Photo by Luz A. Villa

Colombia is already a smoking hot destination for adventurous travelers, but few people have heard of destinations beyond Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena.

Look beyond the boutique hotels, get off the tourist trail and explore some of the lesser known gems of Colombia. These 10 incredible destinations aren’t on the international travel radar…yet.

La Guajira

The final portion of Colombian coastline before Venezuela, La Guajira remains an unknown destination. Swaths of desert run from the interior of the department right up to the Caribbean, and one of Colombia’s last functioning railways moves coal and salt from the mines at Cabo de la Vela to the rest of the country.

You won’t find a more spectacular sunset in Colombia.

Salento

Colombian coffee is famous throughout the world, but very few coffee lovers have even heard of the Colombian Cafetero (the Colombian Coffee Zone) and the delights of Salento.

Located in the department of Quindio, Salento provides the visitor with a glimpse into authentic rural Colombian life. Don’t miss the opportunity to explore the nearby Valle de Cocora and the towering wax palms (Colombia’s national tree) that can measure up to 60m in height.

Photo by Luz A. Villa

Chocó Pacific Coast

The towns of Nuqui and Bahia Solano are relatively close to one another and offer similar treats. If watching humpback whales crashing down after their breach, surfing deserted breaks, hiking to clear waterfalls and diving to wrecks is your bag, then get to the Chocó coast double quick.

San Gil

Largely put on the map by Shaun, the Australian born owner of the Macondo Hostel, San Gil is growing in stature as a tourist destination, and rightly so.

This balmy town lies at the centre of Colombia’s adventure tourism department of Santander. With up to Grade V rapids on its rivers, caving, abseiling and paragliding opportunities, combined with small perfectly preserved colonial towns found nearby, San Gil is an ideal base for adventure sports.

Photo by Luis Pérez.

Two Festivals

There are two Colombian festivals that deserve special note. The first is Carnaval de Riosucio which takes place in the department of Caldas every two years from the first Thursday in January. Devil-like effigies abound and the partying is hard here in center of the country.

Another incredible festival is Valledupar’s Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata. Held in the last week of April every year, the otherwise underwhelming city of Valledupar is awash with whisky and the beats and rhythms of the guacharaca, accordion and drums. Be ready to get your drink on; parties start late and finish when the last man is down.

Photo by Richard McColl.

Mompos

Colonial Mompos is a little gem. One trip here will reveal that Gabriel Garcia Marquez does not pen tales of fiction; his stories are in fact based on real characters from this region.

World renowned Mompos filigree silver can be picked up on the cheap as you wander the sleepy whitewashed streets in search of your next tropical juice, before finding a shady spot to string your hammock along the banks of the Magdalena River.

Capurgana

Capurgana, also in the Choco region, is found on the Caribbean coast. Brightly coloured houses contrast pleasantly with the forests of the Darien that lead up to the border with Panama.

Besides adventure sports, the Golfo de Uraba, where Capurgana sits, has its own tales of imperial follies and failures. Read up on Conquistador Alonso de Ojeda to learn of his ill-fated forays in Capurgana.

Desierto de La Tatacoa

Not dissimilar to the Badlands National Park in South Dakota, Colombia’s Tatacoa Desert is totally undiscovered. The desert spans more than 330 square km and is the largest paleontological cemetery in Colombia.

Tatacoa’s exotic beauty can be reached from Neiva in a day, but is best explored from the nearby town of Villavieja. Camping is still free out in the desert, so you’ll save on accommodations.

Photo by Richard McColl.

Amacayacu National Park

Meaning “river of hammocks,” the Amacayacu National Park is in the heart of the Amazon. The 293,500 hectares of National Park are home to over 150 species of mammals, some 500 species of birds and a large quantity of reptiles.

Not only is the Colombian Amazon more economical to visit than the Brazilian, it is actually reasonably well developed. Night-time canoe trips and walks over stomach churning high rope bridges are only the beginning of the adventure scene.

The Llanos Orientales

Some three and a half hours drive south from Bogota brings you to the heart of the Colombian savannah.

Head to Villavicencio and strike out on the Ruta del Amanecer Llanero, along the banks of the Meta River to the lakes of La Conquista, Santoya and Mozambique. Observe the vast array of wildlife in the Colombian Pantanal.

Gradually, some of the cowboy-run fincas are opening up for horse riding adventures and nature excursions.

Community Connection!

Matador founder Ross Borden had a blast on his trip to Colombia earlier this year – check out his blogs Parque Tayrona: Beach hopping along Colombia’s rich, coastal rainforest and Cliff jumping in Colombia with Taganga’s very own cocaine cowboy.

Photo by Ross Borden

Richard McColl, author of this article and owner of a guesthouse in Mompox, is the guy to ask about his beloved adopted homeland. Check out his article on the 40th Vallenato Festival.

Volunteer opportunities in Colombia include work with The Healing Colombia Foundation in Bogota and Witness For Peace, an organization that seeks to expose delegations of American citizens to the horrific impact of the U.S. War on Drugs on rural Colombian families.

Wondering if Colombia is a safe place to travel these days? Check out 10 Reasons Why Colombia Is Not As Dangerous As You Think and set your mind at ease.

Have you been to Colombia? Have a question about a future trip? Please join the conversation by leaving a comment below.

Machu Picchu, Photo by Richard McColl

The fable of an El Dorado shrouded in early morning mists draws hundreds of Patagonia-clad pilgrims of all shapes, sizes and ages to Machu Picchu every day.

Machu Picchu is the most oversubscribed trek in the Andes and for good reason.

