Lonely Planet Colombia

Alex Egerton

Description

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet's Colombia is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Wander through the bougainvillea-lined streets and magnificent squares of Cartagena's Old Town, hike through majestic tropical scenery on a jungle walk to Ciudad Perdida, and learn to dance salsa in Cali - all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Colombia and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet's Colombia: Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights provide a richer, more rewarding travel experience - covering history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics Covers Bogota, Boyaca, Santander & Norte de Santander, Caribbean Coast, San Andres & Providencia, Medellin & Zona Cafetera, Cali & Southwest Colombia, Pacific Coast, Amazon Basin, and more The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet's Colombia is our most comprehensive guide to the country, and is designed to immerse you in the culture and help you discover the best sights and get off the beaten track. About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, video, 14 languages, nine international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones) Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.

Sujets

• Colombia

Informations

• Publié par: Lonely Planet
• Date de parution: 01 août 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 17
• EAN13: 9781787019287
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 45 Mo

Extrait

Colombia

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Colombia
Colombia’s Top 20
Need to Know
If You Like…
Month by Month
Itineraries
Colombia Outdoors
Regions at a Glance

On The Road

BOGOTÁ
Sights
Activities
Tours
Festivals & Events
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Around Bogotá
North of Bogotá
West of Bogotá
BOYACÁ, SANTANDER & NORTE DE SANTANDER
Boyacá
Villa de Leyva
Around Villa de Leyva
Santuario de Iguaque
Sogamoso
Monguí
Sierra Nevada del Cocuy
Santander
San Gil
Barichara
Guane
Cañon del Chicamocha
Bucaramanga
Guadalupe
Norte de Santander
Pamplona
Playa de Belén
CARIBBEAN COAST
Cartagena & Around
Cartagena
Islas del Rosario
Playa Blanca
Volcán de Lodo El Totumo
Northeast of Cartagena
Santa Marta
Minca
Taganga
Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona
Palomino
Ciudad Perdida
La Guajira Peninsula
Riohacha
Cabo de la Vela
Punta Gallinas
Valledupar
Southeast of Cartagena
Mompós
Southwest of Cartagena
Tolú
Islas de San Bernardo
Turbo
Capurganá & Sapzurro
SAN ANDRÉS & PROVIDENCIA
San Andrés
Providencia
MEDELLÍN & ZONA CAFETERA
Medellín
Around Medellín
Guatapé
Piedra del Peñol
Santa Fe de Antioquia
Jardín
Río Claro
Zona Cafetera
Manizales
Around Manizales
Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados
Pereira
Termales de Santa Rosa
Termales San Vicente
Santuario Otún Quimbaya
Parque Ucumarí
Armenia
Around Armenia
Salento
Filandia
Valle de Cocora
CALI & SOUTHWEST COLOMBIA
Cali
Around Cali
Pance
Lago Calima
Darién
Cauca & Huila
Popayán
Coconuco
San Agustín
Tierradentro
Desierto de la Tatacoa
Villavieja
Nariño
Pasto
Laguna de la Cocha
Ipiales
Santuario de Las Lajas
PACIFIC COAST
Chocó
Bahía Solano
Around Bahía Solano
El Valle
Parque Nacional Natural Ensenada de Utría
Nuquí
Around Nuquí
South Coast
Parque Nacional Natural Isla Gorgona
LOS LLANOS
Villavicencio
San José del Guaviare
Caño Cristales
Parque Nacional Natural El Tuparro
AMAZON BASIN
Leticia
Parque Nacional Natural Amacayacu
Puerto Nariño
Río Yavarí

Understand

Colombia Today
History
Life in Colombia
The Arts
The Natural World

Survive

Safe Travel
Directory A-Z
Accommodations
Children
Customs Regulations
Electricity
Embassies & Consulates
Food
Health
Insurance
Internet Access
Language Courses
Legal Matters
LGBTI Travelers
Maps
Money
Opening Hours
Post
Public Holidays
Solo Travelers
Telephone
Time
Toilets
Tourist Information
Travelers with Disabilities
Visas
Volunteering
Women Travelers
Work
Transportation
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
Language
Glossary
Behind the Scenes
Our Writers
Welcome to Colombia

Soaring Andean summits, unspoiled Caribbean coast, enigmatic Amazon jungle, cryptic archaeological ruins and cobbled colonial communities. Colombia boasts all of South America’s allure and more.

Diverse Landscapes
Colombia’s equatorial position affords it a diversity of landscapes matched by few countries. A slight tinkering in altitude takes you from sun-toasted Caribbean sands to coffee-strewn, emerald-green hilltops in the Zona Cafetera. Continue to climb and there’s Bogotá, the bustling cradle of Colombia and third-highest capital city in the world. Throw in another few thousand meters and you find snowcapped peaks, high-altitude lakes and the eerie, unique vegetation of the páramo . The bottom drops out as the Andes gives way to Los Llanos, a 550,000-sq-km swath of tropical grasslands shared with Venezuela.

Outdoor Adventures
Colombia’s varied terrain is fertile ground for outdoor adventurers to dive, climb, raft, trek and soar. San Gil is the undisputed adventure capital, but Colombia boasts alfresco pleasures in all corners. Ciudad Perdida is a multiday jungle walk to the ancient ruins of the Tayrona civilization, while numerous ascents inside Parque Nacional Natural El Cocuy place intrepid hikers among the highest reaches of the Andes. Providencia’s world-class reef is heaven for scuba divers, and whale-watchers on the Pacific coast can see majestic humpbacks.

