
Backpacking in Colombia: Costs, Tips and Places to See
Colombia was once more famous for murders and cocaine than colonial towns and beautiful vistas, but those old preconceptions are changing. It’s so much more than it’s violent past, and is quickly becoming one of those must-see countries in South America. As is the case with most people who visit,

7 Things to Do in Bogota, Colombia: A Day in the Old Town
Another day, another old town. Colombia is full of them. Not that I was complaining though — there’s always fun to be had while walking through streets and plazas that have barely changed in centuries. We spent a day in Colombia’s capital exploring the colonial centre of the city (also

The Best Things to Do in Barichara, One of the Nicest Small Towns in Colombia
It’s fair to say I’m a bit of a colonial town fanatic. I love the cobblestone streets, terracotta tiles and ancient churches, but most of all I enjoy the sense of calm that sitting in a quiet plaza provides. Barichara is the quintessential colonial town. We spent a few days

Behind the City Walls of Cartagena, Colombia
Rain pounded the streets of Cartagena. Due to poorly chosen footwear (this seems to be a recurring theme in my travels) we had to walk slowly over the slippery sidewalks. We waded through ankle-deep puddles and crossed streets overflowing with traffic and rain, eventually arriving at the deserted entrance to

Villa de Leyva: 130 Million Years of Colombian History
I watched Jurassic World recently and two things struck me: How did that too stupid to be funny guy from Parks and Recreation become a Hollywood star, and are ordinary, “real” dinosaurs not good enough anymore? (they created genetically enhanced “mutants” in the movie because people were getting bored of

Crossing the Border between Colombia and Ecuador: Ipiales to Otavalo
Crossing the border between Colombia and Ecuador at Ipiales was a laid back affair — the actual border crossing took less than an hour and there is also a pretty amazing church in town that you should definitely check out. Here are the details… Arriving in Ipiales We took a

A Night in the Tatacoa Desert, Colombia
Footprints guided us through the red labyrinth section of the Tatacoa Desert. We were surrounded by cracked red hills and rugged rock formations, like a midget version of those famous national parks in Arizona and Utah. We spent a night in the Tatacoa Desert, which is actually split into grey and red sections

The Smiling Statues of San Agustin, Colombia
The smiling statues of San Agustin are a bit of a mystery to tourists and archaeologists alike. Who built them? Why did they build them? Were the craftsmen and their models all on magic mushrooms at the time? We looked at around 100 of these strange statues at the archaeological