I spent roughly 8 months in Colombia, mostly in Medellin, and until now I gave you only 1 blog about this beautiful country. Luckily I’ve become a mini pro in roaming the country on a budget, but also in luxury (my luxury is a private room in a hostel or a nice Airbnb. Not a 5 star resort).

Obviously I still have a lot to learn and to see in Colombia, but for now I hope I can help you with this blog to learn everything about traveling in Colombia in a comfortable and cheap way.

This post may be sponsored or contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.

How to get from the airport to your accommodation?

There are a few ways to get to your accommodation from the airport. The best choice is based on your own comfort and preference.

Airport shuttle

If you can’t be bothered to take the time to find a taxi or Uber, you can prebook an airport shuttle through your accommodation. Most accommodations offer this. If you can’t find it on the website of your accomodation, always ask. They will arrange something for you.

Uber

A lot of cities in Colombia don’t allow Ubers at the airport, especially bigger cities like Bogota and Medellin. Which is a shame because most of the times taxi’s charge more than Uber.

A good option is to order the ride and message the Uber driver with the question if he can pick you up at the parking garage. Most of the time they will tell you where to meet. For me this is too much of a hassle with my backpack, especially when an airport has different parking garages. But if you travel light this is probably the best option.

Taxi

You can find the taxi’s right outside the terminal when you exit the airport. They are easy and safe. If your Spanish is not good, just show them the address where you need to go or use Google Translate. The prices vary from city to city, but most of the time all taxis have a price list hanging in their taxi. It also depends to which part of the city you need to go.

Bogota around 25.000 COP (€6) – Medellin around 90.000 COP (€22)

Cali around 60.000 COP (€15) – Cartagena around 25.000 COP (€6)

Bus

After paying way too much for Ubers and taxis in Medellin I figured that the bus might be my best option. It’s probably not the fastest option, but it’s the cheapest. And we all love cheap options. Most busses are just across the street from the terminal exit and take you to downtown. This will cost you around 7000-15.000 COP (€1,70-€3,60). This varies from city to city.

When you are not staying in or around downtown just order an Uber or hail for a taxi from that point to your accommodation. This will be much cheaper than taking one from the airport.

Transportation

In Colombia you have many options to move around. Transportation is easy to figure out when you know where and what to look for.

Taxi

Taxis are very easy to find in Colombia. Just haul a taxi on the side of the road and tell the driver where you need to go. Before getting in, make sure you check the ID of the driver. There have been some incidents where taxi drivers rob customers. Also make sure what the price is for the ride since most taxis in Colombia don’t have meters. Negotiate if you think it’s too expensive.

While this is the most convenient way to travel, it’s probably also the most expensive way to get around. That’s why I recommend using Uber or other apps like Indrive and Cabify.

Uber

Uber is illegal in Colombia, but it’s still one of the most used apps for transportation. It’s easy, cheap and for me a bit saver since I have the driver’s information in the Uber app.

Since it’s illegal there is a small chance that you will get pulled over by police. If this happens, just lie. Otherwise, the driver will be in big trouble, and you will be fined. Because of this the driver will ask you to sit in the front, just in case.

Colectivo

A colectivo is a small, shared van or bus that can fit around 6-12 people. It’s one of the cheapest ways to travel around Colombia. While sometimes these vans look a bit sketchy, they are completely safe. You can find colectivo’s in most places with tourists.

Typically, the driver will shout the destination so that you know where to get out. I recommend telling the driver where you need to be before getting in, but also follow your trip on Google Maps. In that case you know for sure that you are going in the right direction. Make sure you have an offline map from Colombia downloaded if you don’t have any data.

Public transport

The most used public transport in Colombia are public buses. Google the route and double check with your driver if he stops near your destination. This is a fun way to travel since you are surrounded by locals.

Bigger cities like Medellin and Bogota have a metro system. It’s very easy to use and cheap. You can buy a metro card at the metro station and charge it with the amount that you need. Make sure you always watch your personal belongings while traveling with public transportation. Pickpocketing is very common.

Coach buses

Coach buses are a cheap option if you want to travel from city to city. Colombia has a few coach companies that will get you all around Colombia.

Empresa Arauca, Rapida Ochoa, Expreso Brasilia, Berlinas and Flota Occidental are a few of the most common ones. These companies run through a time schedule that you check on Busbud or Redbus. You can also book your tickets through this app. I recommend booking your ticket at the bus station if you have the time. The tickets are cheaper at the bus station.

