Discover practical Colombia travel know-how and find answers to frequently asked questions to ensure a smooth journey from start to finish. Here are the most important things to know before traveling to Colombia alone.
Colombia travel requirements depend on your nationality. If you are a citizen of one of the many countries Colombia has visa exemption agreements with, you only need your passport to enter the country for tourism; a tourist visa is not required. These countries include, for example, North American countries, European countries and Australia. You must complete Migración Colombia’s free Online Check-Mig Form latest 1 hour before boarding an international inbound or outbound flight.
With your passport, you can stay 90 days in Colombia as a tourist with the possibility of a one-time extension of another 90 days, meaning you can stay up to 180 days per year in total.
You can ask Migración Colombia for an extension via their online form (select “Permiso Temporal de Permanencia para Prorrogar Permanencia”). Please keep in mind that you need to apply for this extension before your current permit expires (for example 10 days before). You can do this without worries since the extension will be attached to your first permit duration.
In the rare case that your application for an extension is rejected, you can immediately submit another one. (Sometimes decisions depend on the individual official reviewing your application and a new submission may get you to another person…) In case you don’t hear back from Migración Colombia it’s better to physically go to the nearest migration office with your “radicado” (a number you receive after submitting the online form) before your permit expires to confirm your request in person.
If you are doing a South America round trip, you can also leave Colombia and enter again at a later time until you reach your 180 days.
Photo by Travelhapp, A & B plugs Colombia
Spanish is the main language spoken by the majority of Colombians. On the islands of San Andres and Providencia , in addition to Spanish, also local languages and English are spoken. Indigenous people in Colombia have their own languages, like beautiful Wayuunaiki of the Wayuu people in La Guajira. There are over 60 indigenous languages in Colombia.
Be aware that English is not widely spoken in Colombia yet, though a lot of people, especially in regions that receive tourism, are eager to learn and practice.
We strongly recommend to you to learn some spanish words, also because this will allow you to get in much deeper contact with locals and better understand and cherish Colombian culture. Here are some recommended books, apps, websites and YouTube channels:
Travel phrasebooks, for example Pons Reise-Sprachführer Spanisch in German and Lonely Planet Latin American Dictionary and Phrasebook in English. There are also some free phrasebook apps.
Duolingo (Duolingo for iPhone and Duolingo for Android)
Brainscape Flashcards (Brainscape for Android, Brainscape for iPhone)
Easy Spanish on YouTube. Fun and useful lessons by some fantastic Mexican guys and girls
Photo by Carlos Andrés Ruiz Palacio Colombian Pesos (mod.)
It’s easy to find ATMs for withdrawing money with international credit cards in Colombian cities. In remote areas it may be difficult, so make sure to withdraw enough money before traveling there.
When you get money at an ATM, there may be two types of fees: a fee from your credit/debit/Maestro card issuer, and a fee from the Colombian bank. There are some credit card issuers that offer international withdrawal without a fee, for example Free Mastercard Gold by Advanzia Bank and DKB Visa Card in Germany, or the US Charles Schwab Card.
ATM fees from Colombian banks typically vary between 15.000 and 25.000 COP (approximately 3-6 EUR or USD). Which banks charge an ATM fee and how much may change rapidly in Colombia! It’s important to double-check when you are about to withdraw money. The ATM Fee Saver app for Android and iOS is a great way to stay up to date in this rather confusing world of Colombian ATM Fees.
You can change money in Colombia at authorized currency exchange offices, for example at the airport or in tourist areas. They typically offer competitive rates, however it makes sense to compare the rates and fees from several providers when changing money to make sure you get a good deal. You usually must show your passport to be able to exchange money in Colombia.
In Colombian restaurants, cafes and bars you are usually asked if you want to include a 10% service charge; an additional tip is not expected. You would normally accept this service charge unless there was really something wrong with the service. Tips in other places are not commonly expected, but if you do want to tip, 10-15% is a good orientation.
If you want to tip your tour guide, you may consider tipping 10-20% of the total tour cost, if it’s a free tour 20.000 – 40.000 COP is a good orientation (depending on length and quality of the tour). Read more about tour in our Experiences section.
In many parts of Colombia it is not advisable to drink tap water. Normally it is safe to drink tap water in Bogotá, Manizales and a few other major cities. Please ask your local hosts for details. Be aware that your organism might react differently than the one of locals, so in case you notice gastrointestinal problems, better don’t continue drinking tap water, even if you are in a “safe city”.
