Set at the foot of the Volcán Galeras in the fertile Atriz Valley, Pasto is the cultural and political capital of Nariño. Though not a beautiful city in itself, it has several fine colonial buildings as well as a bustling downtown area. Pack a sweater because days can be cool and nights are downright chilly.
Barichara is the kind of town that Hollywood filmmakers dream about. A Spanish colonial town of striking beauty, the whitewashed buildings and stone streets look almost as new as the day they were created some 300 years ago. Granted, the movie-set appearance owes its debt to considerable reconstruction efforts made over the past 25 years, but all rebuilding has been done with taste in mind.
Amid rolling foothills at the southern end of the Valle del Cauca, Popayán is a small gem. Known as the ‘Ciudad Blanca’ for the stunning uniformity of its chalk-white facades, it is second only to Cartagena as Colombia’s most impressive colonial city.
Bogotá is on the move. Once considered a place to avoid, the capital has cleaned up its act and is fast becoming one of Latin America’s urban highlights. Improved security, infrastructure projects and a clean-up campaign have helped bring a new face to the metropolis.
Providencia will fulfil your every expecta-tion of paradise. Quiet, laid-back hamlets nestle against white-sand beaches shaded by palm trees. The sea is warm, the locals are friendly and the topography is gorgeous. If you’re looking to get away from it all, Providencia is about as far as you can get.
Surrounded by mountains and filled with an air of vibrancy, the rapidly expanding town of Bucaramanga makes for a decent stopover on the long road between Bogotá and the coast. There is little to see in the city itself, but facilities are fine for an overnight stop or as a base to visit Girón, a nearby colonial-era town and legitimate tourist attraction.
Centuries before Columbus dreamed of the new world, the rolling and remarkably green hills around San Agustín were home to an enigmatic civilization that congregated here to bury their dead and honor their memory with monumental stone statues. It’s easy to understand why they chose to consecrate this lush, mountainous land of dramatic canyons and ethereal mists.
In Colombia altitude defines attitude. While Bogotá (2650m) is perpetually chilly and Medellín (1485m) enjoys eternal spring, Cali (1005m) remains sultry 12 months of the year. And that’s why Colombia’s third-largest city wears less and parties more than its rivals. In their relentless pursuit of a good time, caleños have adopted salsa music as their own, and in the Juanchito district you can dance until dawn seven nights of the week, no questions asked.
Covered in coconut palms and cut by sharp ravines that turn into rivers after rain, the seahorse-shaped San Andrés is the largest island in the archipelago, covering 27 sq km. It’s the main commercial and administrative center of the archipelago. As the only transport hub to the mainland, it’s the first and last place you are likely to see.
Soaked with sunshine and steeped in history, the Caribbean coast offers a wealth of attractions that make it Colombia’s biggest draw for both domestic and international visitors.