Colombia Contents (Chapter)

Edition 6th Edition, August 2012 Pages 12 PDF

Coverage includes: Contents pages, On the Road, Top Experiences map, Our writters, Itineraries.

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PAGE PLAN YOUR PLANNING TOOL KIT 2 Photos, itineraries, lists and suggestions YOUR TRIP to help you put together your perfect trip

Welcome to ... 2

Map ...... 4 Welcome to 20 Top Experiences ...... 6 Colombia Need to Know ...... 16 SHOESTRING PHRASEBOOK If You Like...... 18 • Big trips, Month By Month ...... 20 small budgets • MulticountryMulticouuntruntry Itineraries ...... 23

16 Colombia Outdoors ...... 28 Need to

ten called the Serengeti o Know Diverse Landscapes Language Currency » Spanish (+ English From the towering dune Regions at a Glance ...... 33 Colombia’s» Colombian equatorial peso in Sanposition Andrés & aՖ ords it Punta Gallinas to the a diversity(COP$) of landscapesProvidencia matched only) by few Colombia’s kaleidoscopic countries. A slight tinkering in altitude and landscape has few riv takes you from sun-toasted Caribbean sands to coՖ ee-strewn, emerald-green Outdoor Adven When to Go hilltops in the Zona Your Cafetera Daily Continue

# Budget Providencia GO Jan-Sep Budget less than COP$ Cartagena # GO Nov-Feb 50,000 » Dorm bed COP$15,000-30,000 24 » Comida corriente Medellín # (set meal) COP$5000- Parque Nacional GO Dec-Mar CARIBBEAN Natural Tayrona 7000; self-catering in JANE SWEENEY/JAI/CORBIS © SEA # •##÷ Bogotá supermarkets Jan-Feb •# GO

COSTA Cartagena •# É Midrange RICA É COP$

PANAMA É

PLAN YOUR TRIP ITINERARIES TRIP YOUR PLAN É 50,000- •# •# •# 175,000 Medellín•# É •# » Doubles in midrange Tropical mountain climate, mild summers, chilly winters •#Manizales hotel COP$80,000– Pereira•# •# #_BOGOTÁ Tropical climate, wet and dry seasons Armenia •# Tropical climate, rain year-round 130,000 ValledeCocora •# •# Tropical rainforest, wet and dry seasons » Mains in decent local Desierto de la Tatacoa # Leticia •# Cold climate GO Mar-Nov PACIFIC •# É restaurant COP$15,000-

Popayán É

OCEAN •# 25,000

# – San Agustín É High Season Shoulder Low Season Top End over (Dec-Feb) (Mar-Sep) (Oct-Nov) COP$

ECUADOR » Sunny skies » Bogotá, Medellín » Flash floods often É and warmish days and Cali suffer a wash out roads in the 175,000 É BRAZIL throughout the secondary rainy Andean region » Double room in a Andes season in April/May » Cartagena is top-end hotel from PERU Río Yavarí COP$160,000 •# •# Leticia » Stay dry » Best whale- disproportionally wet everywhere but the watching is July in October » Multicourse meal with Amazon to October on the » A glimmer of hope wine from COP$40,000 Pacific coast Cali & One Month » San Andrés and in the Amazon: low » One-way flight to the The See-(Almost)-Everything Route Providencia are » Cartagena shines water levels mean Caribbean coast or COUNCOCOUNTRYTRRYY &CI& CICITYTY Southwest gorgeous, as usual through April, hard excellent hiking and Amazon COP$80,000- rains begin in May white-sand beaches 250,000 The beauty of Colombia’s diverse landscapes is that you can choose to fully im- Colombia PaciÀ c Coast merse yourself in just one (Caribbean beaches, wildlife-rich jungle, soaring Andean highlands) or you can go for the Full Monty! Hit the ground running in Bogotá, The originoriginal Colombia’s Gotham, and don’t miss the Museo del Oro, one of the continent’s most • Archaeology 333 Marine Life 333 fascinating museums, and the atmospheric colonial center, La Candelaria. From there head Salsa 33 Beaches 33 north to Villa de Leyva. Explore its cobbled streets and enjoy its colonial charm for a day or two, then visit San Gil for hiking and rafting, making time on the way for his- Comprehensive Architecture 33 Nature 33 toric Barichara. Pass through Bucaramanga to catch a long-haul bus to Santa Marta. • It’s worth moving quicker than normal up to this point in order to free up some time here to do the sweaty, À ve- to six-day trek to Ciudad Perdida or blissing-out for a few days in the beach-riddled Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) Tayrona, Colombia’s most popular Adventurous national park. Next stop, Cartagena – you’ll need a few days to fully indulge this exquisite • colonial city. Pre-Columbian Ruins Marine Life Less than 100km apart amid Get close to massive hump- stunning Andean panoram- back whales at Parque as sit Colombia’s two most Nacional Natural (PNN) important archaeological Ensenada de Utría or head sites. More than 500 large out at night to watch nest- statues carved out of volcan- ing sea turtles lay their eggs ic rock are scattered in the near El Valle. Divers can hills around San Agustín. At swim among hundreds of Tierradentro, archaeologists sharks at Islas Malpelo and have unearthed more than Gorgona. Looking for other travel resources? 100 underground tombs. Beaches Salsa Framed by jungle-covered

