Caffeinated in Colombia
November 16th, 2009 Posted in Cheap Latin America Travel, Destination reports
I’ve spent the last few days bopping around Colombia after taking a seat on Spirit Air’s new route to Armenia, Colombia. This is the Coffee Triangle region of the country so I’ve been jacked up on caffeine the whole time (just the black liquid pick-me-up, not the other white powdery one.)
First impressions are that the people are beautiful, so is the countryside, and I haven’t felt the slightest bit uncomfortable yet. Though people at home raised an eyebrow when I told them I was coming here, it has been all positive after arrival—as expected.
Colombia is not one of The World’s Cheapest Destinations, but outside of Cartagena anyway, it’s certainly affordable. Domestic tourism is actually most of the tourism here, so prices are geared to locals nearly everywhere. You can pay $15 for dinner, but that’s a big fat steak and trimmings at a fancy place. A meal in a simple place is a few bucks. There are lots of little rustic hotels dotted around the countryside, many of them situated on working coffee plantations. So the java is reliably good. This zipline trip with some clips in the video below was the equivalent of 20 bucks—less than I paid in Guatemala a few years ago.
Here’s a little tour for you.
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9 Responses to “Caffeinated in Colombia”
By Kyle on Nov 16, 2009
If you’re in Armenia, drop by Manizales. You can get a kick ass view from the top of the church towers.
By tim on Nov 17, 2009
Kyle, I’m in Manizales right now! Didn’t go to the top of the church towers, but on the hillside with the founders’ statue and there’s a great view from there.
By carmel on Nov 17, 2009
How is the food there? I have always wanted to go, food quality is very important to me :)
By Bargain Travel Blogger on Nov 18, 2009
I have wanted to visit Columbia for ages! I had no idea that you could travel there for so little! Coffee Country here I come!
By AirTreks Nico on Nov 18, 2009
I recent got back from a trip to Colombia and absolutely loved it. It was much different from what I expected (cleaner, safer, more developed) and I found the Spanish to be easier to understand than in Mexico.
I also found it to be pretty cheap, not only once we arrived but getting down there too. Avianca Airlines has some great deals to Bogota and beyond.
Have fun!
By tim on Nov 18, 2009
Carmel, in the region I was in, it’s lots of hearty food based on meat, potatoes, plantains, beans, and mild white cheese. Of course all the fruit and vegetables you could want in the markets—and great fresh-squeezed juice. Not a real foodie area though. You have to go to the big cities for that.
By Judy on Nov 21, 2009
Tim: ran across your site while researching travel to Colombia. We are supposed to be travelling to Popayan in December for a wedding and am very nervous about safety as an American. There are so many warnings posted on the Government site.
Do we need immunizations? We speak no Spanish but will be accompanied by an English speaking Colombian. Your thoughts please?
By tim on Nov 23, 2009
Judy, I don’t put much stock in the State Department warnings because they have to list every little worry for CYA purposes. Funny that they don’t issue travel warnings for domestic destinations as then they’d REALLY have their hands full. Once upon a time Colombia was a dangerous place. Now it’s far more dangerous for you to drive to the wrong side of town where you already live. Honestly, I felt safer there than I do at home—a sentiment most people who have actually spent time there will second. Most people who tell you not to go have seldom set foot outside their own comfort zone. (Like everyone who said, “Don’t go to Mexico” this past year—a country where I ignored them and spent 6 blissful weeks instead.)
A few links:
http://www.tripquips.com/news_and_views/stay
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/travel/resourceful_traveler/mexico-dangers-travel-safety-reputations-die-hard.shtml
By Steven Roll on Dec 1, 2009
Your post has me wondering (again)how much longer Colombia will remain as the sole country in Latin America for which the U.S. State Department has issued a Travel Warning.
This is especially so if you look at the U.S. State Dept.’s own statistics on non-natural U.S. citizen deaths. For the first half of 2009, 6 Americans died in Colombia (five homicides, one accident). Compare this to Mexico, which recorded 126 American deaths in the first half of 2009. (Not much when you consider that this was out of 2.5 million visitors–most of these were accidents).