We had a four day stay in a small hotel in the old town area of Cartagena whilst we waited for the van to be released at the port. It’s only a one day sail from Colon, Panama to Cartagena but there are several days either side whilst the van sits in the ports undergoing inspections and customs procedures.
Whilst it’s a pain to be without our home, it did mean that we had time to explore more than we might have done if we’d been in the van.
The Old Town area of Cartagena is vibrant and filled with shops,bars and decent (and reasonably priced) restaurants. We followed a self guided walking tour to see some of the city.
Getsemani is an area of the city once renowned for criminal activity but which has now reinvented itself as a hip hotspot. The streets are adorned with huge murals and various items hanging from strings across them. Of course we had to stop for coffee there, something we did several times a day in Cartagena!
The hilltop fortress of San Felipe de Barajas dominates the Cartagena skyline and is considered to be one of the finest examples of colonial constructions by the Spanish. It’s a large sprawling fortress with a large network of tunnels underneath the structure to allow movement between areas without being seen.
After picking up the van and putting everything back in place and a visit to Mercedes for routine maintenance, we headed out to the Pacific coast. This proved to be an expensive stop and we didn’t notice the low hanging tree branch as we drove on to the site and proceeded to wreck the skylight over the bed!
We’ve been carrying a sheet of Perspex since leaving the UK and it finally came in handy! A quick repair saw us almost watertight (soon rectified to fully watertight after a downpour!) and yet again, the heat sent us scurrying back to the mountains.
We took a bit of a white knuckle ride through the centre of Medellin before making the steep climb up to Al Bosque which is about 4,000ft above the city. We didn’t explore too much of Medellin as the city is strung out along a valley and the walking tour we followed was centred on one area and only took about 90 minutes. This did leave us plenty of time to meet up with a former colleague of Bob who now lives in the city.
One thing Medellin does have is a good Metro system which also includes the cable cars which take you up the hills surrounding the city. You need to buy a rechargeable card (we only needed one between us) and it’s a cheap and efficient way to get around.
We got very excited as we were leaving Medellin and spotted IKEA on the map. We didn’t really need anything but opportunity to get meatballs was too good to ignore but we were sadly disappointed as the only parking was underground with a maximum height of 2.20m.
Our next stop at the El Recuerdo Coffee Farm helped to quell the disappointment from the previous day. This was a real gem hosted by Don Carlos, a real gentleman and farmer. We took the coffee tour (cost COP45,000 per person)around the plantation where they aim to be as close to organic as they can. They grow fruit and other trees to help with the coffee – both the pollination and protection of the plants by attracting bees and other insects.
The colectivo service stops right outside the plantation and for COP4,000 the jeep will take you right into the centre of Salento. It’s worth doing just for the ride itself but the town also has a few shops and restaurants. The “Menu del Día” is a cheap and filling option offered by several restaurants.
We had originally planned to visit the Corcora Valley which is famous for its giant wax palms, the national tree of Colombia, but at El Recuerdo we were given the details of a local guide, also called Carlos, and we took his trip to La Carbonera instead.
The Carbonera Valley is home to more of these palms than Corcora and we had a great day out with Carlos and his driver, Tio. This wasn’t a cheap trip at COP250,000 each (about £95) but it was a full day having been collected at 8.30am and returning at about 6pm and included lunch. It also saved any wear and tear on the van as the road was mostly mud and gravel and included areas with steep gradients.
La Bonanza camping is one of THE places to stop on the Pan-American and is run by Kika and Anouar, a couple of travellers originally from Morocco who made Columbia their home. We missed Kika as she was away at the time but Anouar is a great host and cook – we shared a selection of his delicious tagines one night with Karen and Adrian, a Swiss couple also doing the Pan-Am but going in the opposite direction to us.
We extended our stay at La Bonanza to ensure we could visit the indigenous market in the nearby town of Silvia. Anouar drove us into town, took us around a few places and gave us a map and information before leaving us to explore on our own.
The area is famous for strawberries and we visited a house which grows them hydroponically. They have a large veranda and gardens where you can sample the fruits with cream.
The Santuario de Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Las Lajas was our last stop in Colombia and is probably one of the most photographed places in Colombia.
It is possible to drive there but we took the cable car from higher up in the valley as we could stay there overnight. The church is free to enter but the cable car costs COP32,000 per person for a return trip.
General info
Diesel approx COP11,000 per gallon (converts to 56p a litre!).
The exchange rate was around COP5,400 to £1 at time of visit.
The main PanAmerican highway is often no more than a two lane road through the mountains and is used by trucks so adventurous overtaking is the norm. City driving is manic to say the least! Tolls are common but not massively expensive – it cost us just over £80 to cover the full length of the country.
The coast is hot and humid so head to the mountains for more comfortable nights.
For shipping information please see our separate post. It wasn’t until we started putting the van back together after shipping that we realised it had been broken into at some point in the process, probably on the docks. The kitchen window had been forced open and the main lock on the hab door had been damaged where they tried to get in that way. It was partly our fault as you are told to put everything away out of sight and we’d left a small speaker visible but it’s frustrating that this is considered just part and parcel of the shipping process.
Campsites used
Camping El Manantial, Turbaco: COP50,000 pn grassy parking area on a small farm run by Graham, a Brit who has lived in Colombia for over 40 years. Basic showers and toilets on site. Shops are a tuktuk ride away and a delivery of (expensive) LPG can be arranged. A great first/final stop in Colombia due to its proximity to the port.
Casa Del Mar, Tolu: COP60,000 pn (COP50,000 without hook up). Parking is on a grassy area (wet and muddy when we visited) in front of holiday cabins – be careful of low hanging trees when entering! We were offered toilets and showers but didn’t see or use them. The site is just across the road from the beach and a short walk into town for shops and restaurants.
Al Bosque Hostel & Glamping: COP26,000 pppn including hook up. Parking is on a grassy area. Showers, toilets and washing machines are available and the site has great communal areas. The campsite is high up in the hills overlooking Medellin and the website offers the different routes to get there- it’s highly advisable to follow them! Short walk to a supermarket and restaurant. Local buses/taxis can take you to Medellin or to Parque Avi from where you can take the cable car into the city.
La Bonanza, Silvia: COP50,000 pn plus COP15,000 pn hook up. A beautifully maintained site with parking on a gravel area. Multiple water points, both 110v and 220v power points available, a dump station, toilets and showers plus a washing machine. Lots of communal areas around the main house and in the gardens. Great onsite restaurant offering Middle Eastern food and they also bake bread you can buy. On a Tuesday they provide a free guided tour to the market in Silvia.
Note: after our visit we saw that the site was for sale so some of these details may change in the future.
Hostel Padua, near Chachgüi: COP25,000 pppn. Parking in the sloping, hard standing car park of a hostel and garden centre. Toilets and showers available and a small restaurant/cafe. A decent and secure overnight stay after a long day on the road.
Other places stayed
Parque los Minero, near Otu: free as we did not need to use the showers or toilets. This is a large car park behind a couple of restaurants with overnight security. Good spot for one night.
El Recuerdo Coffee Farm, near Salento: COP25,000 pn. Parking is in a small grassy area next to the reception for coffee tours. Toilet available. Easy access to the nearby town of Salento by colectivo (shared public transport and in this case, a jeep). Very quiet and we really liked this place
Las Lajas Cable Car car park, near Ipiales: free. We stayed in one of the upper car parks after using the cable car to visit the church in the valley. The lower car park is hard standing but the upper ones are grass. No facilites once the visitor centre is closed (they have toilets and a restaurant).