PAGE UNDERSTAND GET MORE FROM YOUR TRIP 275 Learn about the big picture, so you COLOMBIA can make sense of what you see

population per sq Colombia Today ...... 276 COLOMBIA US

History ...... 279 ≈ 32 people

ive in the 1500s. Ciudad Perdi a, the Tayrona Life in Colombia ...... 289 aroun 700 AD, with hundreds of stone terraces The Muisca, one of the country’s larger indigen The Arts...... 291 resent-day Boyacá and Cundinamarca, near Bog Colombia Today a Muisca word), and numbered 600,000 when the LONELYPLANET.COM APPS EBOOKS MAGAZINE The Natural World ...... 294 Spanish Conquest A Country on the Rise For travel information, Location-based Guidebooks For travel stories, Colombia is named after Christopher Columbus, Colombia makes evangelists of all who visit it and few visito with anything but a positive impression. And while the glo a e advice, tips & digital guides for the street for your reader inspiration & ideas set foot on Colombian soil. One of Columbus’ com s utters, Colombia is powering ahead full throttle as foreign inv and tourists pour in. The economy has been growing steadily for chapters years, and Colombia’s À nance minister projected a further 5% lonelyplanet.com/mobile lonelyplanet.com/ebooks lonelyplanet.com/magazine in 2012. While it’s undeniable that for many rural oor life ha

10,000 BC Some early arrivals create little stone M chips at the site of El to STAY IN TOUCH Abra in modern-day b Bogotá – the earliest live lonelyplanet.com/contact kdf AUSTRALIA Locked Bag 1, Footscray, Victoria 3011 twitter.com/ %03 8379 8000, fax 03 8379 8111 lonelyplanet ISBN 978-1-74179-798-5 99625 Paper in this book is certified USA 150 Linden Street, Oakland, CA 94607 facebook.com/ against the Forest Stewardship %510 250 6400, toll free 800 275 8555, fax 510 893 8572 lonelyplanet Council™ standards. FSC™ promotes environmentally responsible, socially lonelyplanet.com/ beneficial and economically viable UK Media Centre, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TQ 9 781741 797985 management of the world’s forests. %020 8433 1333, fax 020 8702 0112 newsletter

colombia-6-cover.indd 2 3/05/2012 1:39:23 PM PAGE ON THE YOUR COMPLETE DESTINATION GUIDE 36 In-depth reviews, detailed listings ROAD and insider tips

San Andrés & Providencia p168 Caribbean Coast p115

Pacific Coast p249 Boyacá, Santander & Norte de Santander p79 Medellín & Zona Cafetera p182 Bogotá p38