You need a little physical conditioning, the right gear, some enthusiastic guides and the warmness of the solidarity of the other hikers, but with preparation and good humor, the trek to Machu Picchu is one of the most rewarding journeys in the world.

Don’t get me wrong, this trek is not all peaches and cream. The Inca Trail requires crossing summits of 4200m and descending over unequal Incan paving. You would be well advised to hit the gym for at least a few weeks before your trip.

What to Expect

Given the popularity of the Inca Trail, a pathway dating back to the 13th century, the Peruvian authorities have come up with novel ways of trying to spread some of the wealth of tourism to the local highland communities.

Put simply, even on the most no-frills tour you will be waited on hand and foot by obliging and friendly Quechua speaking locals who make up the Peruvian government’s solution to rural poverty and unemployment in the Urubamba valley.

Of the 500 locals permitted onto the trail every day, roughly half of these are working. So, should you sign up with one of the plethora of agencies offering the trip you will find that your guides, porters, chef, assistant chef and others all pretty much match the numbers of foreigners in your group.

“Porters” I hear You Say?!

Yes, ever since 2000 it has been made impossible to do the Inca Trail as a solo traveler. Don’t scoff.

After brushing aside the first day and its mild gradients, by halfway through the second day you will be grateful for your coca leaf chewing, sandal clad friend as you see him sprint into the distance ahead of you with your belongings.

As you fall into camp having bettered “Dead Woman’s Pass” at 4200 meters, and see your tent already set up for you with your sleeping bag laid out and you new best friend offering you a hot beverage, you will bless the Peruvian authorities for this most excellent regulation.

Photo by Richard McColl

Getting here and the Cusco

Generally speaking you need to have booked yourself onto the trek at least three months in advance, otherwise unless you are a lucky solo traveler who manages to sneak onto a last minute space, you will be found wanting and be pushed onto an “alternative” trail such as the Salkantay.

Your next step after dusting off your hiking boots and outdoors equipment and going for a few runs around the block is to secure those flights to Cusco.

You will start in Cusco, ancient capital of the Incan empire, fondly remembered in “The Motorcycle Diaries” movie when a small indigenous guide, Nestor points out to the Che Guevara character the differences in the building capabilities of the Incans and the Spaniards.

Nestor tells Che that one set of stones was built by the Incas, and the other by the Incapaces.

Cusco is everything from a party town to a cultural mecca complete with its ayahuasca toting shamans and baroque Spanish colonial churches.

The town has something for everyone including many camping shops where you can stock up on last minute supplies.

The Trek Itself

Starting at kilometer 82 in the town of Ollantaytambo on the railway line from Cusco you show your passport and entry ticket for the trail and then you are off. This first day consists of a mere 11km with some rises and some falls, but for the most part is eminently manageable.

Passing the Incan levels and ruins at Llactapata gives you a flavor of the delights in store.

Day Two is the most vividly remembered portion of the trek as no one is quick to dismiss the ascent that takes you to 4200m and Warmiwañusca or Dead Woman’s Pass – so called because the silhouette of the valley resembles that of a naked woman lying on her back. (I have hiked the trail five times and only ever made out the nipple).

At the top of the pass, views of one valley herald furthers views of another and it is hard to imagine the stamina and duress of the Inca chaskis (messengers) who ran the trail delivering urgent messages between the Tambos (rest-points). Perhaps at one time they delivered the news of the arrival of the Spanish.

Dead Woman’s Pass, Photo by Richard McColl

Snap your photos, cheer on the others in your team and those about you and then descend rapidly to get out of the whipping cold winds thrown up at this altitude in the Andes and head down into the verdant cornucopia of the cloud forest.

A cold night beckons 600 meters lower in the Pacamayu campsite and undoubtedly an unfriendly morning on Day Three but the worst is clearly over.

Day Three begins with an hour and a half ascent up through to another pass to Sayaqmarka and while your humor might have reached critical levels you can take some solace in that now that you have completed this, you are well on your way to completing the Inca Trail.

Here the trail hugs the outside of the mountain wall and orchids of varying colors lighten your grey mood.

Just past Wiñay Wayna, where the Incas used extreme engineering to place cultivation terraces up a mountain wall and experiment to see which crop would grow best at which altitude, you will finish the third day and meet up with those trekkers only doing the 1 day course.

You will know who the one-day trekkers are, for being clean shaven and perfume scented is a dead giveaway by this point.

Day Four is not a day’s hike in the slightest. It is a study in human behavior prior to a two hour run to make it to Inti Punku or the Sun Gate.

Guides zealously block others from passing their groups, eager hikers arise well before 5.30am when the checkpoint opens to ensure their place at the front and the feeling is nothing short of competitive.

Everyone strives for that award winning photo of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate without any day-trippers spoiling the shot.

But you are here!

Machu Picchu has been reached and any feeling of bitterness with those unhelpful souls ahead of you gives way to a certain euphoria. Head now to the ruins, take your tour and quickly scramble to the top of Wayna Picchu (Young Mountain) for breathtaking views from the other side.

You’ll need to hustle as only 400 people per day are permitted up this steep upright promontory and not only are you competing with your fellow four day veterans but also the one dayers and day-trippers!

Community Connection!

Matador member Lola is trekking the Inca Trail right now!

Other Matador members who have made the journey to Machu Picchu include Lyza, who didn’t sign up in time to trek the main trail but wrote a great blog about her time on the “The Inca Jungle Trail“, and Matador founder Ross, who shares the fruit of his trip in the blog “Quick and Dirty Picks for Peru.”

Matador is a community of passionate travelers. Check out the people of Matador and make your own profile today!