4.5709° N, 74.2973° W
HERE ARE SIX THINGS WE LEARNED AFTER SLOW TRAVELLING AROUND COLOMBIA FOR SIX MONTHS. THIS INCLUDES IMPORTANT THINGS LIKE SAFETY AND OUR OVERALL FEELING OF THE COUNTRY.
Colorful, cultural cities, welcoming people, diverse destinations and a relaxed way of life. Combine that with a low cost of living and incredible landscapes, and Colombia might just be one of the top slow travel destinations in the world. Seriously, if you are thinking of traveling somewhere for a decent amount of time - at least a couple of months - then we cannot recommend this beautiful South American country enough.
We were lucky enough to spend six months in the country: one month in the north (in Cartagena), two months in the bustling city of Armenia and then three months in the beautiful mountain town of Salento. During our six-month rendezvous in Colombia, we learned a lot - about ourselves as people and travelers, and about the country. Below are six of those lessons.
6 THINGS WE LEARNED FROM SLOW TRAVELING IN COLOMBIA FOR 6 MONTHS
1 | Colombia is Very Safe
When we first brought up the idea of traveling to Colombia to our parents they thought we were joking. While they were used to our somewhat questionable schemes and untethered adventurous spirit (they had to live through our motorcycle road-tripping phase), they seriously thought we were playing a joke on them when we told them we were thinking of heading south to Colombia for the winter.
It took us buying our tickets (one-way no less) and finding an apartment for them to realize that nope we were indeed 100% serious about traveling to and exploring Colombia.
Why were they so surprised at our decision? Well, because they grew up in an era where Colombia was one of the most dangerous countries in the world, run by narcotraffickers and drug kingpins. And in their minds, nothing had changed over the years. They thought - no thanks to a little Netflix show - that Colombia was still this dark and dangerous country that no one in their right mind would want to visit.
Luckily, we didn’t heed their statements and went ahead with our plans. And you know what, we never once felt unsafe.
Because the thing is, Colombia has changed. It has thrown off its dangerous past and moved into a new era full of groundbreaking projects, modern, thriving metropolises and exciting tourist opportunities.
We spent six months in the country and never once felt in any serious danger - and we definitely didn’t just stick to the major tourist areas. In fact, if we are being honest, the only times we felt a little uncomfortable were in some of the main tourism hubs (mainly Cartagena).
So if you are thinking of coming to Colombia but are worried about your safety, don't be. We promise you will feel very safe exploring all parts of the country, from the busy cities to the quiet mountain towns.
EXPLORE MORE | GETTING OFF THE BEATEN PATH IN COLOMBIA'S PACIFIC COAST REGION: WHAT TO KNOW AND WHY YOU NEED TO GO
2 | The Locals are Incredibly Friendly
Upon landing in Colombia, it is quite likely that you will notice right away that the people are incredibly friendly. But more so, Colombian people are just super helpful, kind, warm and welcoming. Even in the bigger cities - like Cartagena and Medellin - we experienced nothing but kindness.
And once you got out of the major cities that kindness is even stronger. In our experience, if you were willing to speak with the locals in Spanish (no matter how bad your Spanish was) you would find nothing but friendliness and a helping hand. We have traveled to numerous other countries around the world and believe that Colombians are likely some of the friendliest people we have met.
But in our opinion, the real thing that sets Colombians apart is not just their kindness, but this feeling that the local people are not just being nice to you because you are a foreigner. In fact, and maybe this was because we visited numerous off the beaten path towns, we felt like we were never treated any differently just because we weren't Colombian.
It sounds really weird and maybe a bit uppity, but we really enjoyed the feeling of being treated like a local. We never felt like we were getting ripped off or that we were paying more just because we weren't locals. This is one of the perks of slow traveling and spending a decent amount of time in one place - you start to feel like a local and in return get treated like a local.
3 | The Weather is Dependent on Elevation, Not the Season
This might have been one of the craziest things we learned during our six months slow traveling in Colombia. While we grew up in an area that was totally dependent on seasons in terms of weather (snow in winter, hot sunny days in the summer) in Colombia, seasons for the most part don’t exist. In fact, even though there are technically dry and rainy seasons, they are very fluid and not set in stone. Some “rainy” seasons can be quite warm and dry and some “dry” seasons can have rain showers 80% of the time.
What really affects the weather is the elevation. For example, up in the high Andes mountains (in cities like Bogota) the weather is pretty much always a bit chilly. 365 days a year you can expect the temperature to hover around 19° C / 67° F. The same can be said in much lower places like Cartagena, which sits right on the Caribbean. This historic city experiences much, much hotter temperatures year-round: on average, it is 31° C / 88° F, with over 80% humidity.
💬 INSIDER TIP: another thing that took us a while the wrap our heads around? The fact that flowers are constantly blooming. Where we grew up (Colorado, USA) you had just a couple of months where flowers would start to bloom and then they would die. But in Colombia, you can find vibrant, colorful flowers year-round. Crazy.
► Looking for more Colombia travel inspiration? Then consider checking out our cinematic travel films.
EXPLORE MORE | HIKING IN COLOMBIA: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
4 | It is Possible to Be Vegetarian… And Not Just Live Off Beans
We arrived in Colombia thinking that the food situation would likely be similar to our experience in Peru and Ecuador (i.e. most of the meals would consist of carbs and meat and very little produce). Turns out, that while yes most of the traditional Colombian foods do indeed consist of mostly carbs, meat and cheese, they also have a lot of vegetarian-friendly meals available, including many that come with fresh vegetables (like a salad) or grilled vegetables.
Similarly, we also found many restaurants that focused solely on serving up either just vegetarian food or else had many, many vegetarian (and vegan) options on the menu. And the best part was the price for the vegetarian and vegan meals were the same as the standard, traditional meals with meat. Plus, the produce selection in Colombia is top-notch. We highly recommend stopping by a fruteria and stocking up on fruit like papaya (delicious), pineapple, avocados (aguacate), lulo - a local fruit - and plantains.
➳ You will very likely be able to find a ton of vegetarian restaurants in bigger cities like Medellin and Bogota. If you don't know where to start, consider heading out on a food tour with GetYourGuide.