Cali & Southwest Colombia p218

Amazon Basin p262

PAGE SURVIVAL VITAL PRACTICAL INFORMATION TO 299 GUIDE HELP YOU HAVE A SMOOTH TRIP

Safe Travel ...... 300 ( Tic Colom Directory A–Z ...... 303 cally at l have an o they’re allo country. Ai Transportation agents quite Transportation ...... 314 this, and no a one-way tic GETTING THERE already have Air et. Upon arri & AWAY however, har Language ...... 322 Airports & Airlines tion o՗ cials Colombia’s biggest inter- present you Entering the national airport is Bogotá’s The trick Country Aeropuerto Internacional refundable El Dorado (BOG; www.el- credit card Index ...... 336 Most travelers will arrive nuevodorado.com), which fund upo n Colombia by plane, or will debut a slick renovated If arrivin verland from Ecuador, Ven- terminal by the end of 2014. of an u ela or Brazil. There are See p70 . also numerous sailboats that Other major airports serv- the Map Legend ...... 343 avelers from Panama icing international Á ights: n Blas Islands. Aeropuerto Internaciona a valid pass- El Edén (AXM) In Armen six more (p 212 ).

THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY Kevin Raub, Alex Egerton, Mike Power Every listing is recommended by our authors, and their favorite places are listed first

Look out for these icons: Our author’s top A green or No payment recommendation sustainable option required

BOGOTÁ ...... 38 AROUND BOGOTÁ ...... 73 North of Bogotá ...... 73 West of Bogotá ...... 75 South of Bogotá ...... 76

BOYACÁ, SANTANDER & NORTE DE SANTANDER ...... 79 BOYACÁ ...... 81 ...... 81 Villa de Leyva ...... 83 Around Villa de Leyva . . . 90 Santuario de Iguaque . . . 91 La Candelaria ...... 91 ...... 92 El Cocuy ...... 94 Güicán ...... 95 Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) El Cocuy ...... 96 SANTANDER ...... 99 San Gil ...... 99 Barichara ...... 102 Parque Nacional del Chicamocha ...... 106 Bucaramanga ...... 106 NORTE DE SANTANDER 111 Pamplona...... 111 Villa del Rosario ...... 114

CARIBBEAN COAST 115 CARTAGENA & AROUND 117 Cartagena ...... 117 Fuerte de San Fernando & Batería de San José . . . 133 See the Index for a full list of destinations covered in this book.

On the Road

Islas del Rosario ...... 134 AROUND MEDELLÍN . . . . 195 Tierradentro ...... 239 Playa Blanca ...... 134 Guatapé ...... 196 Desierto de la Tatacoa . . . 241 La Boquilla ...... 135 Piedra del Peñol ...... 197 Villavieja ...... 242 Volcán de Lodo El Santa Fe de Antioquia . . . 197 NARIÑO ...... 243 Totumo ...... 135 Río Claro ...... 199 Pasto ...... 243 NORTHEAST OF ZONA CAFETERA ...... 200 . . . . . 245 CARTAGENA ...... 136 Manizales ...... 200 Laguna Verde ...... 246 Barranquilla ...... 136 Around Manizales ...... 203 Ipiales ...... 246 Santa Marta ...... 139 Parque Nacional Natural Santuario de Las Lajas . . 247 Minca ...... 145 Los Nevados ...... 205 ...... 146 Pereira ...... 207 PACIFIC COAST . . . .249 Palomino ...... 149 Finca Villa Martha ...... 209 CHOCÓ ...... 251 Parque Nacional Natural Termales de Bahía Solano ...... 251 (PNN) Tayrona ...... 150 Santa Rosa ...... 209 Around Bahía Solano . . . . 252 Ciudad Perdida ...... 153 Termales San Vicente . . . 210 El Valle ...... 253 LA 156 Santuario Otún Parque Nacional Natural ...... 156 Quimbaya ...... 210 Ensenada de Utría ...... 254 ...... 158 Parque Ucumarí ...... 210 Nuquí ...... 255 Punta Gallinas...... 159 Armenia ...... 211 Around Nuquí ...... 256 VALLEDUPAR ...... 160 Around Armenia ...... 213 SOUTH COAST ...... 257 Salento ...... 214 SOUTHWEST OF Buenaventura ...... 257 CARTAGENA ...... 161 Valle de Cocora ...... 216 Around Buenaventura . . . 258 Tolú ...... 162 San Cipriano ...... 259 Islas de San Bernardo . . . 163 CALI & SOUTHWEST Guapi ...... 259 Turbo ...... 164 COLOMBIA ...... 218 CALI ...... 220 Parque Nacional Natural Capurganá & Isla Gorgona ...... 260 Sapzurro ...... 164 AROUND CALI ...... 227 Parque Nacional Natural AMAZON BASIN . . . .262 SAN ANDRÉS & ...... 227 Leticia ...... 263 PROVIDENCIA ...... 168 Pance ...... 227 Tabatinga (Brazil) ...... 269 SAN ANDRÉS ...... 170 Lago Calima ...... 228 Isla Santa Rosa PROVIDENCIA ...... 176 Darién ...... 228 (Peru) ...... 270 CAUCA & HUILA ...... 229 Parque Nacional Natural MEDELLÍN & ZONA Popayán ...... 229 Amacayacu ...... 270 CAFETERA ...... 182 Coconuco...... 234 Puerto Nariño ...... 270 MEDELLÍN ...... 183 San Agustín ...... 235 Río Yavarí ...... 272 ›

