The capital of Colombia at almost 9000 feet above sea level is going to surprise you, it can be winter in the morning and summer in the afternoon. Remember it’s Colombia, not Columbia.
To better understand the climate two things affect the weather, the high altitude and the location close to the equator. Because of the altitude, it’s cold but being so much closer to the sun, on a clear day you will feel the heat of the sun and you can get sunburned easily. If you are a redhead walk from shade to shade 🙂
Bogotá and the metropolitan area have around 11 million people. Larger than Chicago or any city in the United States besides LA or New York City. Transportation is available to any corner of the city but very difficult to navigate for a tourist without the language, however, keep in mind that rush hour in Bogota runs 24 hours a day, if you plan to go someplace a few blocks away I recommend you walk, you will get there faster just don’t forget your oxygen tank. For more information on transportation read on.
At the airport
So first thing first, what should you wear? For one thing, don’t show up at the airport in shorts and flip-flops. If it’s cold, raining, and dark you will regret it. Don’t be a gringo, wear regular clothes, pants and bring a warm jacket.
Now that we got that out of the equation let’s talk about what not to say. You will be questioned by immigration about the purpose of your trip, I know you are going on vacation because you can’t wait to see this beautiful country everyone talks about, but immigration doesn’t know that, avoid any comments about drug lords, kidnappings or Pablo Escobar unless part of your vacation is to see some of the hidden treasures of the airport for couple days which includes a free return ticket to your country.
Money Exchange
You don’t need to take a lot of cash, ATM are widely available. Change enough at the airports to last you a couple of days while you get your bearings, and if you don’t get your bearings, bargain, cheat, and steal, just kidding, just bargain. How much is enough, I would say US$100, is enough for a taxi and a few meals for a couple of days, if you are a big spender then US$100 is still enough because any place you go probably takes credit cards, except for your limo driver.
Taxis – Uber – Car rental – Hotel chauffeur
If you are staying at a hostel, Airbnb, or small hotel you probably will take a taxi to your destination, don’t hail a taxi outside the airport, you do need to go outside but request an official taxi inside the airport, if someone offers you a ride at a discount make sure is your grandmother otherwise ignore it. At this writing, Uber still not license to operate in Colombia but they are available, however, it’s tricky to get one at the airport, you may need to wait in a dark alley by the baggage handlers in order to get picked up and if you manage to get one remember to sit in the front seat, you need to look like a relative instead of a passenger. I recommend getting picked up on the departure floor rather than the arrival. Bigger hotels will contract you a driver to pick you up if you request one, do it before you start your trip, if you get one of these drivers you will know who it is by the sign with your name on a board as you exit customs, it will be the driver next to the other 100 drivers and 500 people waiting for their love ones, usually Russian brides.
I know some of you are on such a tight budget that you already decided that you are going to take a bus or the Transmilenio, another form of transportation, so here is the rundown on those, DON’T, but if you must, avoid the rush hour and good luck. If you manage to get on the Transmilenio because you are a savvy traveler, keep your money and your passport in your underwear, your phone in your front pocket, and your backpack in front and don’t be surprised when you get to your destination if you don’t have your money or your passport. This is not to scare you but to make you conscious that you are traveling to a country with a very high poverty rate and people will lie steal and cheat to get their next meal. If you take a bus then I’m not going to worry because you already lived in Bogotá for years and you get around well but if you don’t and you hop on a bus, let us know how it went so we can have a laugh.
The hotel and where to stay
Where in the city should you stay? Pick a hotel in the historic city center around the Candelaria area, anywhere else you will find yourself traveling to the historic center because is where most of the tourist attractions are. Avoid hotels by the airport, hotels on the north side of the city are great but far and hotels on the south side of the city are reserved for travelers who work in the oldest profession. Airbnb’s are great but study the MAP well to understand how far you are from anywhere. To cover a mile in Bogotá in rush hour or when it rains, can take 30 minutes.
The city map and historic city center
To better understand the layout of the city and where you are here is an easy way to navigate. For the most part, the city is divided into squares, there are a lot of exceptions but let’s ignore them. If you are looking at the mountains, that is east, to your left is north, and to your right is going south. Streets starting at the city center increase by 1 block going north, they are called CALLE therefore Calle 20 is twenty blocks north of the city center. Streets running east to west are called CARRERAS, Carrera 1 starts somewhere in the mountains and runs towards the west 1 block at a time, therefore Carrera 25 is about twenty-five blocks away from the mountains. I don’t want to confuse you too much but a street on the south side will be called 20S or twenty blocks south of the city center. As a first-time tourist, you shouldn’t be hanging out in any place in the city on the south side. Unless you are very familiar with the city, most bad neighborhoods reside in the south.
The circle is the historic city center, the rectangle is considered the area you should confine your stay. I would not recommend traveling outside the rectangle without knowledge. From the circle area to the north side or Usaquen can take you anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes, and sometimes two hours during rush hour.
The City Center
What to see
There are two things in Bogotá you can’t skip, the Gold Museum and Monserrate. The Gold Museum, Museo de Oro, is the largest gold museum collection in the world. Beyond these two attractions, there is plenty to see, Botero’s museum for art lovers, the presidential palace for historians, keep in mind you need a reservation in advance, and the Salt Cathedral for everyone. This Cathedral is a must-see but it’s an hour outside of the city. See the tourist train below. You can also do walking tours or bicycle tours in Bogotá, Bogotá has hundreds of miles of bicycle paths.
The Gold Museum
The museum was established in 1939 to preserve the gold objects before the pre-Spanish conquest of the Americas. There are over 34,000 pieces of ornate gold pieces used by the natives. The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday 9 am to 6 pm and you can rent audio-guided books in English or Spanish.
According to the museum, ” Legend says that there was once a place in the South American continent where everything was made of gold. Many 16th-century Europeans, obsessed with the legend of El Dorado, traveled great distances searching for its hidden treasures.
Of course, they never did find it. However, they did find many indigenous chieftains adorned with nose rings, breastplates, and other metal accessories.
They also heard rumors about a chieftain so rich that he used gold powder to adorn himself in place of baubles. It was said that he shone like the sun.
This legendary, gold-coated chieftain who sailed a raft to the center of a lake, was the one from Guatavita. And that, it seems, was the El Dorado sought for so desperately by explorers, and so masterfully represented in the Muisca Raft gold figure that you can view in the Gold Museum.“
Monserrate
Monserrate is the cathedral you see on the mountaintop. Since Bogotá is already almost at 9000 feet, 2600 meters, going to Monserrate the first day after you arrive is not recommended unless you are a visitor from the Himalayas and you already survive without oxygen.
The Salt Cathedral
The Salt Cathedral is outside the city, there are tours to go there but the best way is to take the tourist train, (Tren Turistico de la Sabana) it’s a full-day adventure, a very slow locomotive will traverse the whole city traveling north thru the Sabana plains, and drop you in the town of Zipaquira where you can walk to the salt mine, see the cathedral for couple hours before you walk back to take the train back to the city. If you miss the train just follow the train tracks going south.
NOTE: The tourist trains only run on the weekends and holidays, make sure you take the train going to Zipaquira, not Nemocon.
Salt Cathedral
