my own. Included in the bike tour was even a coffee tasting, trying different local fruits and playing a game of Tejo.
Trying the local fruits
La Candelaria
I booked a room at Granada Hostel in La Candelaria; the neighborhood in the city center where most of the sites are. La Candelaria can easily be explored on foot. Either by a walking tour, but I decided to wander around on my own. The highlights of La Candelaria were strolling over Carrera 7, people gaze at Plaza de Bolivar, visit the Botero Museum (free entrance) and observe the many murals.
Plaza de Bolivar
Murals in La Candelaria
Monserrate
Next to La Candelaria is the mountain Monserrate. With a funicular or cable car you can reach the top at 3150 meters. In the early morning only the funicular was in service, without any queues I could buy my one-way ticket for 17.500 COP and immediately enter the funicular. Standing at the bottom looking down, I had a magnificent view of the city below.
Funicular going up Monserrate
On top of the mountain is a church, a few restaurants and needless to say the panoramic view of Bogotá. After wandering around a bit, I started to hike the trail back down. Along the way I encountered many people walking up to the top. I’m thinking to myself, I’m already struggling going down, these people are hardcore.
View on top of Monserrate
Trail going down
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