Escape to Colombia: Bogotá & Medellín (Pt.I)

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by AfricanBerberWoman
Colombia 9-17 March 2018

Escape to Colombia: Bogotá & Medellín (Pt. I)

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An unforgettable week in Colombia, a place which left me with a love-hate feeling. I loved Colombia so much that I hated not having more time to discover it better.

For Spring break we decided to join the Colombia trek organised by a group of HBS Colombian students. Thanks to these amazing HBS Colombians we discovered and experienced the real Colombia.

I enjoyed everything about this trip: the culture, the friendly people, the cities, the weather, the delicious food, the parties, and last but not least making friends and meeting wonderful people.

Since I have so many places to show you in Colombia I decided to split posts into different parts.

Here is the first part I hope you enjoy it ❤

We flew to Bogota from Boston and started our trip staying at Estelar Parque De La 93 Hotel, which is a nice five stars hotel located in a great location in Bogota.

First morning started perfectly: breakfast at the hotel, then a conference with the Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos, who kindly welcomed us in his palace and explained us the development of Colombia. Then, the best part is when the Chivas (Traditional party bus) came to pick us up from the president’s palace. That was so much fun.

We partied in the Chivas all the way to Andres Carne De Res which is one of the best restaurants in Colombia, where we had amazing Colombian dishes. We had lunch there and drinks, then we headed to a private party hosted by Andres & Don Julio at a country house. The party lasted until 2 am but at 1am I was already done. Too much for the first day, so we headed back to the hotel to get some rest.

The next morning we were supposed to get up early to visit downtown, but after that party, we dosed out. At least we woke up to catch our flight to Medellin. We contented ourselves by watching the city from the bus. It would have been great to walk in the streets of Bogota, but it’s fine because I had other cities to enjoy.

Next up on the trip was Medellin, “The City of Eternal Spring”, which is a very beautiful city located in the Aburra Valley. We arrived in the evening at 8pm, we checked in at the hotel (Estelar), we dropped our bags in the room, changed and went out for dinner in a place called El Mercado Del Río. It was so fun to see so many options in one place, the variety, the taste, all very good. Overall the market had a great vibe.

The next day the plan was to climb Guatape rock, visit the colorful town in Guatape and a boat party. It was a long promising day.

At 7am we left the hotel, it took us one hour and half to arrive to Guatape. We got unlucky with the weather it rained for the first two hours but then it got sunny. We started by climbing the rock ( El Peñón de Guatapé ) 740 Stairs to get to the top, but it was totally worth it. The views are definitely spectacular, leaving you speechless.

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We spent a couple of hours there, then we went to walk in the streets of the colorful town. I definitely recommend you to spend a few hours wandering around the streets. It’s a cute, colorful, clean and safe place. Plaza de Zocalos was my favorite part of the town,which is this pretty little square where you can enjoy rich coffee from one of the ladies in town, there are also some shops if you want to pick up some souvenirs.

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After Climbing El Peñon de Guatape and wondering in the streets of the colorful town, it was time to have lunch and then start the boat party.

The boat carried us through lakes and mountains while we partied all the afternoon. I felt so grateful to be there partying surrounded by the beauty of that incredible landscape.

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It was such a funny and adventurous day. Guatapé was a safe and friendly community to explore. Add it to your bucket list, no doubt!

This was my first day in Medellin! In the next post I’ll share with you places I visited the second day. Stay tuned.

I love Colombia ❤

45 thoughts on “Escape to Colombia: Bogotá & Medellín (Pt.I)”

  3. Your photos are fantastic. We were in Colombia just a few weeks ago and loved it as well. I’m so jealous of you getting to Andres Carne De Res. Unfortunately we were unable to go but reading your blog has made me think we made a big mistake. We will just have to go back sometime.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. The colours are absolutely amazing! I wouldn’t know where to look! And those stairs zig zagging on the side of the mountain looks awesome. Looks like you thoroughly enjoyed your adventure:)

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Those stairs and those views – wow. I’d have to really think hard about climbing those even though the view looked amazing. I really enjoyed all the colorful pictures of the town too. It looks like such a fun place and full of personality. Thanks for the article.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. I love your super amazing photographs. Everything about this place looks incredibly beautiful. The hypnotic natural beauty, the colourful streets and vehicles, the wall paintings – everything is just wow!! 740 Stairs to get to the top – really? But the views are definitely to die for. Thanks for sharing this lovely post. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Columbia has long been penned in my bucket list, but I haven’t gotten a chance to come here. Truly, the best way to explore one place is in the eyes of locals. I’m glad that you were able to join the group of students who organized the tour. I love the panoramic view of Guatape that have made me speechless. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. I’d definitely love to explore Colombia as your photos make the entire place look so vibrant and energetic. I’d love to admire those picturesque photos of the beautiful landscapes from above as well! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  16. I am kicking myself because I skipped this area because my family was paranoid. Im going to re-book now… lol great photos and looks like an amazing time!
    Thanks for posting this!
    Dee

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Absolutely stunning views from the top of El Peñón de Guatapé! I guess the climb was totally worth it. And I love the colourful streets and houses there. People seem to love decorating their houses. It is such a lovely visual treat – makes everything more fun and interesting.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Colombia is such a great place to visit! I have only been to Bogota and Barranquilla but from this post I know wish even more that I visit Medellin. That rock looks like quite the hike but what a beautiful view!

    Liked by 1 person

  22. The view and your pictures from the top of Guatape rock is just amazing. I wonder if I have such stamina to climb 700 stairs! Colombian town is beautiful and I love to explore the markets of every place I visit. Boat party sounds so exciting! I am looking forward to visiting all these places when I get to visit Columbia.

    Liked by 1 person

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