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The Ultimate Colombia Travel Guide

4.5709° N, 74.2973° W

Old white buildings with flag in Cartagena, Colombia

THIS COMPREHENSIVE COLOMBIA TRAVEL GUIDE COVERS EVERYTHING TRAVELERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EXPLORING COLOMBIA; INCLUDING, TOP COLOMBIA DESTINATIONS, OFF THE BEATEN PATH ADVENTURES AND TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS.

 



For years we had wanted to travel to Colombia. To us, the vibrant South American country seemed the check all of the necessary boxes: beautiful landscapes, exciting culture, affordable prices, and lots of off the beaten path areas to explore. But it took us having to bail on another exciting place (this time in Europe) to finally commit to spending a couple of months in Colombia.


In the end, we would live, work and play in Colombia for a total of 6 months. While this might seem like a lot of time to spend in one place, in truth, even after those 180 days we still felt like we had only scratched the surface. That is simply because Colombia is massive and incredibly diverse.


So, if you are like us and are looking to explore a country with almost every type of landscape, a place with a rich and vibrant history, and a destination with tons of adventure possibilities, then we truly cannot recommend Colombia enough. Luckily, we have compiled the ultimate travel guide on everything you need to know about visiting and exploring Colombia; including, information on the best places to go, when to travel and what kind of weather to expect, what you need to do before entering the country and even a quick travel budget to give you an idea of what things cost.


So if you are sold on exploring and adventuring in this amazing South American country, then read on for our in-depth Colombia travel guide.



 


JUMP TO...


📆 WHEN TO TRAVEL TO COLOMBIA WEATHER IN COLOMBIA (BY REGION)

📌 WHERE TO TRAVEL IN COLOMBIA 💸 COLOMBIA TRAVEL BUDGET

🏞 TOP COLOMBIA TRAVEL DESTINATIONS 🦜 COLOMBIAN CULTURE

🎫 COLOMBIA ENTRY REQUIREMENTS ✍️ COLOMBIA TRAVEL CHECKLIST







 

COLOMBIA | THE TRAVEL BASICS

 






\\ Where is Colombia?


Colombia is located in the far top left corner of South America. In fact, due to it being the first point where the South American continent touches Central America, it is nicknamed the "Gateway to South America".



NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES


Colombia has five neighboring countries: Venezuela and Brazil to the east, Peru and Ecuador to the south, and Panama to the north. It also has two different coastlines: the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean to the north. Colombia is actually the only country in South America to border two different oceans.




TIME ZONE


Colombia only has one time zone: UTC−5 (COT). This is the same time zone as the East Coast of the USA, which includes cities like New York City, Atlanta and Miami.


Colombia is approximately 5 hours behind London, UK; 6 hours behind Munich, Germany; 10.5 hours behind New Delhi, India and 11 hours behind Beijing, China.