Colombia: Traveling

Means of Transport Recommended in Town

Recommendation

Getting around town is usually by bus or taxi. Big cities have a fast lane bus service, quicker and safer than the traditional bus network. The urban bus system Transmilenio, in Bogota, has had a lot of success over the last few years.

Maps of Urban Networks

Maporama
UT Library on line
Mapblast

Transportation From Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car Rental
Bogotá (BOG)	13 km / 8 miles	USD 6-10 / 30-40 min	Available	-	Available
Medellín (MDE)	30 km / 19 miles	USD 16	USD 2 / 60 min	-	-

Means of Transport Recommended in the Rest of the Country

Rail Companies

Aviatur Travel and Tourism Agency (in Spanish)

Airlines

You Can Consult the List of Airlines Banned Within the EU. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Traveling By Yourself

Recommendation

You are advised to drive very carefully or, even better, to take a taxi booked by telephone. The highway code being not fully respected, the rule of the strongest prevails. It is strongly recommended not to drive at night. An international driving license is required.
Traveling between cities is generally by bus or by airplane according to the distance. Since the setting up of policies to make the country more secure, road journeys between cities are relatively safe.
Getting fuel is suitably and regularly assured all over the country.

Different Forms of Tourism

Historical

-Museum of Gold in Bogota
-The Caribbean Sea coasts and San Andres y Providenzia Islands, off Nicaragua

Beach

Colombia, the fourth country of the sub-continent in area, has an extremely diverse relief. In addition, it is the only country bordered by both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, nearly 3 000 km of coastline. The landscapes of western Colombia are characterized by the mountains of the Cordillera of the Andes. Several summits rise to about 5 000 m; the highest summits in the country are in the Sierra de Santa Marta, the highest coastal range in the world. The Andes are divided into two chains: the western Cordillera and the central Cordillera. Two great rivers irrigate the valleys, the Magdalena and the Cauca. The east of the country is composed of two large regions: the Llanos, the vast plains of the Orinoco, and in the south, the Amazonian region, bordering Peru and Brazil.

Colombia offers tourists all possible climates, from the tropical beaches on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, the mountains of the Cordillera of the Andes, and many other curiosities. For further information about tourism in Colombia, consult the website of the Colombian Tourism Office.

Tourism Organizations

Aviatur
Ministry of trade, industry and tourisme.

Health and Safety

Health Precautions

MAIN HEALTH RISKS
- All rural areas situated under 1 800 meters altitude are malaria infected. The strains present in the country are resistant to chloroquine.
- Dengue fever is present in the country.
- Yellow fever is endemic in the Magdalena valley, the eastern Cordillera, the Uraba region, the Orinoco, Amazonia and the Sierra Nevada.
- People who suffer from respiratory or heart illnesses, or high blood pressure may be affected by altitude sickness.
- Tuberculosis is common in the country.
- Rabies exists in the country.
- Diarrheic illnesses are widespread.

Systematically:
- Hepatitis A: for persons born before 1945, who spent their childhood in a developing country, or who have a medical history of icterus, a prior testing for serum antibodies (Ig  G) may avoid an unnecessary vaccination. Hepatitis B.
- Diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis.

For Further Information on Sanitary Conditions

Health Information for Travelers to Colombia.

Time Difference and Climate

Time and Time Difference

It is %T:%M %A In Bogotá (GMT-5 )

Summer Time Period

The summer and winter seasons merge.