09-25 Oct 2015This year I had to go on vacation during the last week of July and the first of August. Unfortunately the company gave just two weeks off. That said it had been pretty difficult to find something on the budget side for such a period. Nonetheless I had decided to get back to Turkey and to visit Bodrum, Cappadocia. Everything was almost done when the company asked to get my vacation postponed to an unknown date.
Until the beginning of September I didn’t know
when my vacation were and then I got to know that they were in the mid of
October. I looked at Skyscanner and the flight to Colombia were
dramatically low (~ 560€ vs the standard 1.000-1.300€), so I had to buy them in
order to get to visit my Colombian friends Carolina and Carlos, met during a
couple of tourist trip in Thailand.
Because of
the period, because of the busy time at work and so on, I didn’t really have
the time to plan my trip. I roughly knew that I wanted to have a relaxing
vacation, I didn’t wanna move too often and I did want to scuba dive. In the
meanwhile I had otitis just before leaving, so my idea of itinerary had changed
several times.
Anyway at
the end I didn’t book anything. I got on my planes and I knew that Carolina was
there waiting for me. This and that the following days I was in Villa de Leyva
were my only certainties!
I had one
of my best rewarding trips so far. It was a different experience from the
others, I knew I could count on friends, I knew they were anyway there to help
me for whatever thing I might have needed. I lived like a local for roundabout
a bit less than a week, I got to know the real culture and habits, things that
you don’t get to know unless you live in a foreign country.
For a
European, at least at the time of writing (x-rate 1€ ~ 3.000 COP), Colombia is
very cheap. On top of this I have really got to visit the country in an
extremely low budget way, let’s say as far as accommodation, and meal concerns.
Flights: Operated by Air France
LIN - CDG - BOG AF9801 + AF0422
BOG – CDG – LIN: AF0423 + AF1012
Travel
Map:
Destinations:
Day 01 Departure -Arrival Bogotà
Day 02 – 04 Villa de Leyva –
Laguna de Tota – Ràquira
Day 05 Bogotà (Zona Rosa) – San Andrès
Day 06 - 09 San Andrès Islas
Day 10 San Andrès Islas – Bogotà – Santa Marta
[a long day]
Day 11 Parque National Tayrona
Day 12 Santa Marta – Uribia –
Cabo de la Vela [a long day: 3h+1/2h+3h]
Day 13 - 14 Cabo de la Vela - Punta Gallinas - Cabo de la Vela
Day 15 Cabo de la Vela – Riohacha
- Bogotà
Day 16 Bogotà (Centro – Museo de Botero)
Day 17 Bogotà – Departure
Day 18 Arrival
Internal
flights: ~ 238,68 €
Accommodations:
Day 05 – 09: Mulata Hostel, Santa Marta
Day 10 – 12: Hospedaje Daniel
Day 13: Pousada Alexandra, Punta Gallinas
Day 14: Hospedaje Daniel
-
Colombia
is divided into different climate zones throughout the year, so that you’ll
always find good wheatear somewhere on the coast
-
Try
to be there when it is not a holiday period in Colombia (check it out on the
web)
-
Take
everything as easy as possible; you will enjoy it more
-
Credit
card
o
Not
too spread around the country; high fees (~ 8% to the seller)
§ Either you bring cash and you do
change it, or you simply withdraw when you are in big cities
-
Villa de Leyva
o
Nice
white colonial village
-
Laguna de Tota
o
Doesn’t
worth the visit; nothing to be compared to Lago Titicaca in Peru
-
Ràquira
o Buy all your souvenirs here
o Amazing colorful village
-
San Andrés Islas
o
Bring
a mosquito net for budget accommodation in San Andrés Isla; I got mosquito
repellent on 24/24
o
Very
bad network coverage
o
Best
beach: Rocky Cay
o
Get
to walk from Hoyo Soplador to San Luìs; do not get around by golf cart, you’ll
miss the best of what the island could offer
o
Get
to the airport well In advance; a couple of friends got bounced, at the gate
o
Get
to try “Fruta de Pan”
-
Santa Marta
o
Downtown
Santa Marta is not that close to the airport (~40min by taxi at night; 28.000
COP, or by bus ~1.500 COP)
§ It is full of clubs and live music
places
§ It doesn’t seem to be that safe
§ It is full of gringos, I wasn’t used
to it anymore
§ If I get back, I will chose a place
closer to Parque Nacional Tayrona or at least on the Santa Marta outskirts
-
Parque Nacional Tayrona – Yellow Fever Vaccination
Recommended
o
Collectivo from El Mercado de Santa Marta to El
Zaino (~7.000 COP; ~ 1h)
o
Admission fee: 39.500 COP
o
Collectivo to el Parqueadero ~3.000 COP
o
EL
Parqueadero <-> Cabo de San Juan (1 ½ h walking vs 2 ½ h stated)
o
Bring
with you plenty of water; in the rain forest it is pretty hot and humid
o
There
are many check points during the path; keep your passport and your entrance
ticket at an easy access
-
Santa Marta
- Cabo de la Vela – Punta Gallinas (06:20 à
~ 13:30)
o
Take
a taxi to the Bus Terminal (~ 7.000 COP)
o
Get
on a bus to Maicabo and get off at 4 vias (Maicabo not Riohacha) (@ 7:00 am ~
25.000 COP) [~ 3h]
o
Get
on a car to Uribìa (~ 8.000 COP) [~ 1/2h]
o
At
the market in Uribìa get on a carro particular to Cabo de la Vela (~ 15.000
COP); arrange with the same people the pick-up to get back to Uribìa [~ 2h]
o
I
haven’t booked any accommodation and I’ve just stopped at the first one [ Hospedaje
Daniel ~ 7.000 COP for a hammock; 12.000 COP chinchorro; 15.000 COP room]
§ I bought the tour to Punta Gallinas
directly here at the Hospedaje [~ 170.000 COP transport]
§ Hospedaje Alexandra [15.000
COP/hammock]
o
Moto-taxi
to Pilon de Azùcar: 8.000 COP return
o
Do
not buy any souvenir in Cabo de la Vela à very expensive
-
Uribia – Riohacha
o
I
got on a car to Riohacha and I asked to get off directly at the airport
o
Pay
attention to the fact that at the Riohacha airport taxes have to be paid (5.700
COP)
-
Bogotà
o
Mean
of transport à
Transmilenio
§ Buy a NON frequent traveler card
o
Zona
Rosa (top class restaurant and boutiques)
o
Centro
§ Museo de Botero (free entrance) does
worth a visit, obviously if you like it
§ Colonian style buildings
§ Mercado Artisanal de Plaza Bolìvar à good place to buy souvenirs
-
Typical Dishes
o
Desayuno
§ Chocolate
§ Scrambled eggs (huevos revueltos)
§ Arepa de queso/de huevo
§ Pan de bolo
§ Pan de queso
§ Tamal con pan
o
Almuerzo
§ Caldo
§ Pescado/Carne
§ Arroz con o sin coco
§
Platano/yucca/fruta de pan fritos
§
Ensalada
§
Refresco
o
Cena
§ Parecido al almuerzo
§
Sino, café con leche + sanduiche
Total Trip: ~ 1.500 €
·
Flight tickets
·
Accomodations
·
Food
·
Tranport Cost
·
Souvenir
· Diving
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