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12ºN 10ºN 8ºN Pacific Coast PEREIRA Armenia BOGOTÁ Vichada Wild beaches, IBAGUÉ eta a ío M whale-watching (p249) n R Lago a ic 4ºN r Quindío VILLAVICENCIO Villa de Leyva 4ºN Calima e a m n Colonial gem, Buenaventura a e PUERTO Tolima l n a Los Llanos stunning countryside (p83) Zona Cafetera a d INÍRIDA Valle P g Caffeine-fueled excursions, a del R Meta coffee farms (p200) Isla CALI M ío Guainía o A Gorgona Cauca í r i R a Bogotá Huila r NEIVA i World-class museums, Cauca Tierradentro SAN JOSÉ architecture and nightlife (p38) POPAYÁN DEL GUAVIARE 2ºN Parque Nacional Natural 2ºN Río Patía Sierra de La Macarena San Agustín Nariño San (Caño Cristales) Ancient volcanic statues, Agustín FLORENCIA Guaviare MITÚ spectacular scenery (p235) PASTO R MOCOA ío Vau Ipiales Laguna pé s TULCÁN de la Putumayo Caño Cristales PACIFIC R Cocha í OCEAN Puerto Asís Dazzling red-colored river o Vaupés IBARRA and waterfalls (p77) Ap apor Equator is Río LAGO C QUITO aq Caquetá AGRIO uetá

ECUADOR R R ío í LATACUNGA o Pu I tu g m a BRAZIL a r ELEVATION y a o P a r Amazonas RIOBAMBA R a 3200m í n 2ºS o á 2ºS 2400m Nap o R 1800m ío Pu 1200m tum ayo Río Yavarí 600m PERU 0 Unspoiled jungle, Parque wonderful wildlife (p272) LA Nacional MACHA R zonas ío ma Natural 0 200 km A Amacayacu 0 120 miles IQUITOS Puerto Nariño 4ºS 4ºS LETICIA Río Yavarí TABATINGA 80ºW 78ºW 76ºW 74ºW 72ºW 70ºW 68ºW OUR STORY A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their fi rst travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born. Today, Lonely Planet has offi ces in Melbourne, London and Oakland, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’. OUR WRITERS Kevin Raub Coordinating Author; Bogotá; Boyaca, Santander & Norte de Santander; Ama- zon Basin Kevin Raub started his career as a music journalist in New York, work- ing for Men’s Journal and Rolling Stone magazines. The rock ’n’ roll lifestyle took its toll, so he took up travel writing while ditching the States for Brazil. While researching Colombia, he forced down ants with filet mignon, experienced the most frightening plane ride of his life in an aged 1940s-era DC-3, was nearly as- saulted in the Amazon by an opossum and was detained by the Policía Nacional for over an hour at the Israeli embassy – and still loves the place! This is Kevin’s 18th Lonely Planet guide. You can fi nd him at www.kevinraub.net. Read more about Kevin at: lonelyplanet.com/members/kraub Alex Egerton Medellín & Zona Cafetera; Pacifi c Coast; Cali & Southwest Colombia A journalist by trade, Alex has been coming to Colombia for 15 years, since discovering the beauty of the country while on a mad six-week dash from Venezuela to Mexico. During that time he has learned to love aguardiente, climbed several of the country’s majestic peaks and become a big fan of tejo, but still can’t dance salsa. While researching this book, Alex learned to pull wheelies in classic WWII jeeps from one of the best drivers in the Zona Cafetera – something he is now trying to reproduce on the streets in front of his house in rural Nicaragua.

