Colombia is located on the equator, so they don’t have summer or winter. But what it has is altitude. Cool grey Bogotá is 2,640 metres high, mild green coffee hills, humid and 30°C Cartagena — all today. The climate selection is not about months it is about Planning.
Start with selecting climates, not cameras.Select climates first, cameras second.
A strong route is one that covers more than two or three altitude bands but does not cover the ground. The majority of people would prefer one city, one green highland region and one piece of coast. Fly from one to the other — Roads are hilly and slow to travel, flights are inexpensive and usually under an hour.
The Classic Route
Days 1–2: Bogotá
Land and adjust. The Gold Museum is world class, the colonial streets are provided by La Candelaria and the city is framed by the cable car up Monserrate. On day two, make an excursion to Zipaquirá, where a cathedral has been carved into an active salt mine.
The Coffee Region, Days 3-5
Fly to Pereira or Armenia (under an hour). Stay in Salento or a more quiet location, Filandia. One day tour on a finca from picking to roasting to cupping and one day tour on the Cocora Valley loop under 60-metre wax palms.
A trip to Cartagena and the Caribbean is the next step.The next step is a Cartagena and Caribbean trip.
Fly north. Two days in the walled city of Getsemaní and the fortress, and a day for the Islas del Rosario or the town of San Basilio de Palenque, an escapee community from the seventeenth century.
Day 10: Fly Home
International connections (or route back to Bogotá) from Cartagena.
An alternative to Medellín is the Coastal area.The other alternative to Medellín is the Coastal area.
Three days in Medellín (with a day trip to Guatapé) and flight to Tayrona National Park’s jungle-backed beaches in Santa Marta and three days in Cartagena. Warmer in general and less on the museums.
Alternatively, you can take the Trekking Route.An alternative is to use the Trekking Route.
Two days in Cartagena followed by the four-day Ciudad Perdida hike from Santa Marta to a terraced city constructed around 800 AD. Add Tayrona or Palomino afterwards to recover. Best for physical activity and most memorable.
Fly, Don’t Drive
The time to get from Bogotá to Cartagena is approximately 18 hours by car and 75 minutes by airplane. Reserve domestic flights early for the cheapest rates; some flights depart from and to Bogotá even if the map doesn’t appear to show it.
Packing for Three Climates
It will require a warm layer, a rain jacket for Bogotá, light clothes and rain jacket for the coffee hills (where it rains the most afternoons) and proper hot-weather apparel for the coast. Any hikes shoes, if Cocora or Ciudad Perdida is included.
Costs and Practicalities
Travel at this mid-range is approximately $50 to $90 per day and above all $90 in Cartagena. Use cash in areas outside urban centres. Once you get out of the tourist areas, basic Spanish really helps!
Safety conditions differ from region to region and not all areas are considered safe, – check in with your government for current safety advisories, avoid night time overland travel and keep valuables out of sight in cities.
The Cut to Make
Both Caño Cristales and the Amazon at Leticia are absolutely amazing and require special flights and 3 days of each. Trying to fit in the 10 days will result in the loss of 2 of your three stops. Store them for a future use or make it a fourteen-day event and use them correctly.
Three stops, two flights and a buffer night before your international departure. This is the one that works.