Bogota – San Jose Del Guaviare – Salento – Pereira – Bogota
We decided to go to Columbia when Avianca sent us an announcement of direct flights from Boston to Bogota at very reasonable prices. Columbia had not been on our radar screen but as we started researching, we realized that the country had so much to offer.
To many Americans, Colombia evokes drug cartels and violence. In 2016, the Colombian government reached an agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to bring an end to the Colombian conflict. This allowed the government to concentrate on countering the drug cartels. Areas that had been off limits are now safe. Although drug gangs still exist and security teams are visible on many roads, an air of prosperity is unmistakable.
Most tourists come and do the three big cities; Bogota, Medellín, and Cartagena. We discovered that the Andes mean that everything is a 6-7 hour torturous bus ride through the mountains — or a short inexpensive flight, so we decided to focus on nature destinations and as few air flights as possible.
We started our trip in Bogota, a hilly city with many excellent museums and unfortunately pretty boring food. Although Bogota is known for its rain, we had relatively good weather and took lots of walks through La Candelaria, the historic center of the city. With quite some effort we figured out the Transmilenio public transport system (BRT) and explored some of the environs as well. The profusion of street art captured our imagination and we spent some time walking along the roads abutting the highways, which are beautifully decorated with urban art. Bogota also has numerous museums, especially a museum dedicated to the late sculptor/painter, Fernando Botero. The national museum, gold museum, and archeological museum are all in La Candelaria.
From Bogota we flew to San Jose del Guaviare, and spent four nights in the rainforest at a wonderful place, Naturlog Playa Guio Ecolodge, on a river’s edge adjacent to the Amazon jungle. Owners Marcos and Diana have three rustic cabins that they rent, providing delicious meals (some of the best food we had in Colombia) and arranging tours. On one day we hiked to Cero Azul, the site of prehistoric paintings on rocks. As the painting was done with iron oxide, there is no way to accurately date it, but scientists believe the paintings are at least 2,000 years old. In spite of the heat and humidity which made the climb up the hill a challenge, the paintings were well worth the effort.
Although Guaviare was unbelievably hot and humid, we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. We saw some amazing birds, monkeys, turtles, and butterflies. We woke up each morning to the sound of howler monkeys and saw many birds during our walks and while sitting by the river in the evening. Our bird list is below. At one point we walked through a cloud of at least 300 butterflies.
On the way to Guaviare our Clic Airways flight was delayed by over 2 hours due to heavy rains, and on our last day in Guaviare, our walk was cut short by another torrential downpour. Nevertheless, we were lucky to have several days without rain in the rain forest, although the humidity kept us very damp.
From Guaviare we flew via Bogota to Pereira, which is in the coffee growing country in the mountains. Again our Clic airways flight was slightly delayed but manageable. From Pereira we took a taxi to Salento, where we stayed in a wonderful hotel (Mirador de Salento) for three nights. Our full-length windows overlooked the stunning Valley of Cocora, and the large terrace where breakfast was served gave us the opportunity to watch a wealth of birds on the nearby trees and watch egrets pass by. Each day we took different hikes through the wax palms and beautiful forests of the area, enjoying much cooler temperatures and no humidity. Salento is a popular destination for Colombians as well as tourists from all over the world; a small charming town with lovely painted buildings and lots of souvenir shops. The Valle de Cocora is known for towering Wax Palm trees, which can grow to 200 feet. The valley used to contain a forest of wax palms, but cattle grazing and deforestation has altered the microclimate, thus endangering the palms’ survival. The site of the towering palms is unlike anything we’ve seen.
We love trying new foods, but Colombia doesn’t offer a “peak culinary experience.” The food wasn’t bad – in fact Diana at Naturlog Playa Guio was a wonderful cook. But it’s simply not an exciting cuisine – except for some of the arepas. Arepas are cornmeal patties, sometimes stuffed, often flavored with cheese. They varied from plain and uneventful to gourmet treats.
We returned from Salento to Pereira for an evening and then returned for a final day in Bogota. The last day was filled with more murals, more museums, and an on-time flight home.
