As is evident from many of our recent travels, we are fans of South America. It is an amazing package of what makes wonderful travels – culture, food, outdoors, stories and poetry. And to top it all they are full of intrigue. Nowhere more than Colombia! We were looking for the next country to go to during spring break of 2022 and after not much of thinking decided on Colombia. Friends were divided between “too dangerous” to “you must go”. We are adventurous travelers and have always planned our vacation DIY but this time with a little more caution, we decided to go with Aracanto Travels. They are an excellent boutique travel firm and can very much curate a plan exclusively for the family. They are marvelous about suggesting itineraries, incorporating what we wanted and even including entire portions which were new to Aracanto. They communicated with us regularly, made bookings and kept us updated. We were really starting to like the whole idea of using travel planning services. That was just the planning and booking part. What really impressed us was the quality of services Aracanto booked for us. We had passionate local guides in Medellin and Bogota who are proud of their cities and made us feel welcome, took us to places on the plan and beyond and shared their personal stories and in the end became friends. Our birding guides in Santa Marta and Sierra Nevada were again avid birders with encyclopedic knowledge of the local area. Aracanto arranged comfortable rides and transfers for the entire trip. Most importantly, they were always there. Margoth and Felipe would answer our calls on the first ring! They were like having a local family. At the end we wished we had a little more time... but so is travel and wonder!
We flew to Bogota and connected to Medellin as our first stop. Fairly uneventful flight even in the times of Covid. We reached Medellin early in the morning and after a little confusion about arrival gates we met with our wonderful guide Manuela and driver Rafa. Medellin, like most other South American big cities follows the pattern of having a secluded area for the tourists that feels exotic and has all the amenities of home and the rest of the city.
We stayed in the area called El Poblado which is actually Communa 14 region of Medellin and the heart of the nightlife and gringo hotels and restaurants. We checked in and had a quick breakfast at the Marriott and were transported to the middle of Medellin, starting with some old colonial buildings. Walking around you won’t feel that only a few decades back this was the epicenter of drug related gang violence. This is a vibrant city with a rich past. The old, the new, the tacky, the sublime, they all collide here in the beautiful burst of colors and sounds.
We shopped around for some bracelets and local trinkets in the Plaza. Afterall what is a vacation without a little bohemian vibe. I had heard of the famous Fernando Botero and had a vague idea of his art. My first introduction to his works were at the Botero Plaza downtown with an exhibition his larger-than-life sculptures that have become a landmark of the city. It is indeed a treat to walk around his giant sculptures while sampling fruits from local vendors.
We made a stop at the Simon Bolivar plaza where we witnessed the only skirmish of our entire trip between a drunk man and what appeared to be local law enforcement and ended in the drunk man just ambling away, throwing out some cheap vulgarities!
One of the most poignant reminders of Medellin’s violent past is found at the San Antonio Plaza which houses two identical voluptuous statues of pigeons by Botero.
One of them with a hole ripped right through it from a blast and the other one intact, presented by Botero to represent more peaceful days.
From here we got on a cable car to go to one of the most unique experiences in Medellin – Communa 13. This is kind of like the favelas in Brazil, an entire city built on the incline of a mountain bursting with energy of the locals with people selling their ware, dancers, musicians and of course food vendors. To get here take the Metro Cable up to Santo Domingo, which was once a notorious area of gang violence in Medellín. The cable car was constructed to make the inner city more accessible to people from the outskirts and allows visitors a glimpse into the lives of the marginalized population.
As soon as you reach there you are in the middle of the daily life of people for whom this is home.
Manuela explained to us the music and culture that comes from this place. A large portion of Colombian music or for that matter Latin American music originates here. Maluma, J Balvin, Karol G, Sebastian Yatra – those are the names I am familiar with. There are surely many, many more who are unsung and probably as talented. We had dinner at an Argentinian stake house called La Pampa. Food was very average but the evening welcomed us with some quick showers and it was fun walking around the Poblado area.
Second day in Medellin started with a trip to the crown jewel of the Antioquia region to the lakeside town of Guatape. At some point in its history emerging from conflict a dam was built creating a massive reservoir also known as Guatape lake. From there we went to El Peñol (La Piedra Rock)and chose to work up an appetite by climbing the 740 steps to admire the view from the top.
It is not a very difficult climb but the views from the top are amazing.
Walking through the village where all houses have beautiful murals.