Most common health issues while traveling in Colombia are diarrhea (“diarrea” in Spanish) and altitude sickness (“mal de las alturas” in Spanish).
To compensate for your electrolyte loss after diarrhoea you can ask for an electrolyte drink (“suero” or “Pedialyte”) in the pharmacy. The taste is something to get used to, but “Flor de Jamaica” and “Manzana” from the brand Electrolit are not too bad.
To prevent altitude sickness, you should drink a lot of water and avoid heavy food. Coca tea is very effective at preventing and fighting altitude sickness. In Colombia coca tea is not sold in supermarkets but you can get it in tourist-oriented shops, for example in La Candelaria, the historic center of Bogotá.
As a remedy for almost anything Colombians recommend “aguapanela con limón” (or “agua de panela con limón”), hot sugar water with lemon. Panela is a traditional raw organic brown sugar that has been used in Colombia long before refined white sugar. You should try it no matter if you feel sick or not, because it is delicious. We love agua de panela with ginger and cinnamon (agua de panela con jengibre y canela)!
In case you need to see a doctor or go to a hospital, medical service in Colombia is usually good, especially in the bigger cities.
Photo by Nelson Rodz, Transmilenio Bus in Bogotá (mod.), Unsplash
Traveling alone by bus is easy in Colombia. Buses in cities and overland buses are cheap in Colombia. For example city bus tickets inside Bogota and Santa Marta cost about 2000/2500 COP per ride.
A bus trip from Bogota to Medellin (7-10 hours) costs about 60.000-100.000 COP, depending on the bus company and route. The following websites and apps are excellent for checking overland connections:
Rome2Rio (Website and App)
Redbus Colombia (Website with online booking option)
Uber and similar services (Didi, Cabify, etc.) are not legal in Colombia but commonly used. They are considered as safe and often recommended by locals. Taxi services used to have a bad reputation, but security has improved a lot in recent years, Official taxis are yellow, have a license number and taximeters. Still it’s recommended to rather call a taxi than hail it in the street.
Generally these transport services are quite cheap in Colombia. Prices of taxis and alternative services are comparable. The minimum taxi fare is around 6.000 COP.
Here are some sample rates for a general orientation. Prices may vary due to weather, time of the day and traffic:
Bogota airport to city center/Chapinero (15 km): ca. 50.000 COP (ca. 30 min with low-medium traffic)
7 km min ride within the city: ca. 10.000 COP (ca. 15 min with low-medium traffic)
Flights inside of Colombia are very affordable, at least between popular destinations. Flights to more remote areas may be more expensive and less regular.
Avianca: Cheap and decent service, reasonable baggage allowances. Destinations include Bogotá, Medellín, Santa Marta, Cartagena, Quibdó, Cali, Bucaramanga, Pereira, Barranquilla, etc.
Wingo: Budget airline covering popular tourist destinations like Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Cartagena, Cali, Barranquilla, Santa Marta, San Andrés, Armenia and Pereira.
Latam: Similar rates as Avianca. Destinations include Bogotá, Medellín, Santa Marta, Cartagena, Cali, San Andrés, etc.
Satena: Great for smaller destinations all over Colombia, like Bahía Solano, San José del Guaviare, Providencia, Leticia, La Macarena, etc. See routes
TAC: several smaller destinations, like Bahía Solano (Chocó)
Clic (formerly Easyfly): Regional destinations like Armenia, Manizales, Popayán, Quibdó, Mompox, etc.
Colombia offers a wide range of accommodations for all budgets and the prices for single rooms are very solo traveler-friendly. The most important thing is taking your time to investigate about the neighborhood of your accommodation and pay attention to user comments regarding the area, especially the ones of female solo travelers, if you are a woman traveling alone.
Once you have settled in, it’s best to ask local people about the routes to take when walking around. In bigger cities we recommend to always take a taxi or a service like Uber, Didi, Cabify or InDriver at night.
If you like to have a private room for yourself, in our experience in big cities like Bogotá and Medellin AirBnBs often provide a better price-quality ratio compared to hostels or cheap hotels. You can get really amazing rooms when you pay just a little bit extra, so it’s worth checking what’s available slightly beyond your usual budget. Read more about planning your travel budget in our Colombia Solo Travel Guide.
Photo by Travelhapp, Houses in Bogotá
Last Update: November 29, 2024
Image Credit: Title image on top by Jorge Gardner (Unsplash), Colombia flag (mod.)
