9- Santa Marta
This is a coastal city where you can see both Colombian and foreign tourists. The biggest reason for this is that those who want to have a sea holiday usually come to these regions because it has a coast to the Caribbean.. Especially if you coincide with the holidays in Colombia, know that the city will be full of people and you will not find a place on the beaches.. Just like the photo I shared below.
Rodadero area in the city is an extremely touristic place. If you stay here, it may be a bit expensive.. That’s why I recommend the city center. Or, like me, you can stay at the hotels opposite the bus terminal for 10 USD per night.. I preferred the hotels here because it is possible to reach everywhere by minibus and taxis are also cheap.. The city center is also an okay place with its beach, restaurants and bars.
You can go to Rodadero during the day and enjoy a normal sea.. Or you can go to other beaches in the vicinity by boat from there for a day.. Only those beaches are not like crystal water and white sand as they show you in the photos.. In my opinion, ordinary beaches that are not very humorous. So don’t have such high expectations.. Rodadero beach is very lively in the evening. It is full of both street vendors and street artists.
If you want to go to the sea in Santa Marta, I recommend Taganga side. The sea seemed partly more beautiful to me. Again, the beach here is very lively in the evenings.
Let’s talk about Park Tayrona, another region that makes this place important.. This park is famous for its beaches and natural beauties as well as the locals of Kogui.. Locals close this park to tourists for a month every year and perform their traditional rituals.. The surrounding Sierra Nevada mountainous region is also one of the important places.. This mountainous region is home to the natives of Kogui, Arhuaco, and Wiwa. I spent almost 2 months in these regions as my main interest is locals. Especially Sierra Nevada was one of the places that impressed me a lot.
I didn’t choose to go here because I’ve seen natural beauties like Park Tayrona many times before and the locals there aren’t in their natural state.. Instead, I devoted all my energies to Sierra Nevada.
You can check my experiences and visits to this region from the links below;
Kogui Natives
Arhuaco Natives
From here I took the bus to Cartagena. The ticket is 9 USD.
10- Cartagena
You see so many foreign tourists that I think this is the most touristic place in Colombia you can say. Of course, when this is the case, the prices are unfortunately expensive compared to other Colombian cities.. I stayed in a not very luxurious hostel room with 6 people for 13 USD per night.
Everything touristic from the historical city center where all foreigners stay you can walk around. A dazzling place with its historical texture and colorful buildings. There are lots of nice restaurants and cafes.. You can spend 2-3 days here, but if you are uncomfortable with it being so touristic, you may not find what you expect.. There are dozens of bars and nightclubs for night entertainment.. So I can say that it is very lively at night.
This sloth you see above lives in the Centenario park in the place I call the old city center.. Along with 3-4 other sloths next to it.. It was a little interesting to be close enough to touch it in this park, while in other countries they wanted a whole world of money to see this animal up close.. I asked one or two people around who brought them and how they got there, but no one knows.. Anyway, since you’ve come to Cartagena, I say visit these animals too.. You may not be able to see it so closely elsewhere.
They talked about one or two islands around Cartagena, but I didn’t go because it didn’t interest me.. If you absolutely want a sea, beach or island holiday, know that there are alternatives like this in the vicinity.
Next is Barranquilla. I’m passing by bus and the ticket is $4.
11- Barranquilla
The only thing that makes this city famous is Latin America’s largest hosting its second festival. The first, as you already know, is the carnival of Rio. Luckily, I thought I’d stop by this city just because I’m around this carnival time.. 2 biggest. To be honest, my expectations were a bit high because they said carnival.. Sorry I’m frustrated. Organization is very bad. There is a serious security problem in the city. It’s already an extremely dangerous place.. They say if you go into some of their neighborhoods, you can’t get out. Anyway, I left this city where I came in the morning before evening.. If I liked it I would have stayed but I think it’s a big waste of time. Skip it.
From here I went back to Santa Marta and then to Palomino by bus. The ticket is $5.
13- Palomino
A perfect summer beach town. If you are not interested in the locals, there is nothing to do except the sea.. Its sea is crystalline water, not like white sand, it is quite ordinary.. There are many hostel alternatives in the area and it is usually full of young travelers.. It’s so hard to see someone old. Also, don’t look for luxury hotels around here because they don’t exist.
There are several villages nearby if you want to visit the locals. You can go there. But don’t go too far on your own, because the village leader must have permission to enter the villages.. You can’t go in and out of your head. That’s why I say go to a tour agency or consult the hostel you are staying at.
After doing my local visits in this region, I went to Riohacha by bus again.. The ticket is $3.
14- Riohacha
I stayed at the PuraGuajira Hostel in the center. I don’t recommend hostels easily and I don’t say go and stay there, but I say for this place.. A hostel newly opened by a newlywed couple, one Colombian and the other Italian. Everything is clean and spacious. There are also affordable tour organizations to go to Cabo De La Vela and Punta Gallinas.. The hostel was so comfortable that I stayed 6 nights instead of 1 night. By the way, the price of the hostel in an air-conditioned room is 10 USD per night.
