Hey there, fellow solo traveler – welcome to magical Colombia! Here’s my personal guide to Solo Travel in Colombia shared from my perspective as an introverted, adventurous female solo traveler. First things first: In my opinion, traveling alone in Colombia is amazing!
My first solo trip to Colombia was in 2011 and I fell in love with the country and its people immediately. After having explored some other places alone (Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Peru, Bolivia, etc.), I finally came back to Colombia in 2018. After about 2 years of traveling back and forth, I moved to Colombia finding myself in Naguib Mahfouz words “Home is not where you were born; home is where all your attempts to escape cease.”
Below, I’d like to share why I think Colombia is a great country for solo travelers, including introverted souls, as well as women and LGBT+ people traveling alone, along with some practical solo travel and safety tips.
Contents:
Photo by Erick Corradine: Introverted female solo traveler (me) near Guatavita
I first started traveling alone within Germany, my country of birth, around the age of 19, more than 25 years ago… When I finished university I went on a 3-months solo trip to Brazil and learned a lot about traveling, people and myself.
As I have always been introverted I was never very fond of hostels and partying. Dorms were a nightmare for me since I longed for a private space, calm and alone time. For me, choosing a suitable country for traveling alone basically came down to 4 basic factors:
Price level: Can I afford private accommodation for the duration of my trip?
Safety level: Is the country safe to travel alone? Can I easily establish safety measures?
Cultural Immersion: Can I connect with local people on a 1 on 1 basis and experience authentic local life?
Nature: Are there places that allow for a deep contemplative connection with nature?
Are you a backpacker or a flashpacker?
My travel preferences as an introverted traveler largely coincide with what is described commonly as a flashpack travel style.
Here are some typical characteristics of flashpackers:
Independent travel: Like backpackers, flashpackers are independent travelers who love to explore a country on their own terms, without an organized group tour spanning the whole trip.
Flexibility: Flashpackers love backpacking and the flexibility that comes with traveling light, but appreciate a little more comfort than traditional backpackers.
Value for money: Flashpackers look for the best cost-benefit ratio when traveling rather than searching for the cheapest options. They are happy to spend a little more for a room, if it has a sea view, or hire a local guide to be able to explore remote areas, especially if they know, this has a positive impact on the local economy.
Ecotourism & Adventure Travel: Flashpackers love adventure, outdoor and nature activities. They care about the environment and the local impact in their travel destinations and want to travel responsibly and sustainably.
Small tour groups: Flashpackers prefer rather small groups when they do tours to get a more personalized and intimate experience.
Authenticity & local experiences: Flashpackers love to immerse themselves into the local culture and get to know the local people, eat at restaurants which are local favorites, and participate in everyday local life.
Privacy and calm: Flashpackers prefer calmer places to stay, for example a small boutique hotel or a nice AirBnB. They may also prefer more quiet activities like walks in nature, learning a new skill, or wellness programs.
Even though flashpackers tend to be a bit older than traditional backpackers (typically over 30), flashpacking is not necessarily related to age. This was also my case: I was probably a flashpacker at heart already at the age of 19, I just didn’t have the money to act it out…
So, are you a flasbacker or a backpacker – or something completely different? What are your travel preferences? What do you really enjoy about traveling alone? Let’s connect on Instagram or in Colombia Solo Travelers Facebook Group to share thoughts!
Photo by Erick Corradine: Me (again), Hiking somewhere near Bogotá
In my opinion, Colombia is a fantastic country for solo travel and backpacking, catering also to the needs of flashpackers and introverted travelers. Here are some reasons why.
Open-minded and friendly locals: It’s easy to get in contact with locals; people are really happy about travelers who are interested in experiencing the many wonders of this country and see beyond common cliches about Colombia.
Adventure and ecotourism: Colombia offers an endless amount of adventure and ecotourism activities at very affordable prices, including hiking, surfing, diving, snorkeling, mountain and jungle trekking, kitesurfing, tree planting, to name just a few. Get an idea of the diverse activities possible in Colombia.
Untapped territories: As Colombia has only recently really started to appear on the tourist map (thanks to the 2016 peace contract), there are a lot of remote areas and hidden gems that even Colombians are just starting to explore. Many parts of Colombia are still off-the-beaten-track. Check out some Hidden Gems!
Inexpensive accommodation: It’s easy to find nice single rooms that are affordable for solo travelers.
Accessible guided experiences: Tour guides and tour packages offer an excellent cost-benefit ratio. Read more about Tours in Colombia in the Know-How tab of the Experiences section.
Easy travel: Many interesting travel destinations in Colombia are quite easy to reach by public transport and are well inter-connected. Colombia also has several cheap airlines. See my Practical Colombia Travel Tips for an overview.
Slow travel: Colombia offers a high density of attractions and an astonishingly varied landscape and scenery, which makes it an ideal destination for slow travel. Traveling by bus from one place to another while listening to music and looking out of the window is better than cinema. Check out my Slow Travel Colombia Itinerary.