Mike Power Caribbean Coast; San Andrés & Providencia; Colombia Today; History; Life in Colombia; The Arts; The Natural World Mike, a freelance journalist, has been coming to Colombia repeatedly since 2007, when he lived in Cartagena writing features on Colombia’s coca industry and the civil confl ict. Before that, he made his Latin bones on an overland trip from Guatemala to Panama City. He then worked as a freelance correspondent for Reuters in Panama, which resulted in atrociously accented Spanish. On this trip, Mike scrambled up the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta to the Lost City, and wished he could spend a year in the ghostly deserts of La Guajira.

Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd ABN 36 005 607 983 Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reason- 6th edition – August 2012 able care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about ISBN 978 1 74179 798 5 the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maxi- © Lonely Planet 2012 Photographs © as indicated 2012 mum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in China All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, and no part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher. Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo are trademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Lonely Planet does not allow its name or logo to be appropriated by commercial establishments, such as retailers, restaurants or hotels. Please let us know of any misuses: lonelyplanet.com/ip. Bestselling guide to Colombia – source: Nielsen BookScan, Australia, UK and USA, May 2011 to April 2012 23

Itiner- Whether you’ve got six days or 60, these itineraries provide a aries starting point for the trip of a lifetime. Want more inspiration? Head online to lonelyplanet. com/thorntree to chat with other travelers.

CARIBBEAN Parque Nacional SEA Natural Tayrona #÷

Santa Marta •# É

Cartagena •# É

VENEZUELA

PANAMA É É

Guane•# É •# Barichara •# Medellín É É •# Villa de Leyva

É #_ PACIFIC BOGOTÁ OCEAN

Two Weeks Bogotá to Bogotá

Welcome to Colombia! Cosmopolitan cities, looming mountains, colonial villages, verdant jungles and Caribbean beaches await. Pulling off this itinerary requires 5th gear and copious amounts of ca ff eine – good thing you’re in the land of coff ee! Take a day or two in Bogotá, admiring La Candelaria (its colonial center), the best of myriad museums and world-class food and nightlife. Shake off the hangover a few hours north in the calming colonial villages of Villa de Leyva and Barichara, both miraculously preserved and picturesque. Take a day to walk the historic El Camino Real to Guane. Grab the long bus ride from San Gil to Santa Marta, from where you can access Parque Na- cional Natural (PNN) Tayrona – linger on the park’s otherworldly beaches for a few days. Continue southwest along the Caribbean coast to Cartagena, Colombia’s crown jewel – a postcard-perfect old city chock full of colonial romance. It’s another long bus (or consider fl ying) to Medellín, where again you’re faced with Colombia on overdrive: culture, cuisine and Club Colombia, paisa-style. Raise a toast to El Dorado and exit via Bogotá, bowled-over by Colombia’s hospitality. 24

Parque Nacional CARIBBEAN Natural Tayrona SEA Santa Marta •##÷ •# Ciudad Perdida

COSTA Cartagena •# É

RICA É É

PLAN YOUR TRIP TRIP YOUR PLAN PANAMA É VENEZUELA •# •# Bucaramanga Barichara •# Medellín•# San Gil É •#Villa de Leyva •#Manizales Pereira•# •# #_BOGOTÁ Armenia •# ValledeCocora •# Cali •# Desierto de la Tatacoa •# ITINERARIES PACIFIC •# É

