Wondering why, when & where?
Welcome back! Hope you're all well and healthy and ready for another post. After several long weeks of reading about our Georgian adventure, here comes the new country - and the new adventures - Colombia! We don't really have a bucket list (I have a secret one :D) but if we did, Colombia'd be there for sure. It seems like a natural step forward after Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica to move more south and to get to know if all's the same or different.
When you compare Colombia to Costa Rica or its neighbouring Panama it's much larger and therefore much more diverse. From the Amazonas to the big cities with skyscrapers and amazing beaches - we did it all! We had two weeks planned which (obviously) means not enough time to see everything so we needed to decide and narrow things down. And this is what we came up with:
Day 1 // arrived in Bogota
Day 2 // Bogota to Leticia and then to Mocagua
Day 2 - Day 5 // Mocagua
Day 5 // Mocagua to Leticia, then Leticia to Bogota and then Bogota to Medellin
Day 5 - Day 8 // Medellin
Day 8 // Medellin to Cartagena
Day 8 - Day 9 // Cartagena
Day 9 // Cartagena to Isla Baru
Day 9 - Day 13 // Isla Baru
Day 13 // Isla Baru to Cartagena and then Cartagena to Bogota
Day 13 - Day 14 // Bogota
Day 2 // Bogota to Leticia and then to Mocagua
Day 2 - Day 5 // Mocagua
Day 5 // Mocagua to Leticia, then Leticia to Bogota and then Bogota to Medellin
Day 5 - Day 8 // Medellin
Day 8 // Medellin to Cartagena
Day 8 - Day 9 // Cartagena
Day 9 // Cartagena to Isla Baru
Day 9 - Day 13 // Isla Baru
Day 13 // Isla Baru to Cartagena and then Cartagena to Bogota
Day 13 - Day 14 // Bogota
You get me now, don't you? Lots of flights, packing and unpacking but also lots of expeditions, fun and experiences. The great thing was that we managed to score an airport hotel in Bogota where we left our checked bags and therefore we were able to go to Mocagua with our hand luggage only (Bonvoy points came in handy with this one!). Other than that, we also booked Business class on all national flights (the difference was only 10 EUR/person/flight) so we had priority check-ins and so on - very much appreciated with 4 suitcases and so many flights. Also, as we learned later, the national flights are pretty crowded so we saved many hours queuing at the airports.
As I already told you we had booked an airport hotel in Bogota where we only slept for 1 night but most of our luggage "slept" there for 5 nights. In the meantime, we stayed in an amazing homestay/hostel in Mocagua. There was a fancier alternative nearby but we figured it might have been more authentic in this one. They both offered more or less the same activities so there was no point in booking the more expensive one. And on top of that, we were able to book an amazing treehouse so it was a no-brainer.
In Medellin, we had the pleasure of staying at the same hotel as some (or other) football team #starstruck. :D We chose a "seaside" hotel in Cartagena where they upgraded us to a garden room which basically meant our room was right next to the road with people walking in the "garden" and it also meant that after exiting the hotel it took 3 minutes to get away from sand being blown everywhere. Also, considering they opened the hotel last year, it most definitely had no "brand-new" vibe. No complaints, though, we only spent 1 night there.
The other reason why we did not mind this particular hotel was that we knew very well where we were going from Cartagena. An amazing, beach-front house in the middle of nowhere that meant 4 days of doing nothing with our minds occupied only with applying enough sunscreen.
After that, we had some time to explore Bogota a bit and without knowing how that happened - because it had all went by so fast - we were back in Europe and back among mask-covered people. We were lucky to return quite early in March when the restrictions (travel and other) had not been in place. Therefore we were neither required to self-isolate nor to be tested. Despite that, we stayed at home with no symptoms or complications - which allowed us to deal with the washing and ironing more efficiently (that's a housewife in me talking :D).
I hope that our posts (also older ones) will inspire you and maybe get you to plan your next vacation when everything will have calmed down. Stay positive, stay safe and make the most of your time now! And if you want to be inspired some more, come back in two weeks and you can read about our three days spent in the Amazon rainforest! C U there!
As I already told you we had booked an airport hotel in Bogota where we only slept for 1 night but most of our luggage "slept" there for 5 nights. In the meantime, we stayed in an amazing homestay/hostel in Mocagua. There was a fancier alternative nearby but we figured it might have been more authentic in this one. They both offered more or less the same activities so there was no point in booking the more expensive one. And on top of that, we were able to book an amazing treehouse so it was a no-brainer.
In Medellin, we had the pleasure of staying at the same hotel as some (or other) football team #starstruck. :D We chose a "seaside" hotel in Cartagena where they upgraded us to a garden room which basically meant our room was right next to the road with people walking in the "garden" and it also meant that after exiting the hotel it took 3 minutes to get away from sand being blown everywhere. Also, considering they opened the hotel last year, it most definitely had no "brand-new" vibe. No complaints, though, we only spent 1 night there.
The other reason why we did not mind this particular hotel was that we knew very well where we were going from Cartagena. An amazing, beach-front house in the middle of nowhere that meant 4 days of doing nothing with our minds occupied only with applying enough sunscreen.
After that, we had some time to explore Bogota a bit and without knowing how that happened - because it had all went by so fast - we were back in Europe and back among mask-covered people. We were lucky to return quite early in March when the restrictions (travel and other) had not been in place. Therefore we were neither required to self-isolate nor to be tested. Despite that, we stayed at home with no symptoms or complications - which allowed us to deal with the washing and ironing more efficiently (that's a housewife in me talking :D).
I hope that our posts (also older ones) will inspire you and maybe get you to plan your next vacation when everything will have calmed down. Stay positive, stay safe and make the most of your time now! And if you want to be inspired some more, come back in two weeks and you can read about our three days spent in the Amazon rainforest! C U there!