8 days in Colombia -- where to go?

If budget allows, flying is a good way inside Colombia because transportation is not convenient. I would not advise driving. There is not much advantage over public transportation. Bus transportation is slow because of the road conditions. If you fly, I think you should limit your visit to two cities. With the amount of time you have more than two is probably stretching.

Plane travel between Cartagena and Bogota takes only an hour and a half whereas the bus probably takes a whole day. Between Bogota and Medellin it is even shorter. Again bus will take another day because both cities are in the mountains. Bogota is at 2,700m and Medellin at 1,500m.

Perhaps Bogota and Cartagena are a good combination with two distinctly different climates. Medellin is very nice also. It is a tough choice.

Cartagena is a more interesting place than Medellin. Medellin is nice but there are not too many interesting sights there so I would definitely go for Cartagena given the choice.

Cartagena Tayrona NationalparkMud vulcanoe ( time allowing)

Bogota is alright for a day or two but may want to visit/ and or stay in Villa de Leyva or some of the site/small towns outside of Bogota.

Medellin is short on sites but has a good atmosphere & nightlife. But, there is much more to do and see on the Caribbean coast. If time you may want to head for the Parque Nacional de Tayrona via Santa Marta (2-3 hrs from Cartagena).

ENJOY

I think that you are on the right track with Bogota and Cartagena...polar opposites of one another, but still Colombia. Agree that flying will maximize your time.

Villa de Leyva would have to be an overnight trip from Bogota, but really would give you a great historical small town experience (even tho it is very touristy). You could do 3 days Bogota, 2 days Villa de Leyva and 3 days in Cartagena. A closer but less impressive alternative that could be done in an easy daytrip from Bogota, would be Zipaquira. Zipaquira is still very nice, laid back & relaxed, has a famous Salt Mine Cathedral, and (in my opinion) is much more real-world that the touristiness of Villa de Leyva. Then you could do 4 days in Bogota (with day trip to Villa de Leyva), and 3 or 4 in Cartagena.

Bogota has plenty to see. I'd spend 2 days in the historica/downtown areas visiting the Gold Museum, the Botero Museum, maybe the National Museum, hiking up Monserrate and just walking around enjoying the area. Then you'd have 2 days to for other stuff like wandering the modern parts of the city, and maybe that daytrip to Zipaquira. Also if you are in Bogota over a Sunday see if somehow you can get a bike, and bike around the city (they close somthing like 200 kms of roads to traffic, but only till one or 2 pm). It's a great and very safe way to see many parts of the city and lots of locals since everyone is out biking, running & walking. Bogota Ciclovia Map Lots of little vendors set up booths along the routes.

Take sunscreen and something long sleeved. Bogota is up high enough that the sun is lethally strong even though it never gets hot out.

Cartagena is totally different, incredibly beautiful, colourful, hot, very Carribbean, and very very touristy. There are some chains of islands that would be a nice overnight escape with good beaches. Bogota and Cartagena are about as opposite as one can get within one country.

OK so the question that everyone probably asks: is it safe? I've seen lots of people say yes, and I've seen other people try to scare me away. What's the word? How safe and capable would two non-spanish speakers be?

Thanks for any help.

As long as you stick on the trail trodden by vacationing Colombians, have a good head on your shoulders you will be fine, even with minimal spanish (although you will be needing to do alot of homework along the way since "asking someone" is a bit harder. You may also be gouged a bit more becuase lack of Spanish, but that happens to everyone at varying extents.

Stick with the hostel network, take advantage of all the other folkstravelling around & the hostels for information. ie. how to get to X, how much x should cost (so you don't get gouged), what a good bus is, where you should avoid going alone after dark. If you take public transit, watch your pockets, if you take a taxi get the hostel to call it for you.

You should find it easy enough to hook up with other travellers who have better spanish skills here and there for different activities or travels together.

I presume you'll land at the El Dorado Airport in Bogota. After you leave the customs area to the outside where the taxis line up, turn back in to the rental car offices (there re only two) to seek out the tourist police. There will be tourist police in olive green uniforms in the airport. Ask to speak to one who understand English (habla ingles, por favor?). There are at least two tourist police who speak good English at El Dorado Airport (We were in Colombia this past January). Ask them anything you want about safety and Colombia in general. These two guys are young conscripts serving their term in the military, not professional soldiers. One of them worked in Cartgena for a while before joining the army.