Traveling is easy with these buses, I don’t find them too comfortable compared to other bus companies in Latin America. The toilets are not well taken care off and the smell in the buses are always funky. While I normally always use buses while traveling, in Colombia I flew a lot from city to city. Funny enough it was cheaper than taking a bus and of course faster and more comfortable.

Moto taxis

Moto taxis are motorcycle taxis and are mostly used around the coast. You can just hop on and tell the driver where to go. I really like this form of travels. It feels more adventures than traveling by bus. In the bigger cities you can even order a moto taxi through Uber. Keep in mind that this form of traveling is more dangerous, especially when it’s raining.

So, is transportation in Colombia safe? Yes. I always felt completely safe while traveling around the country. You get to see more of Colombia and connect with the local people in the buses or bus stations. It’s the best way to get the know a country.

I’ve heard some stories from other travelers about robberies at night. This happened in the bus, but also in taxis. If you find yourself in a situation like that there is not much you can do besides giving up your stuff. Don’t fight, don’t refuse, and don’t hide things. Your life is more valuable.

Apps

Besides the usual great travel apps there are a few apps that might come in handy when you travel around Colombia.

Rappi

This is probably my most used app. This app is not only great in Colombia, but in almost all countries in Latin America. Rappi is great for ordering food from your favourite restaurants, but also supermarkets, pharmacies and the most random stores that you never thought you needed. It made me very lazy and made me order everything that I needed at the most random times.

My favourite option is the Turbo option. You get your groceries or medicine delivered in 10 minutes! Great for late night snack craving or unexpected medical problems.

Register here with your email and phone number and you are good to go. When you are a first-time user, Rappi will offer you great discounts that even got me free orders the first 3 times!

Cabify

Cabify is a cheap option if you are looking for another transportation than Uber. While Uber is great and very cheap in Colombia, in my opinion, Cabify can be cheaper. Locals tend to use this app more than Uber. The downside is that sometimes you must wait for a long time for a driver, especially at night.

You can register here with your email and phone number.

Busbud

Great website to compare bus companies and prices. A lot of countries won’t allow you to book tickets online without an ID. This can be annoying when the bus station is too far to book a ticket or if you need to plan your trip. Busbud allows you to book your ticket online. You only need your credit card and your passport numbers nothing more.

Busbud tend to be a bit more expensive sometimes compared to when you book your tickets at the bus station. But in my experience the difference is not too big.

Sometimes I just use Busbud to check out the departure times. If I’m not in a hurry, I just go to the bus station around the time that I found suiting and book my ticket there. The only downside to this is that my favourite places (in the front, next to the window) are always fully booked.

Another similar website to book your bus tickets is Redbus. You can also book your ticket straight from the bus company websites.

SpanishDict

Most people use Google translate to get around Latin America, but I find SpanishDict an even greater app when your Spanish is already at a decent level but are sometimes lost with specific kind of words. Also, it gives you that little extra that Google translate doesn’t have.

Type in the word or verb that you want to translate, and you get the dictionary, the meaning from different countries and the conjugation.

You can use the app offline, and you don’t have to register.

TravelSpend

I used to be a big planner. Still am, but while traveling I learned to be more flexible and chill. Since I use my savings and only get my money from my business account once a year, I really need to keep track of what I spend.

TravelSpend is a great app that allows you to track your daily spending and organize them in different categories like accommodation, restaurants, transportation etc. This way you see what you spend and what you overspend.

When you fill in a budget for the time that you are traveling, it will give you your day budget. That way you can see if you’ve been using or overusing your budget. TravelSpend is definitely my most used app while traveling!

Splitwise

Splitwise is great when you are traveling with friends or even people that you just met. Don’t bother waiters anymore with splitting the bill or whatever. Just pay and put your expenses in Splitwise. At the end of the trip, you can see who owes who and how much.

You can sign up here.

Supermarkets and drugstores

Supermarkets

Everywhere you go in Colombia you can find stores, markets, shops, supermarkets, and street vendors, unless you are in the Amazon or in a really remote place. You don’t have to worry about finding groceries or whatever you need.

In the Netherlands we are very privileged with having many options grocery wise. Our big selection of groceries are my most missed items while moving abroad. Luckily, there are a few big supermarkets chains in Colombia that are almost equal to Walmart or Target and will have a lot of things that you need.

For me that was good enough since I love to wander around big supermarkets and find new things that I never tried before.

Exito

Exito is the biggest supermarket chain in Colombia and even the biggest retail company is Latin America. Exito sells groceries, but also a lot of non-grocery stuff like, electronics, clothing and bed and bath items.

Jumbo

Jumbo used to be called Carrefour which is a well-known supermarket chain from France. Like Exito you can find almost everything here.