Authentic culinary experiences: Every region of Colombia has its own typical dishes and unique flavors. Not to talk about coffee! The variety of coffee flavors in Colombia is endless and coffee is grown in many more places than you would probably imagine.
Here are some tips for planning your solo trip to Colombia and advice for moving around the country safely once here.
Make a rough plan of your itinerary: Colombia’s bigger cities are excellent bases for exploring the country alone since they have good bus connections to many interesting destinations (see best places to visit in Colombia). You have a lot of options to choose from and can quickly change plans, if a particular destination doesn’t work out for one reason or another. Here is also a Colombia Slow Travel Itinerary to introduce the different regions of the country and the best routes to get from one place to another.
Gather information about your travel destinations: Good things to investigate a little beforehand are: safe and interesting neighborhoods where to stay, connections between the bus terminal or airport and the location of your accommodation, time of arrival in your destination (daytime is better), bus connections to other interesting places to visit in Colombia, local customs, etc.
Do research and talk to locals about safe areas to stay and go out: Especially in bigger cities it may not be wise to explore certain neighbourhoods (or even individual streets within an otherwise safe neighbourhood) alone. Investigate before you book your accommodation, and read solo traveler reviews. Once you arrive, the best thing to do is talking to locals about where it’s fine to go alone and what to pay attention to. (Solo female travelers best ask local women.)
Learn useful phrases in Spanish: Since English is not widely spoken in Colombia, being able to have a basic conversation in Spanish will open you many doors. You can talk to the locals and have a more “local experience”. See some suggested tools for learning Spanish in my article on Practical Colombia Travel Tips.
Team up with locals or other travelers for certain activities. Some activities in Colombian are easier or safer in a group. This includes, for example, hikes in nature. If you like hostels, it is usually not a problem to find other people to team up with in Colombia. However, in case you are an introverted traveler like me who rather stays in quite and private places this may be a bit more challenging. That’s why you have the possibility to search for people to team up with in our Colombia Solo Travelers Facebook Group.
Join tours and other local experiences: Joining group tours is a great way to explore some of Colombia’s more remote destinations in company and dive into the local culture. Colombia offer a wide array of diverse tours spanning a few hours to multiple days. Get more information in my article about Tours in Colombia in the 3rd tab of the Experiences section.
Pay attention to safety advice for Colombia: Please check my Safety Tips for Solo Travelers in Colombia for a start.
More than half of the solo travelers in Colombia are female. Many of them fall in love with the country and its people, staying longer than planned or coming back (like myself).
Attention in the streets of Colombia is similar to other extroverted countries; in my experience in colder cities like Bogotá attention is less than, for example, in southern Italy, in coastal towns like Santa Marta it’s about the same. The “dress code” depends a lot on the region and temperature. While in Bogota you rarely see Colombian women in short dresses or skirts, it’s more common on the coast.
How to stay safe as a woman traveling alone in Colombia? Please have a look at my Safety Tips for Solo Travelers in Colombia.
I have been moving happily around the country for several years now, but it is important to consider some basic guidelines. The most difficult challenge for introverts may be to stay alert in the streets and avoid drifting into daydreams…
Some innovative female-led local tour operators have started offering women-only tours. These tours are a great opportunity to share experiences with local Colombian women in a safe environment.
Photo: Colombia Solo Female Travel – Me in Los Nevados National Park
Colombia is one of the most progressive and liberal countries in Latin America when it comes to LGBT+ rights. Since 2016, same-sex marriage is legal in Colombia, and discrimination against LGBT+ individuals is prohibited by law. Most bigger cities, like Bogotá, Medellin, Cartagena and Cali, have vibrant LGBT+ communities and some have gay neighbourhoods (for example, Chapinero in Bogotá, also called “Chapigay”).
Attitudes towards LGBT+ people may vary, though, depending on the region and individual people. Apart from the big cities, Colombia is still quite a conservative country with the catholic church continuing to have a lot of influence.
You may want to google LGBT+ -friendly accommodations, restaurants, clubs etc. in advance.
In general, it’s safe and easy for men to travel in Colombia, provided you follow general safety advice and research the current safety situation in the specific areas you plan to visit.
However, some issues have arisen with dating platforms being misused by criminals to drug and rob men. It’s important to be cautious when using these platforms, especially in larger cities like Medellín. There are also concerns related to prostitution in areas such as El Poblado, driven by a rising demand unfortunately…
The vast majority of Colombians are wonderful, kind, and friendly people, so just be mindful and stay alert in certain areas.
Photo by Štefan Štefančík: Solo Male Travel Latin America
Last Update: November 30, 2024
Around 90% of the articles you will find on Travelhapp.com are written specifically for solo travelers in Colombia. As I have been traveling alone for more than 25 years, in my articles about destinations to visit I always try to answer the questions I have myself as a female solo traveler and often find unanswered in guide books. If you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to comment!
Here are some more articles you may find helpful for planning your solo trip to Colombia!
