Colombia is a hidden gem for culture and history lovers. Beyond the well-worn trails of Europe and Asia, this vibrant South American country offers genuinely unique experiences: impressive pre-Columbian museums and little-known archeological sites that’ll leave you speechless, colonial towns so perfectly preserved they feel like time capsules, and exceptional political street art that rivals anything you’ll find in Berlin, Melbourne or New York.Â
Here’s why Colombia should be on your radar, if you are into cultural experiences.
Colombia’s five big cities Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena, Barranquilla, and Medellin, offer a wide array of cultural and urban activities to choose from, but also in smaller towns like Manizales and Ibague you can discover a lot of things to do. Among the best places to experience the typical Colombian music and dance scene are Cali, Cartagena and Barranquilla.
Here are the top urban and cultural activities in Colombia:
Admire Street Art & Graffiti: Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena, Barranquilla, and Medellin, all have an excellent street art scene. Often it’s possible to take tours to learn more about the social and political background of the murals.
Visit museums: Bogotá, Medellin and Cali are home to some of Colombia’s most important museums and also feature a vibrant contemporary art scene with innovative galleries.
Attend festivals and fairs: Colombia hosts numerous festivals and fairs over the year. There are interesting book fairs in Bogotá and Medellin, Bogota hosts a huge theater festival, the Carnival of Barranquilla is among the most colorful carnivals of the world, Ibague features excellent music festivals, and so on and so on…
Participate in art workshops:Â Colombia is full of art and artists. You can find super interesting artistic workshops, encompassing everything from painting, to ceramics and textile art, at very accessible prices in a lot of places. They are usually in Spanish but language shouldn’t be a barrier in artistic creation.
Learn to dance: Colombian’s love to dance! To join them, learn to dance Salsa or try another typical Colombian dance (Cumbia, Champeta, etc.). Cali is a great place to learn dancing as it has a huge number of world class dance schools.
Attend life concerts: Music is always present in Colombia, and there are many fantastic local bands around. You can find excellent live concerts by local bands, for example in Cartagena’s Getsemani neighborhood, in Barranquilla, in Bogotá or in Cali.
Dive into the history of Colombian music in Palenque:Â The friendly Afro-Colombian town Palenque near Cartagena is considered the birthplace of many Colombian music and dance styles.
Photo by Nicole (Travelhapp), San Agustin Archeological Park
There is no shortage of historically relevant and archaeologically interesting sites in Colombia. The most famous ones include the historical centers of Cartagena and Bogotá, the Lost City in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Archeological Park of San Agustin.
However, the whole country is full of historical evidence telling fascinating tales about Colombia’s pre-columbian and colonial past, as well as its more recent history. The Chiribiquete National Park with its over 20,000 years old Rock Paintings has recently become a UNESCO world heritage site (see Colombia Off-the-beaten-track). And there are a lot more ancient petroglyphs still hidden in the jungle and largely unexplored all over the country.
Below you can check out some selected top history experiences available on Civitatis.com*.
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