Carulla

Carulla is an upscale supermarket chain in Colombia and is owned by Exito. They have more imported items than many other grocery stores in Colombia. Because of this the prices at Carulla can be higher than the regular grocery stores. I recommend going to Carulla for fresher and healthier/bio groceries.

Tiendas D1

D1 became my favorite supermarket, because of the low prices and the high quality of products. The stores tend to be smaller but will have most of the things that you need. If you are on a budget or just like to save some money, I definitely recommend doing your groceries here.

Some tips to save money at the supermarkets:

Find out when the discount days are.
If you have a Colombian cedula (Colombian ID), apply for Puntos Colombia. You can save point for discounts or other things like the movies.
Check the website for sales before going to the supermarket.

Drugstores

You can find drugstores even more easily than the supermarkets. Two well known drugstores are La Rebaja Plus and Pasteur. They are everywhere and have what you need.

In Colombia you barely need a prescription for antibiotics or similar medication. You can go to the pharmacy and show them the name of the medication. If you do need a prescription, the doctor will send you one that you can give to the pharmacy.

9 out of 10 times I choose the easy way. Which is, google the name of the medication that I need and order through Rappi. I found it even more easy to order through Rappi instead of going to the pharmacy, because you will have your prescription in 30 minutes. I wish it was that easy at home.

Doctor

The best option to find a doctor in Colombia when your Spanish is not good is to google “English Doctor + city”. A lot of times it’s hard to find an English-speaking doctor, but Facebook groups and google are really your best friend.

Some doctors offer an online consult first, but most of them you can visit the next day or even the same day when it’s an emergency. I found this a better option than a regular clinic. It can be hard to try to explain yourself in fully Spanish. When it comes to my health and body, I prefer the doctor to understand me fully so that they can advise and help me.

For simple consults I advise to go to a clinic in the morning. It’s easy and faster.

Overall, the prices are the same. Both will give you a medical bill that you can send to your travel/health insurance so that you can get your money back.

English speaking doctor Medellin

Dr. Luz Naranjo

https://englishspeakingdoctormedellin.com

English speaking doctor Bogota

Dr. Peter Jasinski MD

https://medicaldoctorbogota.com

English speaking doctor Cali

Dr. Julián López Owen

julianlopezowen@gmail.com

(+57) 316-435-3375 (WhatsApp)

I’ve had a good experience with the doctors in Medellin and Bogota. I highly recommend them. They are understanding and patient and will tell you how the healthcare system in Colombia works.

If you can’t find an English-speaking doctor, but really want one, I recommend traveling to Bogota and Medellin. My first doctors visit was in Bogota, but at the time I was staying in another city where they didn’t have an English doctor. I was lucky, because my travel insurance paid all my expenses that I made back.

International airlines

While I was in Colombia, I took a lot of flights to travel around the country or visit other countries. Yes, very bad for the environment, but I like to book the cheapest option possible. It doesn’t make sense that flights are cheaper than buses, most of the time, but it’s just how it is in Colombia.

Viva Air

Viva Air is a budget airline that travels to and from Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Dominican Republic and the United States. While most of the time this airline offers the cheapest flights, it is also the airline with the most delays and with a bad service. I had both good and bad experiences with Viva Air. I would recommend to book with them for short flights.

LATAM airlines

LATAM Airlines is an airline based in Chili. It is considered the largest airline in Latin America with flights to Europe, North and South America and Mexic.

LATAM Airlines has announced it is resuming its flights between Chili, Australia and New Zealand after a two-year travel pause due to COVID.

Avianca

Avianca is recognised as the best airline in Colombia. It’s your cheapest option if you want to travel to Europe, Africa, North America or the Caribbean. They charge insane prices for luggage though! A lot of times my luggage was more expensive than my ticket.

Copa Airlines

Copa Airlines is an airline from Panama. This is one of the best airlines in Latin America, in my opinion. They travel to almost every country in Latin America, The Caribbean, The United States, Canada, and Europe. While their flights are a little more expensive than all the other airlines that I named, Copa is the airline with the best service and comfort.

Viva Aerobus

Viva Aerobus is a budget Mexican airline that flies to Bogota, Medellin, Cartagena, and Cali for around 100 USD one way. Prices we can’t ignore if we compare them to the other airlines.

EasyFy

EasyFly S.A. is a regional carrier that only operates in Colombia. Its main focus is to serve intermediate cities and those not served by other carriers.