Extraordinary Culture
A wealth of ancient civilizations left behind a fascinating spread of archaeological and cultural sites throughout Colombia. The one-time Tayrona capital, Ciudad Perdida, is one of the continent’s most mysterious ancient cities, arguably second only to Machu Picchu. Even more shrouded in mystery is San Agustín, where more than 500 life-sized ancient sculpted statues of enigmatic origin dot the surrounding countryside. And then there’s Tierradentro, where elaborate underground tombs scooped out by an unknown people add even more mystique to Colombia’s past.

Colonial Charm
Led by Cartagena’s extraordinarily well-preserved old city, Colombia offers an off-the-radar treasure trove of cinematic cobblestoned towns and villages that often feel bogged down in a different century, content to carry on as they have since the departure of the Spanish without a care in the world. Unweathered Barichara and happily sleepy Mompós feel like movie sets, impossibly unspoiled by modern progress, while whitewashed Villa de Leyva appears stuck in 16th-century quicksand. Colombia’s panorama of postcard-perfect pueblos are among the best preserved on the continent.

Beach shack, Providencia | DC_COLOMBIA / GETTY IMAGES ©


Why I Love Colombia
By Kevin Raub, Writer
It was a much different country the first time I came to Colombia in the early 2000s, but the stellar hospitality of Colombians had me at arrival. Today, the security situation has improved dramatically, helping Colombia to become South America’s phoenix from the flames. But that initial reception has always stuck with me: without a five-star tourism magnet – no Machu Picchu, no Iguazu Falls, no Patagonia – Colombia works harder for its money, and that begins and ends with the people, who ensure you leave with a different impression than the one you landed with.
For more see our writers
Colombia’s Top 20

Cartagena’s Old Town
The hands of the clock on the Puerta del Reloj wind back 400 years in an instant as visitors enter the walled old town of Cartagena . A stroll down the streets here is a step into the pages of a Gabriel García Márquez novel. The pastel-toned balconies overflow with bougain-villea and the streets are abuzz with food stalls around magnificent Spanish-built churches, squares and historic mansions. This is a living, working town that just happens to look a lot like it did centuries ago.

KRZYSZTOF DYDYNSKI / GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences
Journey to Ciudad Perdida
The trip to Ciudad Perdida is a thrilling jungle walk through some of the country’s most majestic tropical scenery. It has become renowned as one of Colombia’s best multiday hikes. Surging rivers pump faster than your pulse can keep pace as you ford them, waist deep, against the otherwise quiet beauty of the Sierra Nevada. Your destination is awe-inspiring – an ancient lost city ‘discovered’ by graverobbers and gold-digging bandits deep in the mountains, laid out in mysterious, silent terraces – but it’s as much about the journey itself.

PICTURE4YOU / SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
La Guajira’s Dunes & Deserts
Reaching this remote desert peninsula may be fun or arduous, depending on how you like to travel, but everyone who makes it to South America’s most northerly point is blown away by the stunning simplicity of it all. Pink flamingos, mangrove swamps, sand-dune beaches and tiny Wayuu settlements dot the vast emptiness of this most magnificent and little-visited corner of Colombia. Come here to swap the noise of cities for the reverent silence of nature.

MATYAS REHAK / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences
Caño Cristales
Community-run, sustainable tourism at its best can be found at the Parque Nacional Natural Sierra de la Macarena in Los Llanos, where one of Colombia’s most fascinating natural wonders, the multihued rivers and streams of Caño Cristales , thrill all who visit. This network of remote rivers explodes into an astonishing sea of red for a few months between July and November, a phenomenon caused by an eruption of kaleidoscopic plants. Trekking between waterfalls and natural swimming pools is a fabulous experience.

DC_COLOMBIA / GETTY IMAGES ©


Top Experiences
Ancient Statues of San Agustín
Scattered among rolling green hills, the statues of San Agustín are a magnificent window into pre-Columbian culture and one of the most important archaeological sights on the continent. More than 500 of these monuments, carved from volcanic rock and depicting sacred animals and anthropomorphic figures, have been unearthed. Many statues are in an archaeological park, but many more are in situ, and can be explored on foot or by horseback along canyon trails.

DC_COLOMBIA / GETTY IMAGES ©

Top Experiences
Whale-Watching on the Pacific Coast
There are few sights in nature as impressive as watching a 20-ton whale launch itself through the air against a backdrop of forest-covered mountains. Every year hundreds of humpback whales make a 5000-mile (8000km) journey from the Antarctic to give birth and raise young in Colombia’s Pacific waters. These spectacular mammals come so close to shore in Ensenada de Utría that you can watch them cavorting in shallow waters from your breakfast table.

ECATERINA LEONTE / GETTY IMAGES ©


Top Experiences
Coffee Fincas in the Zona Cafetera
Jump in a classic WWII jeep and go on a caffeine-fueled coffee-tasting adventure. Many of the best fincas (farms) in the Zona Cafetera have thrown open their gates and embraced tourism – eager to show visitors what sets Colombian coffee apart and to share a little of their hardworking culture. Strap on a basket and head into the plantation to pick your own beans before returning to the