Colombia

Cartagena’s warm climate changes little throughout the year. Temperatures reach into the 90s, with 90% humidity. Welcomed breezes cool the area from November to February.

Hurricanes are rare, and even in the wettest season (September – November) monthly rainfall almost never exceeds five inches.

The climate in Colombia’s Coffee Triangle is consistently spring-like, with highs rarely exceeding 72ºF and overnight lows hovering near 50ºF. Sunny skies are the rule, although average monthly precipitation for April, May, October, and November can exceed six inches.

English as a second language is spoken in locations frequented by foreign visitors, and it’s estimated that 4% of the Colombian population speaks it fluently. LANDED can offer bilingual guide services to ensure you don’t miss a single detail of the rich cultural information shared during your travels.

Additionally, an estimated 70 languages are spoken by Colombia’s indigenous populations.

What to pack for your trip to Colombia depends on which destinations you’ll visit, how long you’ll be away, what you’ll be doing, and the time of year.

Still, packing for Colombia is not difficult. Here are some of our recommendations:

• Passport. Lock the original in the hotel safe and keep a copy (say, a photo of the passport’s photo page) with you at all times.
• US cash in small denominations (clean, un-torn bills).
• Airline flight information
• Sun protection (sunblock, sunhat, & sunglasses)
• Credit & ATM cards. ATMs are available and major credit cards are accepted at most restaurants and hotels. Please confirm your travel dates and destinations with your card issuers before you leave the country.
• Camera, batteries, & data cards (or film, if your hands are occasionally scented by fixer or selenium)
• Insect repellant & antihistamine (anti-itch) spray if you’re headed to the tropical
• Prescription medications
• Swimwear
• Daypack or small backpack
• Light, informal clothing for dining and hotel or in cities (it’s amazing how versatile a charcoal grey sweater can be)
• Comfortable walking or hiking shoes
• Electrical adapter, universal surge protector, & power strip

Colombia’s civil war was settled in 2016. With that peace, the country has opened to foreign travelers as never before.

The larger cities do have neighborhoods with high crime rates, but those are not the places you are likely to visit as a foreign traveler. Still, petty crime is a reality. It pays to have a professional, private guide and heed his advice.

As with many countries with a history of conflict, border regions and remote areas can carry a higher risk.