Money/exchange rates

Colombia’s official currency is the peso which is shortened to COP. Prices in Colombia are marked as a dollar sign. Remember that when you see the prices in pesos. On the day of writing the exchange currencies are:

1 EURO = 4219 COP
1 USD = 3996 COP
1 AUS = 2809 COP
1 GBP = 4991 COP

Language

The main language in Colombia is Spanish. In the big cities some people will know English, but most of them don’t. Make sure you know at least a few words or sentences that can help you get around. The locals will also appreciate it when you try to speak their language. Here are a few phrases that you will probably use a lot.

Hola = Hello
Adios = Bye
Buenas dias = Good morning
Buenas tardes = Good afternoon
Buenas noches = Good night
Gracias = Thank you
Como estas = How are you?
Cómo te llamas = What’s your name?
Cuanto cuesta = How much?
La cuenta, por favor = The check, please
Puedo pagar = Can I pay?
Dónde está el baño = Where is the bathroom?
Me puedo ayudar con esto = Can you help me with this?
Puede hablar más despacio, por favor = Can you speak slowly, please?
No entiendo = I don’t understand
Nos vemos = See you
Buenas noches = Good night

If you want to learn to Spanish, I recommend taking classes for a few weeks. There are a lot of great Spanish school in Colombia. Keep in mind that a lot of schools don’t do private classes anymore because of COVID. In that case I recommend taking classes on Preply.com or ITalki.

Another great option is to spend a few weeks with a Colombian family who only speak Spanish.

Accommodation

Based on the way you travel there are different options to find the right accommodation that suits your needs. This last year I spend way too much money on accommodation, but only because I feel it’s important to feel at home while traveling.

The most important thing about finding nice accommodation is comparing. Make sure to know what you need and start comparing. Neighborhoods, prices etc.

Hotels

Hotels are a great option if you want to wind down and pamper yourself for a few days. The relaxation of a private rooms is sometimes all you need. Hotels can be very cheap in a lot of places. Make sure to double check the reviews. A lot of hotels tend to look nice but are in a shitty neighborhood or have uncomfortable beds. Those hotels are not worth the cheap prices.

I recommend using the filters on booking.com while looking for a nice hotel, like “lowest price, best rating”.

Hostels

Hostels are the cheapest option for accommodation. You can make it as cheap or expensive as you want. Since I like my comfort, most of the time I’d like to book hostels with the best rating and not with the cheapest price. The cheapest ones tend to be more dirty and less comfortable, in my opinion.

Hostelworld.com is the best app to find nice hostels worldwide. Some hostels you can only find on booking.com.

Airbnb

One of my favorite types of accommodation will always be Airbnb. Why? Because Airbnb’s make me feel like I’m at home. I’m not that picky, as long as I have a comfi bed, couch and tv, I’m happy. Yes, a tv is a necessity for me because watching tv shows is my way of relaxing. Also, very important when traveling fulltime.

Unfortunately, finding nice Airbnb’s by yourself can be expensive. While on the other side, if you can share the cost of an Airbnb with someone, a lot of times it can even be cheaper than a monthly stay in a hostel.

A nice thing about Airbnb is that you can contact the host before booking if you still have some questions after reading the description. My suggestion is to start looking months ahead. My experience is that they raise the prices when it’s a last-minute booking. Make sure to check if there is a free cancellation if you want to be flexible.

Tip: if you found an Airbnb and you want to stay long term, contact the host and ask if you can come up with some agreement outside Airbnb. Most of the time the host will also prefer this, since they avoid the Airbnb fees in that way. It will also be cheaper for both parties so win/win.

Apartments

One of the cheapest options to find accommodation is to look for apartments on Facebook. Just search on your destinations name and “apartments” “room” “studio” and join the Facebook groups. The nice thing about this option is that you can always go and see the place first before booking it.

Resorts

Not my cup of tea, but if you don’t want the headache of arranging stuff and want to be as comfortable as possible: a (all inclusive) resort is the way to go.

Keep in mind that you will pay a price x3 compared to the other types of accommodation, but it will definitely be worth it. Especially with all inclusive. You don’t have to worry about food or drinks or anything for that matter. You can find amazing resorts on booking.com. In Colombia, most resorts you will find around the coast.

Tips to find cheap accommodation in Colombia

When you have all the time in the world and are not on a time schedule, I recommend walking around the city or town you are staying at and just start asking in hotel/hostels/apartments etc what the prices are for long stay. Almost always they will give you a discount or cheaper prices then you will find online.

Another important tip is too always read the reviews. Sometimes places look nice, but there are more things at play to make your stay comfortable.

Vaccinations

Vaccinations are not required to travel to Colombia. However, it’s recommended to get some vaccinations.