Popayán Tierradentro É

OCEAN •#

# – San Agustín É

ECUADOR É É BRAZIL

PERU Río Yavarí •# •# Leticia

One Month The See-(Almost)-Everything Route

The beauty of Colombia’s diverse landscapes is that you can choose to fully im- merse yourself in just one (Caribbean beaches, wildlife-rich jungle, soaring Andean highlands) or you can go for the Full Monty! Hit the ground running in Bogotá, Colombia’s Gotham, and don’t miss the Museo del Oro, one of the continent’s most fascinating museums, and the atmospheric colonial center, La Candelaria. From there head north to Villa de Leyva. Explore its cobbled streets and enjoy its colonial charm for a day or two, then visit San Gil for hiking and rafting, making time on the way for his- toric Barichara. Pass through Bucaramanga to catch a long-haul bus to Santa Marta. It’s worth moving quicker than normal up to this point in order to free up some time here to do the sweaty, fi ve- to six-day trek to Ciudad Perdida or blissing-out for a few days in the beach-riddled Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) Tayrona, Colombia’s most popular national park. Next stop, Cartagena – you’ll need a few days to fully indulge this exquisite colonial city. From the Caribbean, take a bus or fl y south to Medellín, and on to the Zona Cafetera and enjoy some time in the nature reserves around Manizales and the Valle de Cocora outside Salento. Want to take a piece of Colombia home with you? Visit a coff ee finca (farm) near Armenia and stock up on single-origin coff ee beans direct from the source. Further south is Cali and the city’s sweaty, hopping salsa joints. Travel down through Popayán to the archaeological ruins at Tierradentro and San Agustín, the two most important pre-Columbian sites in Colombia after Ciudad Perdida. Return to Bogotá via the startling Desierto de la Tatacoa and catch a fl ight to Leticia, where a wildly diff er- ent Colombia exists. Spend a few days exploring the three Amazonian ecosystems: terra firme (dry), várzea (semifl ooded) and igapó (fl ooded) along the Río Yavarí, the best spot in Amazonia to observe wildlife undisturbed in its natural habitat. Fly back to Bogotá, or, from Tabatinga across the Brazilian border from Leticia, head deeper into the Amazon via adventurous river-boat rides to Manaus (Brazil) or Iquitos (Peru). 25 j ane sweene ane y / j ai/corbis ai/corbis Plan your Tri your Plan © p

TNRARIES ITINER

»»(above) Las Bóvedas (p124), kr Cartagena zy

s z »»(left) Parque El Gallineral (p100), tof d tof San Gil y d y nski/lonel y planet images images planet © 26

Punta Gallinas •# •#É CARIBBEAN Parque Nacional Cabo de la Vela

SEA Natural Tayrona #÷ É Santa Marta •# •#

Reserva É Natural Cartagena •# El Matuy COSTA PLAN YOUR TRIP TRIP YOUR PLAN

RICA É

Sapzurro •# VENEZUELA PANAMA •# Capurganá

É ITINERARIES Bahía Solano •# #– •#Medellín El Valle •# •#•# Jurubidá Guachalito •# Nuquí

