Must-SeeCartagena
A walled Spanish city of bougainvillea balconies on the Caribbean, with Rosario Islands offshore.
Guide Coming Soon
Colombia
Caribbean walls, coffee hills and a reborn city.
US travel advisory: Level 3 · checked 2026-11-02This is a first draft of the Colombia list. The full region guide is being written, and tiers may still change.
The Short List
Must-See
Must-See
Must-SeeMedellín
A city that remade itself, with its cable cars and the street art of Comuna 13.
Guide Coming Soon
Must-SeeSalento and the Coffee Region
Green farms, Salento's colored houses, and the giant wax palms of Cocora Valley.
Guide Coming Soon
Must-SeeCiudad Perdida
The Lost City: a four-day jungle trek to the terraces of the Tairona people.
Guide Coming Soon
Worth a Detour
Worth a DetourBogotá
A high-altitude capital, with the Gold Museum, old La Candelaria, and Monserrate.
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Worth a DetourTayrona and Santa Marta
Jungle meets boulder-strewn beaches on the Caribbean. It closes for periods each year.
Guide Coming Soon
Worth a DetourZipaquirá Salt Cathedral
A cathedral carved in a salt mine, 200 meters underground, near Bogotá.
Guide Coming Soon
Worth a DetourCaño Cristales
The river of five colors, red with plants at its best from about July to November.
Guide Coming Soon
If You're Nearby
If You're NearbySan Andrés and Providencia
Seven-colored Caribbean water, with English-Creole culture, closer to Nicaragua than Colombia.
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If You're NearbySan Agustín
Mysterious statues over 1,000 years old, with Tierradentro's tombs nearby.
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If You're NearbyGuatapé
A candy-colored town, and a giant rock with 740 steps, on a day trip from Medellín.
Guide Coming Soon
If You're NearbyBarranquilla Carnival
South America's second-biggest carnival, a masterpiece of African and Indigenous traditions.
Guide Coming Soon
If You're NearbyOn the Map
Grey pins: guides still being written.