2 weeks in Colombia without much planning or prebooking
Replies: 5 - Last Post: Feb 20, 2013 2:00 AM Last Post By: sancarlos903
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2 weeks in Colombia without much planning or prebooking
We're going to Colombia on our honeymoon for 2 weeks from the 27th May. We're starting to wonder if the best approach is to just go there with a rough idea of where we want to go but not actually nail down an itinerary or book any accommodation/flights/activities, etc apart from the first night in Bogota.How well does Colombia lend itself to this sort of plan? As a bit of background my fianceé speaks decent Spanish and we did something similar in Cuba a few years ago and it worked well. Specifically:
1. On arriving somewhere is it relatively easy to find cheap accommodation without having booked?
2. Do internal flights often get fully booked or very expensive close to departure?
3. Does the Lost City trek need to be booked in advance? Is the price the same if you turn up on the day? We want to do the 4 day trek.
4. Would a very rough itinerary of Bogota -> San Gil -> Santa Marta -> Lost City -> Tayrona -> Cartagena -> Somewhere -> Bogota be feasible over 2 weeks given our approach?
5. Are hostels/hotels generally helpful with finding out bus times or somewhere to stay in the next destination, etc? i.e. is there a similar network that we encountered in Cuba?
Thanks in advance for your help.
1
1- If u arrive to Bogota´ it´s better to reserve an accomodation by internet...the city is big and u need to know where to go, same as medellin....I suggest for cheap accomodation in safe places north opart of chapinero(around calle 69-70) for bogota´and poblado en medellin...there u can find good hostels and walk around at night without anyproblem....2-I suggest u to check vivacolombia or lan , are normally cheaper than avianca....the fullyness(?) is up to the enjoy destination as everywhere in the world...anyway the fliught connections are excellent and anywhere there is an airport
3-I ve never been ...i don´t know but a friend of mine didn't reserve
4-I personbally think u don´t have time....this is a one month travel...anyway all these places deserves a visit
5-depends.....anyway forget cuba because it doesnt hace anything to do with colombia......as a system I mean.....
this is depends too by the hostels where u go...
enjoy colombia
2
Hi,If your girlfriend speak Spanish, it will be more easy to travel and arrange accommodations/activities day after day.
1) Yes, easy even if sometimes you will not find a room in the hotel/hostel expected.
2) I didn't use internal flight.
3) I didn't go there
4) Yes and no. Yes for Bogota to Bogota via Cartagena if you are using internal flight to coming back to Bogota. But it could be not so feasible if you stay for "a long time" at (most of) some places. You need time to travel and need time to visit. Maybe, you will need to skip some parts (or reduce the timing) to be "just in time".
5) Yes and most of them are very helpful
Michel
3
1. I would always book somewhere on my first night. If you're arriving at night after a long flight it's definitely worth it. Almost all hostels in the places you're planning to visit can be booked online so it's easier than just turning up. We stayed at Masaya Hostel in La Candelaria, which is beautiful and more like a boutique hotel. The area is safe to walk around in during the day, though you need a taxi a night.2. When we were there at Christmas (high season) we'd heard from others that flights were booked out and got more expensive. Viva Colombia and Easyfly are good cheap airlines though.
3. You definitely don't need to book in advance. You can book one day and leave for the tour the next. The price is the same whenever you book and for how long. We booked for 5 but ended up only doing 4. 4 is quite tough but doable.
4. We did this exact trip, plus a week extra altogether in Medellin and Salento in 4 weeks. I would consider this a bit rushed for 2 weeks, especially if you're going to do the Lost City, but if you're happy with not having much beach / down time, it's fine. I would really recommend Salento over San Gil if you're open for alternatives. San Gil is fine if you're planning on doing a lot of adventure stuff, but otherwise there's little attraction there.
5. Don't know about Cuba but loads of hostels have links to loads of other hostels in other towns and cities and would surely be happy to book something for you (though as I said pretty much all can be booked online these days) and they will certainly always book your bus tickets for you as far as possible.
Have a great time!
4
Masaya hostel is the best in candelaria but candelaria is very unsafe since 5p.m...and all the nightlife is in the north part including mostly of theatres....u can go to candelaria in the morning, u can visit it and come back to che place u decide to stay in...best poart of bogota isn't absolutely candelaria and people who lives in bogota knows it perfectly...
5
Hi, in many places people doesn't speak English very well or at all, so if your girlfriend speak Spanish your are ok even for day by day arrangements.1 - I strongly recommend to book an accomodation before the departure, find one at arrival day is not impossible but may present some difficulties and pay much more especially in case of night arrivals.
2 - Generally the fully booked internal filights are the first and the last of the day
3 - Book in place, after talking with local people for personal security info.
4 - Probably you don´t have enough time for all this tour
5 - Definitely yes
Have fun !
