Colombia Travel Guide - Getting There

The national airline is Avianca (AV) (website: www.avianca.com) which runs direct flights from Madrid and New York to Bogotá. There are no direct flights from the UK.

From Madrid to Bogotá is 12 hours and from New York is 5 hours 30 minutes.

Bogotá (El Dorado International Airport) (BOG) (website: www.elnuevodorado.com) is situated 12km (8 miles) east of the city. To/from the airport: Buses and taxis are available to the city centre (journey time – 30 minutes). Facilities: Bank, ATMs, duty-free shop, bars, restaurants, tourist information, pharmacist, car hire and Internet access.

Barranquilla (Ernesto Cortissoz) (BAQ) (website: www.baq.aero) is 10km (6 miles) from the city. To/from the airport: Buses and taxis are available. Facilities: Car hire is available.

Cali (Alfonso Bonilla Aragón) (CLO) (website: www.aerocali.com.co) is 19km (12 miles) from the city.

Cartagena (Rafael Nuñez) (CTG) (website: www.sacsa.com.co) is 2km (1 mile) from the city.

oneworld Visit South America Pass: valid within Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile (except Easter Island), Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Participating airlines are American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Cathay Pacific (CX), Finnair (AY), Iberia (IB), JAL Japan Airlines (JL), LAN (LA), Malév Hungarian Airlines (MA), Qantas (QF) and Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJ). The pass must be bought outside South America in the country of residence. It allows unlimited travel to 30 cities. A minimum of three flights must be booked, with a maximum of 20; prices depend on the amount of flight zones. For further details, contact one of the participating airlines.

Transit passengers are exempt. Passengers who have stayed in Colombia for more than two months must pay an additional US$19.

Main ports: Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta and Turnaco (Caribbean coast) and Buenaventura (Pacific coast). Many ships and cruise lines visit these ports from the USA, Mexico, Venezuela, Central America and the Caribbean Islands.

Leticia is the upper Amazonian port, from where boats travel into Brazil and Peru.

There are no international rail connections.

Colombia can be reached from Panama via the Darien Gap, but the route is not advised as it can be long, arduous and dangerous. There are also road links with Ecuador and Venezuela, although travellers should check with their local embassy about the safety of roads before crossing the border to Venezuela.

Coach: Ormeño (website: www.grupo-ormeno.com.pe) runs coach services to Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru.