Colombia
No longer just for daredevils, this extraordinary country has battled decades of turmoil to emerge as South America's hottest new destination, jammed with unspoilt mountains, coastline and jungle.
Arrive
The national airline is Avianca (website: www.avianca.com), which flies from Madrid to Bogotá (El Dorado International Airport). American Airlines (website: www.americanairlines.com) and Delta (website: www.delta.com) fly from Miami, New York and Atlanta.
Why now?
The dry season lasts from December to March, ideal for hiking. It's also perfect timing to kick up your heels in Barranquilla's Carnival, second only to Rio in scale, which takes place on the days preceding Ash Wednesday.
See
Weave your way around more than 500 mysterious pre-Columbian stone statues and tombs in one of South America's most fascinating archaeological sites, San Agustín.
Be bewitched by the beautiful colonial port of Cartagena, its balconied streets dense with history and scented by bougainvillea, and take trips to local islands, beaches, dive sites, mangrove labyrinths and an unusual mud volcano where visitors can hop into the crater for a massage.
Get sucked into the El Dorado dream: visit Bogotá's astonishing Gold Museum, housing an extraordinary wealth of glistening pre-Columbian treasures. Also take the cable car to a mountain top overlooking the city at sunset.
Do
Climb snow-caked volcanic peaks in the Colombian Andes. The highest is the jaw-dropping 5,325m (17,500ft) Nevado del Ruiz in Los Nevados National Park (website: www.parquesnacionales.gov.co).
Warm up those hips for some serious salsa dancing. The hot-blooded city of Cali is one of the world's top destinations for salsa.
Soak up some rays along palm-fringed mainland beaches, or fly out to one of the Caribbean's most unspoilt tropical island paradises, Providencia, also home to a UNESCO Seaflower Biosphere Reserve.
Taste
Give in to your addiction, and savour Colombia's finest: coffee, that is. The country's dark stuff is famous the world over for its smooth, rich taste.
Did you know?
Colombia is one of the world's top three most biodiverse countries, proportional to its area.
01 February 2008
Fresh ideas are just one click away...
Travel Deals
-
Finland Activity & adventure holidays Finnish Lapland has enormous areas of untouched wilderness and mile upon mile of wild rolling fells. This vast open countryside, sparkling in the winter sunshine, just begs to be explored by
-
Orlando Adrenaline Whether you’re enjoying the hair-raising delights of the world’s only flying rollercoaster called Manta at SeaWorld or racing through the Everglades on an airboat in search of alligators, one thing’s for
-
Cambodia Luxury holidays Today Cambodia is symbolised by awesome Angkor Wat, the largest man-made religious structure in the world. However, Cambodia is also home to some of the finest boutique hotels in the world
-
Laos Inspire Me When the French colonised Indochina they had a saying: "The Vietnamese grow the rice, the Cambodians watch the rice grow, and the Lao people listen to the rice grow." This is
-
Vietnam Cultural breaks Vietnam is a country with a rich and varied history that is now firmly focused on her bright future. This is why it has become one of the hottest destinations for
-
Dominican Republic Family holidays The Dominican Republic has soared in popularity as a tropical hotspot for families seeking sun, sand and an affordable holiday in the Caribbean. The island's main attraction is magnificent golden sand
Quick links
