Colombia: The Best Kept Secret In Travel
When Patrick from The Cali Adventurer blog approached me to pen a few guest posts about the travel hot-spots in Colombia, naturally I was delighted. As co-founder of Amakuna, a luxury travel company which specialises in creating tailor-made holidays in Colombia, there’s nothing I like doing more than sharing my top tips for travelling around this magical country. The team at Amakuna has travelled the length and breadth of the country. We know every boutique hotel bolt-hole, the best lobster shacks, the most picture-postcard perfect coffee fincas and the liveliest salsa bars. Dying for an innovative cocktail in Cartagena? Easy, El Baron is the place for you. Ask for Noah, he won’t disappoint. Gasping for a wonderfully creamy, velvety cappuccino? Simply head to Azahar Coffee in Bogota. Single origin heaven awaits. But before I give away all the secrets (and there are many) of this little-discovered country, it’s worth reflecting first on a bit of Colombia’s history and what makes it now such an attractive tourist destination.
It is almost eleven years ago exactly since I stepped off the plane in Cartagena, arriving from Panama City. Looking at a map, you wonder why you can’t simply drive it. It looks like it would make a wonderful road-trip, hugging the Caribbean coast the whole way, the type of trip perfect for an old Land Rover Discovery. Unfortunately, that stretch of land known as the Darien Gap is one of the least accessible by vehicle in the world, not to mention pretty[……]
