Don’t have a lot of time or budget but you would love to travel to Colombia on your trip to South-America? I had the same problem but still decided to make the trip from Ecuador to the capital of Colombia: Bogotá in 2019. In this post I will discuss what cities we visited, what activities we did and how we got there. Unfortunately, a lot of the accommodations where we stayed have closed their doors since we went to Colombia. I will share the hostels that are still open to this day.

Day 1: Quito – Bogotá
Depending on where you are travelling from, you can take an airplane to the airport of Bogotá. We flew from Quito and used the airline Wingo. A one-way ticket cost me about 100 euros. We arrived pretty late and decided to book an Airbnb close to the airport since we had to take another flight the next day. We had been told that the capital of Colombia was not so nice, which is why we planned to skip it in the beginning.

Day 2: Bogotá – Pereira – Salento
On the second day you can take a direct flight to Pereira. We flew with the airline Viva Air and bought a ticket for only 20-30 euros. You can also use the airline LATAM for about the same price. We recommend taking an Uber from your accommodation in Bogotá to the airport, since it can be dangerous to take a random taxi on the street here. When you arrive in Pereira, it is best to take a taxi to the Pereira Bus Station (Terminal de Transporte de Pereira). It is difficult to get an Uber here because they are not allowed to get close to the airport. It is only a 15 minute drive, so it won’t cost you too much. At the bus station you can get a ticket to Salento for only 2 euros. We bought a ticket at the Expreso Alcala window.

Day 3: Cocora Valley
After a good rest after a day of travelling, it is time to get back in action. Cocora Valley is the most popular attraction in the coffee region in Colombia. In this valley you can find the world’s tallest palm trees. From the main square in Salento, Plaza de Bolívar, you can take a jeep to the valley. These jeeps are called Willy’s and are very cheap. It is best to arrive here early in the day because a lot of people want to take these jeeps. Once you arrive in the Cocora Valley, you can choose to discover the nature by horse or by foot. We chose to do the anti-clockwise hike that you can find through the bright blue entrance. If you hike the trail this way, you will end your hike with an incredible view of the wax palm trees. After the hike you can just take a jeep back to the main square.

Day 4: Salento – Medellín
The next morning we left Salento to head to Medellín. The Salento bus terminal is only a seven minute walk from the main square. We bought a bus ticket at the station to Terminal del Sur with Flota Occidental but I would recommend buying a ticket in advance online or the day before since a lot of these buses are filled up pretty quickly. It can take up to 8 hours to get to Medellín but the buses are very comfortable and often have USB-ports or even wifi in the bus. In Terminal del Sur we took an Uber to our hostel since it was already pretty late and they are very cheap in Colombia. For one ride we just paid 2-3 euros.

Day 5: La Piedra del Peñol
On the first full day in Medellín we took a direct bus (2 hours) to La Piedra del Peñol. This is an impressive rock with 650 stairs leading you to an amazing view of Guatape Lake. You can take the bus at Terminal de Transporte Norte to La Piedra, which can cost you up to 10 euros depending on the company you choose. The entrance fee to climb the stairs is only 4 euros. Once you get to the top you get an amazing view of the different islets in the Guatape Lake. After our visit to the rock, we decided to check out the cute little town of Guatape. From La Piedra we took a tuktuk to the village. From Guatape you can take a direct bus back to Medellín.

Day 6: Medellín – Cartagena
I honestly can’t say that I enjoyed the center of Medellín. I have heard many good things about it but in my experience I felt very unsafe here. So on our last day in Medellín we decided to head to Comuna 13 because we got a lot of tips to go here. This used to be the most dangerous neighbourhood in Colombia but has transformed into a colorful place. Currently it is most known for the vibrant street art that covers the buildings and walls. When you arrive in Comuna 13, you get surrounded by a lot of guides who want to show you the neighbourhood. Before getting there, we were told to do one of these tours because it could still be dangerous to walk here by yourself as tourists. Despite this advice we decided to take a stroll by ourselves since the place was already filled with tourists and we never felt unsafe here. The streets were filled with street artists and local shops which created an amazing atmosphere. After this visit we headed to the airport to take a flight to Cartagena. A one-way flight with Viva Air only cost me 17 euros. The centre of the city is only a 10-15 minute drive from the airport so we decided to take an Uber again.

Day 7: Cartagena
The next morning we went into the centre of Cartagena and spend the day strolling through the colorful streets of the city. We went to the beach to take a dip in the sea and enjoyed the good food here. Our days in Cartagena were used to relax after the intense days of hiking and travelling.

Day 8: Cartagena – Santa Marta
After a day of relaxing we decided to head to the bus terminal and look for a bus to Santa Marta. We did not really plan this in advance since there are different companies going to this location. It was a bit of trouble to find out what bus we had to get on to and what companies go there, but after asking around we got on the right bus. So I recommend planning this bus trip in advance before going to the terminal. The terminal of Santa Marta was pretty far away from the hostel we were staying in, so we just asked the bus driver to drop us off as close to the hostel as he could get. Most of the bus drivers will have no problem doing this! We were staying in Eco Hostal Yuluka and I definitely recommend staying here! They have a pool, are very friendly and the rooms are comfortable. Two nights cost us only 9 euros per person, including breakfast!

Day 9: Tayrona
On our first day in Santa Marta we decided to visit Tayrona National Park. This is a very idyllic park right next to the sea. We could book a cheap ride here in our hostel, another great reason to stay here. When you visit Tayrona it is important to come prepared since it is best to visit this park for an entire day. Put on your hiking shoes and get ready to hike all the way to Cabo San Juan. It can take up to 2 hours to hike here and you will have to walk uphill a lot. But it is so worth it! You get amazing views and there are plenty of beaches along the way where you can swim. But definitely check out if you are allowed to swim in a certain spot because we almost went swimming in a spot where there are crocodiles, so that’s not great. For a foreigner it can cost you up to 15 euros to visit the park (the price will rise during peak season). This is quite expensive for Colombia but I think it’s worth it since you will spend the entire day here.

Day 10: Santa Marta – Bogotá
The last day in Santa Marta we enjoyed the pool and the sun in Eco Hostal Yuluka and headed to the airport of Santa Marta afterwards. We took a flight back to Bogotá for only 16 euros per person. The flight landed at 21h00 so we took an Uber to the hostel and went to bed.

Day 11: Bogotá
The last day in Colombia already! We booked an evening flight back to Quito so we could explore the center of Bogotá in one day. We visited La Candelaria, the historic center of the city, and enjoyed the local shops and food until it was time to catch our flight.

If you get the chance to expand your trip to Colombia, I definitely would! There are a lot of places in this country that I would love to explore but did not have the chance to on this trip. Some of the places you could add to your trip if you plan on staying longer: Minca, San Andrés Island, Caño Cristales and Cali.