Spend a Month in Colombia

A backpacker’s itinerary for a perfect month in Colombia

When we first decided we wanted to spend four months exploring the massive continent of South America, Colombia felt like the natural place to start. Only a quick, cheap flight from the United States, Colombia was exactly the paradise destination we had hoped for. Boasting beautiful mountains, luscious jungles, bustling cities, and endless beaches, this region truly has it all. Because navigating an entire country for any amount of time can be daunting, we wanted to share our experiences traveling in Colombia for anyone else interested in getting out there!  

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When planning our budget, we took the average of several travel blogs and aired on the higher end for a little bit of cushion. This came out to about $45 USD each per day. We were even able to remain a couple hundred dollars under budget by employing a couple of money saving tactics:

• Staying in hostel dorms: this is a great way to save money, and most hostels offer 4 bed dorms that are much more manageable for those who prefer privacy (we sometimes didn’t even have roommates in 4 bed dorms). This doesn’t mean skimping on comfort either – tons of hostels offer cozy bunk beds with curtains, reading lamps, charging outlets, and more. Plus, this allowed us to splurge on the private dorm rooms when we really wanted the extra privacy/sleep, without breaking the bank
• Cooking our own meals: many hostels have fully stocked kitchens that guests are free to use. Plus, many have grocery stores/markets nearby to stock up on groceries! Don’t expect all stores to have everything you’re accustomed too, but there were some great larger stores in Santa Marta, Medellin, and Bogota that catered to our vegetarian, gluten-free dietary restrictions. Pro Tip: Spaghetti makes a great, cheap, and filling dinner, and you can keep adding variety with different sauce and cheese mixtures, so it doesn’t get old.
• Tracking our expenses: We developed a budget tracker tool that can be applied to literally any country! We’ve done the research to inform most major travel destinations, so just update the average daily expense and time we are planning on spending there accordingly. At the end of each day, we entered the amount we had spent on key items like lodging, food, travel, etc. This allowed us to stay on top of our savings and understand where we were spending the most!  

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It is also important to note that we definitely didn’t visit “all of Colombia.” Instead, we flew into Cartagena, made our way along the northern coast, and ventured into the heart of the country to visit the cities of Medellin and Bogota. The following is a description of the route we took, activities we took part in, and budget considerations along the way.

• Cartagena (Life is Good Hostel)
  • When we arrived in Cartagena, the heat and humidity hit us as soon as they opened the airplane door. Known for its old Spanish forts and colonial era architecture, Cartagena truly is one of Colombia’s gems of the northern coast. But be warned – shade and hydration are a must!
  • Our hostel was in a neighborhood called Getsemani, an up and coming neighborhood just steps away from Cartagena’s Old City. With abundant street art and food vendors, going for walks around Getsemani was a great way to get our bearings during our first few days in Colombia.
  • While Cartagena’s Old City was certainly a treat to explore as well, be ready for a steady stream of souvenir venders offering everything from the classic white fedora to some of Colombia’s more illicit products.
  • Another thing we really enjoyed doing in Cartagena was visiting the Bazurto Market. Not particularly a standard tourist destination, this bustling marketplace is where most locals go to get fresh meat and produce. If you are visiting Cartagena and want to get away from some of the more touristy areas of the City, we definitely recommend taking a stroll to Bazurto Market.
• Santa Marta (Dreamer Hostel)
  • We took a bus from Cartagena to Santa Marta, and after a long day of travel, arrived at our hostel around 8 PM. The area was safe and crowded during the day, but we tried to be back at the hostel before dark as it was on the outskirts of town.
  • Santa Marta is a transportation hub to a ton of awesome areas in Northern Colombia. For this reason, we mostly used this as a rest destination, but we still got in some scuba diving and yoga while we were there!
• Costeño Beach (Costeño Beach Hostel)
  • Our next destination was Costeño Beach, the ultimate beach paradise. Located right outside of the mountainous jungle land of Tayrona National Park, Costeño Beach offers expansive beaches, endless hammocks, gorgeous bungalows, and stunning sunsets.
  • In the mornings and evenings, we would enjoy the beach, go for a swim, or walk along the crashing waves. During the day, however, we typically sought shelter in the shade of the hammocks and bungalows. The sun there is no joke! We were still productive though – we listened to audiobooks, went surfing, did yoga, and enjoyed their delicious menu at their onsite restaurant. 
• Minca (Finca Carpe Diem)
  • By this time, we were eager to get into some elevation to help alleviate some of the heat and humidity. We took a local bus from Costeño to Bonda, then a ~20-minute motor taxi ride with packs and all to our hostel.
  • It was so worth it! Up in the mountains, this area has gorgeous views, tons of waterfalls and streams, hikes to remnants of ancient civilizations, and much appreciated afternoon rain showers. There were also chocolate and coffee farms nearby for tours, and motor taxis ready to take you back down the mountain to get to town when you wanted!
• Taganga (La Provinciana Hostel)
  • Taganga was a great location for beach views and access to top notch scuba diving. Besides this, we did not venture beyond the hostel, and would not recommend doing so at night.
  • During the day, the main strip downtown was bustling with activity, restaurants, markets, and venders eager for gringo patronage. We were able to purchase some groceries and save some money by cook our own meals, which offset the expense of our private room with our own balcony and hammock!
  • Another important thing to note is that this is the cheapest place in the world to get certified in scuba diving! Most companies take you off the coast of Tayrona National Park, with turquoise waters and lots of sea life, it is definitely worth a try!
• Medellin (Nomad Hostel, Airbnb)
  • We absolutely love Medellin and stayed here longer than anywhere else in Colombia. Our first hostel was near the city center, a bustling area filled with culture, shopping, and of course, the metro.
  • To get our bearings we did a walking tour downtown with Real City Tours, and highly recommend it. We learned so much, and seriously enjoyed ourselves, plus we got to know where we were going, which is always a plus!
  • An important thing to note here is that the often-romanticized criminal Pablo Escobar is still a sore subject with locals, many of whom were growing up during the peak of his reign of terror. There are many Pablo-centric tourism activities, but we would caution visitors to be respectful of the pain and stigma this individual caused.
  • We spent a week refreshing on our Spanish skills at Toucan Spanish School, in El Poblado. This neighborhood is super fun and hip, with lots of young people, bars, and cafes. We opted for an Airbnb here since we were staying for an extended period and made up for the additional expense by cooking almost all our meals at home in our own kitchen!
  • We also did the graffiti tour in Comuna 13, one of the barrios in the mountains surrounding Medellin. The tour was informational and fun, and at the end we got to try our hand at graffiti! If you’re interested, we recommend booking through Toucan, since they partner with one of the few organizations that puts the money back into the community to support the artists.
• Bogota (Botanico Hostel)
  • We took an overnight bus from Medellin to Bogota. PRO TIP: BRING A BLANKET!! They really crank the AC on their buses, and if you’re not prepared it will be a difficult experience to enjoy.
  • On this trip, our bus arrived a couple of hours early, so we were dropped off around 4 AM. We headed to our hostel, which luckily had a bunch of cozy couches and fuzzy blankets, and even a resident cat to snuggle with. There were others there in a similar situation, and they let us sleep there until breakfast started!
  • Once we woke up, we explored downtown and went to the Museo del Oro, which features a ton of amazing artifacts from ancient civilizations (like 2000 BC). Pro tip: this museum is free on Sundays, but this also means there are extra families and screaming children to deal with, so pick your poison!

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We hope this helps any future adventurers to get out there! For more information and pictures, check us out on Instagram @outthere_travels. Happy traveling!