There is nothing to do in Riohacha city center.. There’s a coastal road lined with street vendors in the evenings, that’s all.. Those who visit here usually come to Cabo De La Vela and Punta Gallinas regions. These two places I mentioned are the places where you can see the desert climate and desert environment in Colombia.. It is also by the sea.. Although there are not very special places, it can provide you with a different travel experience.. If you’re into Wayuu locals and their handcrafted bags, I’d say go for it.. If you try to go by your own means, know that the road will be very difficult and it will cost almost the same as the tour.. Because I wanted to spend a long time with the locals, I visited the area on my own, but the conditions were very, very difficult.. That’s why I say take a tour.. If you want to go on your own and see my experiences with Wayuu natives, you can continue from the link below;
Wayuu Natives
From here I go to Urubia by minibus for 5 USD.
15- Urubia
I can say this is the town where Wayuu natives live in city life.. Nothing to attract foreigner’s attention. However, if you are going to Cabo De La Vella and Punta Gallinas on your own like me, it is a place you must visit.. Since there are no hostels around here, I stayed at a crappy hotel for $16 a night. I say terrible because there isn’t much water in the hotels in Urubia.. I told you the region is like a desert climate, that’s how the difficult conditions begin.. Anyway, I stayed overnight and went to Cabo De La Vela the next day.. It was another lousy ride with local people in the back of the pickup truck. It costs $5.
16- Cabo De La Vela
A place where you can feel and live the desert climate to the fullest. Extremely hot during the day and cool at night. It is very difficult to find fresh water to take a shower.. I had another crappy room for 5 USD. Although there are a few lighthouses around, I was only interested in locals and I took care of them.. The next day I took a jeep to Punta Gallinas.. From here, there is no bus or minibus alternative, you can only go by jeep.. A few jeep owners in the area are picking up people like me.. The price per person is approx. 17 USD.
17- Punta Gallinas
You experience a desert climate just like Cabo De La Vela. Even though there were a few places to go, I was still only interested in the locals.. You don’t have many accommodation alternatives because there is only one hostel, that’s all.. I paid 8 USD per night.
The main reason I came here was to go to the village of Nazareth, known as the center of the Wayuu Indians.. Unfortunately, there are no jeeps from here.. So if you want a private tour, there is. Because nobody wants to get up and go to that village.. Anyway, I barely found someone to take me there by motorcycle for 25 USD.. We drove through the desert for 3 hours.
18- Nazareth
As I said, there are only Wayuu natives here. I explained my experiences with the locals in detail in the link below;
Wayuu Natives
After finishing my local visit, I found a jeep going to Maicao and set off with them in the morning.. I arrived in Maicao after a terrible 7-hour journey.. The road fee is 20 USD per person.
Maicao
This place is used as a commercial center because it is very close to Venezuela.. Besides, I can’t say that it is a very safe place. After visiting a few bazaars and markets, I realized that there was nothing interesting, I went directly back to Urubia and then took the bus to Valledupar.. Ticket is 10 USD
19- Valledupar
I stayed at the hostel for 2 nights and the nightly price was 8 USD. Although there are one or two rivers and places for trekking around the city, it did not interest me much.. If you are interested in Wiwa Indians, there are their villages nearby. I was not very interested in the Wiwa Indians as their lifestyle and culture were similar to those of Kogui and Arhuaco.. The thing is, I can’t say that I like the city very much.. While I was looking for where to go from here, I found a cheap flight ticket to Cali and went to Cali via Bogota.. Airfare 75 USD
20- Cali
When I was in Colombia, I always thought I would go to Cali and start a salsa course, but it didn’t work.. Because after spending 4 months in Colombia, I got bored of the country and lost my enthusiasm for learning dance.. I say dance because Cali is famous for salsa dancing.. Almost every hostel has activities for salsa classes. If you’re into dancing, you’re sure to love this city.. If you’re not into dancing, then Cali might sound boring to you.. ‘Cause there’s not much to do in the city. It’s also not a very eerie city.. Let me say this; The hostel I stayed in was in the San Antonio area, which is called the safest.. But the doors of most restaurants in this area are barred and locked even during the day.. If you are going to enter the restaurant, they open the door for you and close it again after you enter.. So it’s a strange situation. If you leave the San Antonio area at night and go somewhere, you should definitely use a taxi.. Don’t tell me to walk.
By the way, the name of the hostel I stayed at was King Bird hostel. A newly opened, clean and spacious hostel. A quiet hostel during the week with a light party mood on the weekends. Definitely recommend if you come to Cali. Price is 8 USD per night.
From here I take the bus to ipiales. Ticket is 16 USD
21- Ipiales
The only place you will stop by here is Las Lajas church, whose photos I shared.. The story of the church is as follows;
According to legend, 18. In the 19th century, Maria Mueces took shelter in the cave in this canyon with her daughter at midnight.. The reason for their shelter is that it is extremely rainy and stormy at night.. After a while, her blind and mute daughter suddenly turned to her mother and said, “Mestiza is calling me!” says. Maria looks in the direction her daughter is telling and sees the Virgin Mary watching them with her child in her arms from the top of the rock opposite.
A few years later, a blind madman, who learned about this incident, collects money from the village people and has a small temple/shrine built here.. The story about her is just as interesting as Maria Mueces’s.. Again, rumor has it that while the construction of this temple is finished, the madman puts the last brick and his eyes begin to see.. Afterwards, this gothic building you see is used as both a church and a small basilica.
There is nothing else to do in Ipiales.. Also, be careful at night, it’s not a safe place.
I take the minibuses departing from the terminal to go to Ecuador.. The fee to go to the border gate is 50 cents.