It was a short trip over to Colombia, but we managed to fit in two places: Cartagena and Medellin. We flew into Cartagena first after we had just spent a few days in Panama. We didn’t realise when we got into Cartagena that it was the Independence Day. It was such a surprise and a very good one. It didn’t hinder our stay at all, in fact, it actually made it better. We stumbled across a vibrant street festival, filled with smiling faces, people dancing and loud music. A Colombian scene we wouldn’t have experienced on any other day. We ended up being in the right place at the right time. They were driving their vehicles around with huge boom boxes out the back and behind each car was a different set of people dancing. Whether it was school children doing a routine, or young adults just having a rave, the same way they would dance in a club or somewhere like that. Everything just kept moving around the streets, as though snaking around the whole of the Old Town, it was amazing to witness.
We stayed in a very central hotel, which our friend who we were visiting booked, for the first night we were there. We didn’t need anything fancy as we knew we would be out for the majority of the time anyway. It was cheap and cheerful, with three beds, just what we needed. It was situated about ten minutes walk away from the Old Town. There are two main areas of Cartagena you could stay; close to (or in) the Old Town or in the modern part of the city which is about twenty minutes drive from the Old Town area. The Old Town generally tends to be more expensive, but we stayed in a hotel which was very cost effective; (currently asking my friend who booked it of the name, as I can’t remember for the life of me what it was). It tends to be more expensive as the hotels are of a boutique style, rather than modern, and you are paying for the location out of everything.
The main thing that we wanted to do here was explore this beautiful Old Town of Cartagena. It’s stunning to walk around. The style of a fortress, with great stone walls encompassing the rest of the architecture. There are so many bars and restaurants to choose from while you stay there. Let me recommend a few.
One main bar which we stayed at for possibly two hours was the ‘Café Del Mar’. It’s the top spot to sit and have a freshly main cocktail while you watch the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean. The Café brings you live music and a buzzing atmosphere, perfect for a relaxed Colombian evening. In the Old Town you find loads of different restaurants and rooftop bars, and you can take your pick from all of them. There are a few main rooftop bars which all surround one main courtyard. For us, we had a perfect view of the street festival which is where they ended their dancing journey.
After we spent one night we ended up getting a ferry across to the Casa En El Agua, to spend another night. I have done a full review of this hostel so please visit my reviews page if you’d like to learn more. I would recommend it if you do have a spare night in your itinerary. Recommended if you are a young adult or traveller. Cartagena itself has lots to do for many ages even if you aren’t a backpacker, so the Casa En El Agua may not be your style.
After this we had one more night in Cartagena, basically book-ending our night stay in the Casa En El Agua. We then spent two nights in Medellin, which is where my friend was living, where we explored the city. In the day we walked around the markets and in the evening we mainly spent the time to catch up with my friend, so we relaxed on his rooftop terrace.
On the last day of our trip, however, we were able to fit in Paragliding the morning before we were due to fly home. Medellin is one of the best places to do this, you head up into the mountains and the scenic flight takes you out over the city. The views are incredible and it’s very cost effective as well. It was £30 for a twenty minute flight.
If you have access to a car you can just book the paragliding via the website, which I will link below. You can also take Ubers everywhere in Colombia, if you are familiar with the app, however we felt like we did get ripped off as the drivers would add on extra charges last minute. So just be wary of this. If we had longer, and also didn’t have to head straight to the airport for our international flight, I probably would have booked it through a hotel or tour company who would have organised the transfers to take us up to the mountain and back down. Or taken the local bus up and down which would have been the most cost effective way, but not so good for getting to the airport in time.
It was a short trip we took, as it was only five days, but we managed to pack in a huge amount within that time. I would definitely love to go back to Colombia to experience more. I heard that you could do paintballing around Pablo Escobar’s house, which sounds so much fun! Unfortunately, we did not have the time to add this into our itinerary. Colombia itself is beautiful. with amazing architecture, friendly people and delicious food. One of the main dishes they pride themselves on is ‘Ceviche’, which is most popular in the Cartagena area. This is because the city is by the coast which has the freshest fish. ‘La Cevicheria’ in Cartagena is a must if you are wanting to try this traditional delicacy. It is a beautiful restaurant where you can sit outside, watch the world go by and enjoy this delicious dish.
If you have any further questions about Colombia, Medellin or Cartagena, head over to my contact me page.
LEAH HANCOX 