Central & South America Revealed by Mercator Travel Newsletter March 2016 Spotlight on Colombia In the last few years, Colombia has begun to emerge as an exciting, safe, friendly Flight information and unspoiled destination for travellers to South America, offering stunning Avianca has a daily direct flight from scenery, colonial cities, a wonderful coastline and impressive national parks. Heathrow to Bogota (11½ hours) and has an extensive network of flights within It will take time for the country to shake off its unenviable reputation following the country. The airline flies from decades of civil war but considerable progress has already been made. Even Bogota to Ecuador, Peru and to various Medellin, once the most dangerous city in the world, has completely reinvented countries in Central America which are itself to become a progressive, dynamic city with a thriving cultural life. There has ideal if you are planning to combine your been a steady growth in visitor numbers to Colombia since 2005 and the country trip. has benefitted from a corresponding rise in income from tourism. Avianca reintroduced a direct flight from Heathrow to Bogota in 2014 which now operates KLM and Air France operate flights from daily. New hotels have popped up, creating jobs and opportunities and we have regional airports in the UK via their hubs seen how tourism has helped to drive growth, development and improvements in in Amsterdam and Paris while the infrastructure. BA/Iberia partnership routes via Madrid. Lan also offers flights via the Spanish A peace agreement between the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) capital. and the Colombian Government is expected to be signed imminently, the culmination of many years of patient negotiations known as the Havana Peace Air Europa is starting a new daily service Talks. from Gatwick via Madrid to Bogota on 28 June. We envisage an upsurge of interest from a generation of travellers keen to discover for themselves the delights that Colombia has to offer and hope these pages Please contact us for flights via Miami, provide some useful, practical information for travellers. New York, Dallas and Houston. Top recommendation: Quickfacts Cartagena is one of the most attractive cities in South America and is a walled colonial Capital: Bogota gem in a fantastic setting overlooking the Caribbean. It became the richest city in the Area: 440,831 sq miles (UK 93,638) Americas as the principal transit point for shipping gold, silver and goods back to the Population: 48.2m (2015) Spanish mainland. At the fortress of San Felipe overlooking the city you can see a statue Main language: Spanish of Admiral Blas de Lezo, a one-eyed, one-armed, one-legged Spaniard, in charge of the Currency: Colombian Peso defence of Cartagena from attack by the British in the 1740s in the little-known War of Time: GMT -5hours Jenkin’s Ear. Cartagena is the gateway to the lovely Rosario Islands. Gross National Income: $7509 per capita www.centralamericarevealed.co.uk www.southamericarevealed.co.uk 01932 424252 Bogota Practical Information for Travellers Colombia’s vibrant capital is an amalgam of Suggested Itinerary: old and new, fashionable and traditional, Days 1-2 Bogota with a fine array of colonial mansions, Days 3-4: Villa de Leyva & Zipaquira museums, churches and stately public Days 5-7: Tayrona National Park buildings. On Sunday mornings the historic Day 8-14: Cartagena & Rosario Islands centre of La Candelaria is closed to traffic and cyclists and joggers reclaim the streets. Entry: Take the cable car or funicular railway up to British nationals travelling on a full, valid Monserrate for excellent views of the city. passport do not require a visa for entry to Colombia. You should ensure your passport Four Seasons Casa Medina is valid for at least 6 months beyond the date This hotel in the gastronomic heart of of arrival. Bogota (Zona G) reopened a few months ago as a Four Seasons property and is one of Altitude: the hottest places to stay in South America’s Bogota is the third highest capital in South coolest capital. America, after La Paz (Bolivia) and Quito (Ecuador), at an altitude of 2,650m. (8,660 Four Seasons Bogota ft.) located on a mountain-rimmed plateau in This prestigious hotel opens in April 2016. the Cordillera Oriental of the Andes. The new hotel is in the chic and stylish area known as Zona T, noted for its bistros, bars, Domestic Flights: There is a good network of flights within Four Seasons Casa Medina and designer shops. Colombia. Depending on your route and Hotel de la Opera itinerary it may be best to purchase an In the heart of La Candelaria, just a few airpass – Mercator Travel as a specialist tour minutes’ walk from the Plaza Bolivar, this operator will advise you on what is best. hotel has been refurbished