PACIFIC f# #_ BOGOTÁ OCEAN Isla Malpelo •# f# •# Buenaventura

Isla É

Gorgona •# É •# Guapi

One Month A Tale of Two Coasts

This is the ultimate beach junkie journey. Colombia’s contrasting coasts off er a little bit of everything to lovers of the sea, from translucent Caribbean waters to Pacifi c black-sand beaches – both against a backdrop of Crayola-green jungle. Start out east of Santa Marta at Cabo de la Vela on La Guajira Peninsula, a striking landscape where the desert meets the sea at the top of the continent. Don’t skip ’s north- ernmost tip, Punta Gallinas, where you can sleep in a hammock and feast on local lobster near towering dunes somersaulting into remote beaches. Heading southwest, make your way to Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) Tayrona, very popular among aspiring beach bums, and consider stopping a day or two near wonderful Palomino on the way, where you’ll fi nd the paradisiacal Reserva Natural El Matuy, a small bird sanctuary and beach off ering way more palm trees than people. Head west to explore Cartagena, then make the arduous journey southwest to tiny Capurganá and Sapzurro, two cute beachside neighbors set right on the border with Panama. La Miel, easily reached on foot across the border in Panama (bring your ID), off ers idyllic sands. From here fl y via Medellín to Bahía Solano on the Pacifi c coast, great during whale- watching season, and spend a few days on the spectacular rainy, gray beaches along this coastline, sandwiched between jungle and sea. There are fi ne, midrange ecolodges where you can surf and go diving near Bahía Solano, El Valle and Guachalito. A 45-minute boat ride from Nuquí brings you to multi-hued Jurubidá, where it’s a quick boat-hop to Morromico – couples might consider losing themselves on this ecoresort’s magnifi cent and romantic beach. Suitably pampered, head back to Nuquí and travel via overnight cargo boat to Buenaven- tura, the jumping-off point for Isla Malpelo, where advanced divers can mingle with huge schools of sharks. It’s a minimum eight-day live-aboard dive cruise (reservations essential). For a less challenging taste of the Pacifi c coast’s diving, head on to Guapi and catch a weekend dive cruise to Isla Gorgona, and visit the ruins of the island’s former penal col- ony. Once you return to Buenaventura, catch a bus back to mainstream Colombia via the Buenaventura-Cali highway.

27

•#Bahía Solano •#El Valle #÷ Parque Nacional Natural Ensenada de Utría f# •# Guachalito

É •# Nuquí PLAN YOUR TRIP TRIP YOUR PLAN

MANIZALES •# É

É #÷ Parque Nacional Natural Termales de San Vicente É

PEREIRA •# •# Los Nevados

– # Finlandia •# •#Salento #_

BOGOTÁ ITINERARIES •#Valle de Cocora

É •#Buenaventura Pacific Coast •# San Cipriano Zona Cafetera PACIFIC É OCEAN

•#Cali

Two Weeks 10 Days Zona Cafetera Pacifi c Coast

In this arabica-fueled region, hearts Long off -limits due to Colombia’s are pumped by caff eine as much as civil war, the exotic Pacifi c coast has blood. It’s serious business. Visiting reopened for tourism but remains coff ee farms will keep you hyped for undervisited. Colombia’s ultimate off - exploring the region’s highlights, starting the-beaten-path destination boasts tropical with the nature parks around Manizales – jungle, diving, whale-watching, world-class Los Yarumos, Recinto del Pensamiento and sportfi shing and black-sand beaches. It isn’t Reserva Ecológica Río Blanco, the latter a cheap – all transportation is by small plane bird-watching favorite. Indulge in the coff ee and boat – but it’s worth it. Start in Bahía tour just outside town at Hacienda Venecia, Solano. Numerous nearby beach resorts with great views and an excellent overview can organize activities, including jungle of all things cafe. Spend a day or two hik- walks. From Bahía Solano, head south to ing among snow-covered volcanic peaks in El Valle. During turtle season you can spot Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) Los Ne- turtles laying eggs on the beach, and visit a vados and sleep in the páramo (high-moun- biological research station. Hike south to the tain plains) at the 4180m-high cabins at El northern end of Parque Nacional Natural Cisne, accessed from Las Brisas. Return to Ensenada de Utría and take a boat across Manizales and head toward Pereira, where to the national park’s visitor center, where you can arrange an aching-muscle treatment you can spend the night. During whale sea- at Termales de San Vicente, 36km east of son you can watch playful whales as they town. Next stop: coff ee-crazy Salento south enter the narrow bay just off shore. Take a of Pereira, full of quaint charm and typical boat to Nuquí and visit nearby Guachalito, bahareque (adobe and reed) architecture. a beautiful beach with well-tended tropical Detour just east to the numerous small pro- gardens. From Nuquí, try your luck with ir- duction fincas (farms) around slow-paced regular overnight cargo boats heading south Finlandia – and the expansive views from to Buenaventura; or catch a quick fl ight. its mirador (lookout) – before toasting your Return to Cali via San Cipriano, deep in tour in the impressive Valle de Cocora, one the tropical forest and only accessible by a of Colombia’s most beautiful half-day hikes. unique moto-propelled rail cart. ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

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