Colombia is without a doubt the most popular destination to visit in South America. It’s also the top of the continent. People so often lump Central America in with its South American sibling to the south but Colombia is really the beginning of the continent. It has seen a massive boom in tourism in the past decade or so as the fallout from years of conflict related to the famous and bloody Narco wars settled. As opposed to the dangerous, crime and violence ridden country that Colombia once was, today it is a flourishing tourist destination. In 2023, Colombia welcomed a record 5,869,869 non-resident tourists, a 24.3% increase from 2022 and a 173.6% increase from 2021. So, the popularity of Colombia is absolutely booming. There’s a reason that its booming. The country is absolutely stunning. Mountainous, full of culture that changes depending on where you are, big international cities and stunning small villages. All of which is relatively safe unless you act like an idiot. Now the drugs and other aspects of gang related crime are still very apparent here. There are thousands of tourists who come here to buy cheap cocaine and participate in the sex tourism industry which once you arrive in any of the nightlife districts you will notice. This is not all Colombia is. For me, big cities are not my favorite. Very often people hit the big cities. Medellin, Cartagena, Cali and Bogota. Missing out on where the true magic of Colombia lies, in the mountain and jungle towns that lie hours outside of these busy, crowded and frankly generally chaotic places. Colombia is also massive. As an overlander making my way through Colombia I was shocked at the size and amount of time it took me to drive across the country. If you are coming up from South America you won’t be surprised by this but if you are on your way down the size difference will be new. Central America is the kind of place (excluding Mexico) that you could realistically do almost everything you wanted to with a few months in the country. Rewire your brain for Colombia. You could spend a year here and still have things to tick off your list. So, get your head around not being able to do it all. Loong story short. Colombia is huge. Contains multitudes, culture, shocking and diverse landscapes including deserts, glaciers, tropical jungles and pristine beaches. The beauty of this place lies outside of the major metropolitan zones. I implore you to get out of the big cities and see the real magic of Colombia.