in recent years. Excellent views from the top floor Mirador Best Time of the Year: Restaurant. The best time to visit Colombia is December to February when it is warmest and driest. April-May and October-November are the wettest months and it can be quite cold, Hotel de la Opera particularly in the Andes, in July-September. Museums If you are planning to venture to San Andres Bogota’s Gold Museum houses a magnificent or Providencia, in the Caribbean, bear in collection of artefacts which reflect the history mind that the hurricane season is from of pre-Colombian cultures. The museum is June to November. closed on Mondays and bank holidays. There is free entrance on Sundays. Vaccinations: Four Seasons Bogota It is advisable to check your inoculations The Museo Botero has a good display of 208 Colombia is noted for its emeralds and a visit for Polio, Tetanus, Typhoid and Hepatitis A. If works of art donated to the nation by to the International Emerald Museum will you have been to Africa within 3 months of Colombia’s greatest living artist, Fernando give you an insight into their extraction and arriving in Colombia you may need to Botero. The collection includes 123 paintings beauty. This small private museum is on the provide proof of vaccination against Yellow and sculptures by Botero himself and 85 23rd floor of the Avianca building with the Fever. If you are travelling into the Amazon pieces from figures such as Picasso, Monet, added bonus of fantastic views of the city. basin it is better to take precautions against Dali and Bacon. The museum is closed on The museum is open daily 10am- 6pm. malaria unless there are medical reasons for Tuesdays not doing so. Time Zone: Colombia is five hours behind GMT. Further Information: Please contact us to discuss your travel requirements. We book hotels from three star standard accommodation to five star luxury and ground arrangements for tailor- made itineraries as well as small-group tours. Please also take a look at our dedicated website for Colombia, which has further information about the country and other places to visit: www.colombiarevealed.co.uk Bogota Zipaquira Salt Cathedral Villa de Leyva The enormous main square in Villa de Leyva is the largest in South America. Our walking tour includes some of the principal highlights of the city such as the house of Antonio Marino and the Carmelite nunnery. The Marquesa de Villa de Leyva is Colombia’s premier wine producer and we recommend this opportunity to visit the vineyard. The cathedral made out of natural salt rock in the mine at Zipaquira is rightly regarded as one of the marvels of Colombia, the culmination of years of hard work by miners. The salt cathedral can accommodate over 8,000 people and is a fully-functioning place of worship, with regular services, christenings and weddings. Zipaquira is 49km from Bogota and can be reached by train or by road. Many tailor-made and group tours stop here on the way to Villa de Leyva. The Coffee Region Bucaramanga Bucaramanga is known as the ‘city of parks’ because of its public green areas. Nearby are some attractive villages and unspoiled colonial towns, such as Giron and Floridablanca. Piedcuesta is well known for cigar making and furniture carving. The coffee region for many people is the heart and soul of Colombia, its cultural and agricultural epicentre. The scenery varies from rolling hillsides of fertile coffee plantations Chicamocha National Park has a number to plunging valleys and bold elevations. Campasino or rural life continues as it has done of well-marked trails, with spectacular for centuries harvesting coffee, plantains and many other fruit in this lush and fertile land. views and the longest cable car in South America. Tayrona National Park This is where the jungle rainforest meets the Caribbean Sea and the beaches are wild and natural. The majority of the park is covered by virgin tropical forest and is home to over a hundred species of mammals, 200 species of birds and 50 kinds of reptiles.There are numerous jungle trails for wildlife spotting and paths that link the various palm-fringed beaches and bays. Important: We do not recommend swimming here as the tides are notoriously dangerous and the surf strong. We recommend the Eco-Habs as the best place to stay in Tayrona National Park. Central & South America Revealed Cartagena, the Rosario Islands and the San Bernardo Archipelago No journey to Colombia would be complete without a few days exploring the old quarter of Cartagena with its ramparts, colonial squares, fine churches and interesting museums. The cathedral was partially destroyed by Francis Drake in an attempt to capture the city in 1586. We recommend a visit to the Museo Naval del Caribe for comprehensive overview of the naval history of Cartagena and the Caribbean.