Traveling to other parts of Colombia? Great — it’s a beautiful, diverse country! Here are a few recommendations for other areas of the country that come from personal experience or past guests. General travel information on Colombia can also be found at See Colombia Travel

Barranquilla
While not known as a big tourist destination, only 90 minutes from Cartagena via bus or van service, some like to go there for shopping & more. Ideas of things to do here.

Santa Marta:
Hotel Casa Verde in the historical center per a former guest “is a lovely place with outstanding breakfasts and extremely helpful staff.”

Some suggestions of things to do in Santa Marta & the area here.

Tayrona National Park: Helpful information on visiting the park here. (Note that site also has a way to book a Transporte Marsol van to travel between Cartagena and other areas of the coast, including Santa Marta & Tayrona, online at additional cost — Marsol can also be booked directly; see information in the middle of the page here.) Tayrona National Park is normally closed annually for the month of February, the first half of June (~1-15 June), and the end of October (~19 October-2 November), which are periods of importance to the indigenous people. Also, as of April 2020, no single use plastics (except for medical use) will be allowed in Colombia’s national parks.

Thinking of doing the Ciudad Perdida/Lost City trek? I did the 5 day hike with Magic Tour.

Minca:
A beautiful peaceful little village not far from Santa Marta with great hiking, swimming holes, and more. See information from Cartagena Explorer and a Wall Street Journal article. To get between Cartagena & Santa Marta I would recommend one of the van services, such as Transporte Marsol recommended here, instead of the bus; the Cartagena bus terminal is well outside the Old City–taxiing to the bus terminal may negate any cost savings and add time to your trip. Accommodations at Minca Glamping come recommended.

Mompox:
Truly a town that time forgot! A Canadian/UK expat, his Colombian wife, and her family run La Casa Amarilla (where I have stayed twice) as well as the Hotel San Rafael. Both are in renovated colonial mansions and come highly recommended.

Villa de Leyva:
Cabañas Hacienda el Olivar are cottages built on the beautiful property of and run by Colombian friends (& I have stayed here as well). They are located outside of town and there is no public transportation, but if you don’t have a car, transportation can be arranged. See photos and reviews on AirBNB here and via their Facebook page here.

Bogotá:
For accommodations, a friend who recommends Carlos’s places on AirBNB here.

Off the beaten Bogotá tourist path: Visit the presidential palace! Surprisingly, very few people do this, but it’s quite interesting. More here.

Bogotá airport: Should you find your arrival to BOG delayed and you miss the last connecting flight (my own experience), Hotel Habitel is a good option.

Popoyán: Scottish couple Kim & Tony are a great resource for all things Popoyán. Visit their tour website here.

San Agustín: Visiting the archeological park in San Agustín? Terrazas de San Agustín offers nice accommodations.

More recommendations in these & other cities will be added as they come in!

**Some helpful links on Colombia can be found here.**