The yellow fever vaccination is only mandatory depending on the area that your visited before Colombia. If you come from a country that has a high risk for yellow fever, you need a yellow fever vaccination. Yellow fever vaccination is mandatory for all travelers coming from Brazil, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

Yellow fever vaccination is also mandatory in some national parks. Please check this before your trip.

The vaccinations that are recommend for Colombia are:

DTP
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Rabies
COVID

At the time of writing (15-05-2022) COVID vaccinations are still mandatory to enter Colombia.

Food

I must admit that I overused the delivery app Rappi. Ordering food is so easy and cheap in the big cities, that sometimes it’s not even worth to cook a meal or go out to a restaurant.

But what are the four main Colombia dishes that you must try?

Bandeja Paisa

Bandeja Paisa is the national dish of Colombia. For Colombians this is a lunch meal that they eat very often. It is a full plate which consist, rice, arepa, plantain, meat, chorizo, sausage, pork, avocado, and an egg on top.

Empanadas

Empanadas are the perfect snack to eat on the move. I had a few to many while I was in Colombia. The stuffed pastries are filled with whatever you like, but mostly it’s chicken, meat, or cheese. My favorite is chicken with potato. You can find empanadas all over Latin America. The empanadas from Colombia are the only ones that are deep fried.

Arepas

Arepas are corn cakes that are made from corn dough or corn flour. They look like a small pancake, but firmer and thicker. You can cook, fry or roasted arepa’s. In Colombia they will give you an arepa as a side with almost every local dish. I tried out different arepas and I love the filled arepas with cheese the most. The regular ones are a bit too dry for me.

Sanchoco

Sanchoco is one of my favorite meals in Colombia. It’s a soup or stew which contains chicken, pork or/and beef. If asked, you can also have it in vegetarian.

Safety

Colombia is one of the most popular countries in Latin America for travelers and backpackers. While people who already visited Colombia know that the country is in a good shape nowadays, it remains to have a bad reputation to people who have 0 knowledge about the country.

Over the years Colombia worked hard to get rid of the violent crime image that everyone has and made sure that violet crimes are not an everyday problem anymore.

Is Colombia safe for solo travelers?

This is a question I get a lot from people. My answer is yes. If you use your common sense and avoid dangerous areas. Even in the safer areas of Colombia robberies, muggings and assaults can occur. It can happen quick and unexpected, so make sure you are always aware of your surroundings.

Incidents can be violent. The use of weapons during robberies or muggings is also common in Colombia. If you find yourself in a situation like this: always give your valuables and don’t fight it. Your life is worth more than some materialistic stuff.

As long as you don’t flaunt your valuables, you will be fine. You will see that in crowded areas people use their phones and cameras, but still be aware of your surroundings. Muggings happen in a split of a second, no matter what area you are in.

So, I recommend to only take what you need with you when you go out. Leave the rest of your valuables in your hotel, Airbnb, or hostel. Make sure you put them in a safe or locked locker.

If you feel uncomfortable to go out by yourself, make sure you are with other people. As a solo traveler you can meet people in hostels or even through Facebook groups. Colombia has some amazing communities on Facebook of national and international travelers who are always open to meet up for a drink or food.

Read more about safety tips here if you are a solo female traveler.

Sim card

I recommend buying a sim card when you arrive in Colombia if you are staying longer then 2 weeks. It makes traveling easier and safer when you are lost or want to get an Uber.

You can get a prepaid sim card at the airport, local shops, kiosks, street sellers and in official stores for only 3000 COP = €0,70. I recommend going to an official store in a mall or a local shop. They will charge you more at the airport compared to the city. You can ask them to help you register the sim card to your phone. They will ask for your passport and how much data you want.

Most data are valid for 7, 14 or 30 days and will cost you no more than 30.000 COP. For this amount you will get around 20 GB, which is more than enough. You can also choose a smaller amount for less GB (10.000 or 20.000 COP).

When you are out of data you can go to every small kiosk to recharge. Just tell them how much and for how many days. The kiosks look like lottery selling points.

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to recharge your data online when you don’t have a Colombian card. A short term solution is Recharge, but they barely give you any data. I only recommend this in case of emergency or when you need data ASAP.

The most used networks in Colombia are Claro, Tigo and Movistar. Claro will be the carrier that you will come across first, since it’s the largest network in Latin America.

By now everyone knows that Colombia and Mexico are my favourite countries. I love Colombia even so much, that I have it as my base 6 months a year since 2021. I hope this tips will help you get around and enjoy Colombia as much as I do.

Colombia travel guide: everything to plan your trip