Afternoon we had the first tase of the quintessential Colombian meal of Bandeja Paisa. It is full meal comprising of beans, pork, rice, sausage, chorizo etc. And I fell in love with this simple but fulfilling dish.
Dinner was at Barbaro Cocina. Really good beef and some really interesting sides.
From here we started the most incredible part of our time in Colombia which is world renowned for its avian diversity. And were we in for a treat. We saw birds in three different regions and they deserve their own pages on lens and atlas.
Birds of Medellin (day 3 and 4) - The Alto de San Miguel Reserve is one of the most significant protected areas in Colombia. It is located within the life zone of the very humid low montane forest, known as cloud forest. Its 1,358 hectares range from 1,850 m to 3,050 m altitude and is one of the last refuges of endemic Andean flora and fauna. Factually, the list of detected birds includes 210 species of common, migratory, and endemic species.
Birds of Minca (day 5) - Minca is a small town 650 meters above sea level very close to Santa Marta. Minca provides the opportunity to see some of the 162 species of birds, such as toucans, macaws, up to 20 species of hummingbirds, sparrows, flycatchers, oropendolas and many others. All these birds converge in Minca because the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is the area with the highest endemism due to its geographical position.
Birds of Santa Marta (day 6 and 7) – drove high up to la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta on our journey to El Dorado Proaves Reserve. This cloud forest is home to the blade of Cerro Kennedy and Laguna Encantada, which cradles many endemic bird species, some considered endangered. We spent two days exploring and learning firsthand from our bird expert Sebastian about every bird that inhabits this area.
For day 3 and 4 we stayed at Hotel Senda Watapuy in Tayrona Region.
Incredible property with amazing amenities and a really welcoming pool. Food at their two restaurants was also great.
On day five we went to a local coffee farm La Victoria. After having visited several of them in different countries we did not have much of an expectation, but we were pleasantly surprised. The farm is over 130 years old, and the coffee was incredible. And I learned what “pergamino” really means. "Pergamino" is Spanish for dry beans in parchment. It is the silver skin or chaff that covers the beans before they are hulled!
The Proaves Reserve in El Dorado is a hidden gem in the Santa Marta region for a variety of reasons, needing a converted 4WD to get there being one of them. I was convinced that the converted Land Cruisers were from an erstwhile infamous period of Colombian history, but they do the job of navigating some near impossible inclines of the bone shaking mountain roads. We were met by our brilliant guide, Sebastian who used to be professor at the University in Bogota before taking up birding full time. With his immense passion and knowledge of the regions and the highly endemic birds, we could not have asked for more. The two days we were in the resort literally flew by between soaking in breathtaking sunsets, verdant vistas from the lodge and trying to keep up with how many birds we saw.
Day 7 started very early to witness stunning views of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta! San Lorenzo offers breath-taking views of Santa Marta’s extensive Sierra Nevada Mountain range. With a summit of 3,100 metres, the views at the top stretch for miles and showcase Colombia’s highest peaks, including Pico Simón Bolívar and Pico Cristóbal. The mountains are covered by cloud forest, making this a beautiful and unique trek. Also this cloud forest is home to the blade of Cerro Kennedy and Laguna Encantada, which cradles a large number of endemic bird species, some considered endangered.
That ended the birding part of our journey, and we headed back to Bogota. The drive back to Santa Marta airport is around 3 hours from where we took our flight to Bogota.
We were picked at the Bogota airport by our local guide Juan Davide who is a music teacher. The Residence Inn had a wonderful food court where we were able to get some good Peruvian dinner. After breakfast the next day, we were picked up from our hotel and headed to the historic City Center. Started by exploring Paloquemao Fruit Market and started to get a feel of Bogota.
There is nothing that can define a city better than its urban food and markets.
And finally we got to visit the Botero Museum and indulge in one of Latin America's most important international art collections. Even photographs cannot justify the beauty of the collection and Botero's genius. We highly recommend this place.
Walking around the neighborhood of the Candelaria, we came across some incredible graffiti.
and some more!
The last stop was taking the cable car up to the famous viewpoint of Monserrate, which features some of the finest views of Bogotá.
And that concluded our magical and yet so real tour of Colombia. It was possibly the best country we have visited in South America. Our hearts were full. And as we got on our flight back I could not help but think of the most famous Colombian - Gabriel García Márquez and his quote "What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it."
