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Climb Colombia's La Piedra Peñol
Known simply as La Piedra, La Piedra Peñol (8am-6pm daily, COP$10,000) is a giant rock monolith that soars 200 meters (650 feet) into the sky from the scenic and meandering Embalse Peñol-Guatape, an important reservoir covering some 64 square kilometers (25 square miles) that is an important produ
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Things to See and Do in Jardín, Colombia
Sometimes place names fit perfectly. Such is the case in the picture-perfect Antioquian town of Jardín. The main park gushes year-round with trees and flowers always in bloom, and the streets are corridors of color as well, with brightly painted houses one after another.
On weekends, and especiall
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Exploring Valle de Cocora, Colombia
The main attraction for most visitors to Salento is seeing the palmas de cera (wax palms) that shoot up towards the sky in the Valle de Cocora. These are some of the tallest palms in the world, reaching 50-60 meters high (200 feet), and they can live over 100 years. They have beautiful, smooth, cy
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Where to Eat and Stay in El Valle, Colombia
This fishing community to the south of Bahía Solano is authentic if grubby, with wooden houses lining dirt (often muddy) streets. However, just outside of town, about a 15-minute walk north is the Playa Almejal, a broad beach with hotels set back against the jungle. The beach is home to thousands
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Things to Do in Bahía Solano, Colombia
When many visitors arrive at the tiny Bahía Solano airport, after they collect their bags they head straight to the village of El Valle about 22 kilometers (14 miles) away and to the hotels on the beaches of Playa Almejal. But Ciudad Mutis, as Bahía Solano is officially named (after the famed bota
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Sights in Mompox, Colombia
This town, founded in 1540 on the eastern edge of a large island between two branches of the Río Magdalena (the Brazo de Loba and the Brazo Mompox), was an opulent center of trade, connecting the interior of the country with Cartagena during the colonial era. But then the mighty river changed its
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Visiting Boyacá, Santander, and Norte de Santander
Located north of Bogotá, the mountainous departments of Boyacá, Santander, and Norte de Santander (these last two are known collectively as the Santanderes) are rich in history, natural beauty, and outdoor activities. The countryside is dotted with historic colonial towns, including two of the mos
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Plan a Visit to Hacienda La Aurora, Colombia
Hacienda La Aurora (near the town of Paz de Ariporo, Casanare, cell tel. 310/580-5395), 180 kilometers (112 miles) northwest of Yopal in the department of Casanare and about double that from Villavicencio, is in many ways a typical extensive cattle-ranching farm of the Llanos. It was once part of
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Downtown Medellín Walking Tour
Medellín’s brash downtown is a compact history tour comprising stoic remnants from the colonial era, brick and mortar evidence of Medellín’s rising as Colombia’s most important industrial center in the early 20th century, and the vibrant public spaces, modern transportation systems, and futuristic
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Visit Pasto and Laguna La Cocha
Many people overlook unassuming Pasto, a city of more than 400,000 people. It’s seen by backpackers as a place to spend the night on the way between Ecuador and Popayán, not a destination in its own right. But Pasto, along with the stunning Nariño countryside, deserves your time and attention.
Pla
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Things to Do and See in Puerto Nariño, Colombia
When you disembark at the village of Puerto Nariño, atop a sloping hill overlooking the Río Loretoyacú, you’ll wonder: Where are the motorbikes? Here in idyllic Puerto Nariño, there are no roads and no motorized vehicles whatsoever. Environmentally minded and forward-thinking town council members
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Planning Your Time on Colombia's Pacific Coast
Colombia is the only country in South America with coastline on both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. While the Caribbean coast is developed and populated, Colombia’s Pacific coast is wild, remote, and mysterious. For the few who venture to this little-visited area, the beaches, jungles, and p
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Visit Jericó, Colombia's Paisa Cowboy Outpost
Jericó and Jardín are two (colorfully painted) peas in the same pod. Both are fiercely traditional Paisa pueblos, and they won’t change for anybody. Although it is the closer of the two to Medellín, Jericó feels more remote, and less visited, and therein lies its charm.
Set on a gentle slope of a
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Hiking Providencia and Santa Catalina, Colombia
Hiking on Providencia and Santa Catalina, two of the islands in the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina in Colombia, are simple and simply enjoyable. Providencia’s The Peak is a much more strenuous hike than exploring Fort Warwick and Morgan’s Cave on Santa Catali
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Planning Your Time in Colombia's San Andrés Archipelago
The San Andrés Archipelago is made up of seven atolls and three major islands: San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina. San Andrés is 775 kilometers (492 miles) northeast of the Colombian mainland and only 191 kilometers (119 miles) east of Nicaragua. The islands are fairly small: San Andrés,
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Parque Nacional Natural Old Providence McBean Lagoon
The Parque Nacional Natural Old Providence McBean Lagoon (office Jones Point, east of airport, tel. 8/514-8885 or 8/514-9003, 8am-12:30pm and 2pm-6pm daily, COP$14,000 non-Colombians, COP$8,500 Colombians, COP$4,000 students) is a small national park on the northeast coast of the island. It occupi
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Sight-Seeing Along the Río Amazonas
Several sights provide excellent photo ops along the Río Amazonas westward from Leticia to the Parque Amacayacu. These are usually visited as part of a package one-day tour offered by all hotels and travel agencies. Most of these tours continue past Amacayacu to Puerto Nariño and the Lago Tarapoto
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Hiking Caño Cristales, Colombia
Taking a flight (or two) to a remote corner of Colombia with a troubled past just to see some river algae may not, on the surface, sound like a wise investment of precious vacation time. But, here in the remote Llanos, you’ll be rewarded as you trek through the stark lowland hills of the Serranía
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Sights in Popayan's Centro Histórico, Colombia
The temperate capital of Colombia’s Cauca department, Popayán is the White City along the banks of the Río Cauca between the Cordilleras Central and Occidental (Central and Western Mountain Ranges). It is a dignified city, proud of its place in history as the home of presidents, poets, and p
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Colombia's Jardín Botánico del Quindío
Just 10 minutes outside the town of Armenia, the well-run Jardín Botánico del Quindío (Km. 3 Vía al Valle, tel. 6/742-7254, cell tel. 310/835-0236, 9am-4pm daily, English tour COP$30,000) is home to hundreds of tree and plant species, many of which are threatened.
Knowledgeable volunteer guides, w
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