Traveling to Colombia

TSA sucks here in Houston, but when I traveled in early March, it only took about 5 minutes to get through security. I do have TSA PreCheck, though. Based on what my coworkers have said recently, the line took about 3 hours to get past security. So I’m not sure how it is in Connecticut, but I imagine it would be a good idea to get there early, especially since you’re traveling with a group.
As for Colombian immigration, I would strongly suggest getting biometrics for Colombian citizens because it makes things much faster. For the rest of the family, though, they’ll have to go through standard immigration control. I usually go through Bogotá, and it normally takes about 15 minutes for standard immigration. Meanwhile, people using biometrics get through in about a minute. Up to you.

As for the 9-color lake, that is nowhere near Cartagena, lol. To get there, you would need either private transportation or a bus to the Meta department. I’ve been there, and I can tell you to be ready for mosquitoes — a lot of them.

 

Just came back from Colombia, and I was extremely lucky in both legs. Basically no line in Miami when we left on the 20th, and while there was a line in Bogota, it moved pretty fast. On the return last Saturday, there was no line either in Bogota or Miami, so it took us like 10 minutes total in each airpot, including immigration and baggage check. My kids don't have dual citizenship (don't do it, it's a pain in the neck to leave Colombia if they were nationals), so I cannot go throgh BioMig, but if you are all adults and Colombians, it's awesome.

Going to Caño Cristales is a long/difficult trip. Getting to Villavicencio from Bogota is difficult and the roads are often closed due to landslides, and there aren't that many flights from the capital, so I asume there are even fewer from the north. Once you get to Villavicencio, it's a long road trip, and you have to stay and be prepared for trekking all day long. IIRC, there are some months of the year when it is closed to visitors for conservation/weather issues.

 

I was lucky not to catch malaria or yellow fever. My body was bitten by mosquitoes that I ended up looking like a patient with small pox. It was bad dude. And worst of it access to a clinic in that area was hard to get to. So yeah repellents and repellents

 

I’m going to Bogota this Friday

 

I caught yellow fever at 14 and its not so bad

never went away... just have to each kimchi which smells fking gross

 

Don't get into traffic on a Saturday, either go out of town or take just short trips that day... Took us two hours from Santafe Mall to the Airport.

 

I'm sure the hotel is nice, but I'm willing to bet they'll charge you $50 for a cab ride from the airport to the hotel. Additionally, there will likely be people hanging around outside the hotel trying to sell you bracelets and following you until you buy something. The city seems to have no control over tourism etiquette and doesn't seem to care.

 

yeah it’s intense

it’s like if you make eye contact, u r screwed

just came back from Bogota. Had a great time

man our people love bread and panaderias

 

When I visit industrial or capital cities, I’m fine with haggling and the hustle, and I’m patient with the annoying intricacies of city life.

However, when I’m looking to relax and enjoy quiet beach vibes, I don't want to go to Cartagena; I might as well just go to Miami. I don't know if the other Colombian beach cities are the same. I heard Santa Marta is nice.

I had a great time in Bogotá, and you should consider exploring rural areas. I prefer them much more, and they are cheaper too.

 

We just went to Bogota, but my family had rented a cabin near Paipa for 5 nights; the prices were reasonable, the service was amazing and the food was very good (one of the hits with my kids was the amasijos basket we got for breakfast - basically almojabana, pandeyuca and like 3 other kinds of bread). We drove around a lot, and the towns were beautiful, and since it was the week before Semana Santa, everything was almost empty. The only downside was the secondary roads, that were almost gravel roads at this point, due to the lack of maintenance.

 

careful, remember. No standing around with your phone in public, no open windows in cars, watch out for pesky motorcycles, also maybe don't carry too much cash around or anything valuable

 

oh and bogota is always wet so get ready for plenty of cold gloomy weather, south american london

 

Already went. It was fine

went to Medellin in December



both times the only bad interactions were persistent hobos

 

LOL, yeah, there are some places where you shouldn't go, and there are areas where is not good to be flashy, but if you hang around the touristy areas and take some precautions, you should be good. And that is the norm for almost every major city in the world...

Oh, and Bogota weather depends on the season, usually is kind of sunny from November to April, and we have been very lucky with it the last couple of times we went...

 

There is no such thing as sun in bogota

 

Seems like you've never been there. While there are many extremely rainy days, there are also days when the temperature reaches 24C and there are no clouds. IMHO the worse days are the ones when temperature is minus 2 before dawn and reaches 24C in the middle of the day... You'd be boiling or forced to carry a jacket tied around your waist.

 

I remember the never ending rain ruining my plans

 

I went running shirtless

but mostly cuz it was 5 am and I didn’t want the hobos to have anything to steal

 

Has anyone here actually driven in Colombia? I'm usually hesitant to do so. I typically just use Uber in the major cities, or if a friend is available, they drive me and I give them a small payment since I know gas can be expensive.

 

I rented a car this time, and have driven often in the last few years, but mostly because my friend would lend me his car. Overall, within the city, I agree with you, it is a major pain in the butt and probably not worth it, given the price of the rental, gas, pico y placa, parking and all the crazy traffic. The only reason I got a car this time was because we were a big group and were going out of town. Oh, and I can drive stick, but thanks got for automatic transmission, with all the steep hills and bumper to bumper traffic.