Colombia

If you want us to tell you that Colombia is perfectly safe to visit, we can't. Although we felt perfectly safe while travelling around Colombia, even when we visited the more remote parts of the country, the fact remains that 70% of the world's kidnappings do take place in Colombia. What we will tell you is that Colombia is one of the most beautiful countries on earth and fairly vacant of tourists. Most travellers debate long and hard about visiting Colombia, finding only negative comments on the internet, posted by those who have not visited the country. Some do make the decision to go and more often than not their appraisal is: Colombia should not be missed!  By flying into Cartagena or Santa Marta and staying out of the danger zones, with common sense, it is unlikely you will have any problems. We actually found that Colombians were much nicer to us, especially when they found out that we were tourists, because they wanted to show us that the bad reputation Colombia has is undeserved. After our trip, we tend to agree. In fact, the country has dramatically improved its safety issues for tourists. 2008 was one of the best years for internal and external tourism! The truth remains that there are only some parts of the country that are dangerous and if you avoid those, Colombia is simply a better destination choice.

Top 10 reasons why you should take a holiday in Colombia:

1. Colonial Cities: For small perfectly preserved whitewashed and cobblestoned oases of calm, make your way to Popayan, Mompos, Villa de Leyva, and San Gil. Cartagena is a little more frenetic and plagued with street vendors but then again it’s been receiving tourists for decades.

2. Colombian people: War weary and decidedly unhappy with their NARCO-fueled image as perceived by those only glued to Fox News will have you believe – are arguably the friendliest bunch in the World.

3. Price: Colombia is cheaper but better than other similar destinations: An important thing is that tourism in Colombia has a high quality and is more affordable than other destinations in the Caribbean, Central and South America, which makes Colombia a very competitive destination.

4. Beaches: There are many beaches to choose from in Colombia, including Providencia Island (wonderful scenery, nice and quiet beaches, great for relaxing, crystal clear, calm waters, great snorkelling, great scuba diving); Tayrona National Park (wonderful scenery, nice and quiet beaches); Santa Marta (easily accessed, good tourist infrastructure, great nightlife); Cartagena (excellent culture and history, good beaches, excellent hotels, excellent nightlife, great restaurants); Rosario Islands (easily accessed from Cartagena, crystal clear sea, relaxing); La Guajira (nice and quiet beaches, great scenery); and so on...

5. Nature: For example, Parque Nacional Tayrona is set on the jungle-covered coast at the foot of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The scenery varies from sandy beaches along the coast in the north to rainforest at an altitude of 600m on the southern limits of the park. It's simply stunning and fairly vacant of tourists. This is only one example of what Colombia has to offer to nature lovers.

6. Cartagena: Cartagena is situated in splendid isolation on the Caribbean coast and it offers a cultural and culinary experience par excellence. Historically rich and diverse, Colombia's second oldest city boasts the only walled city in South America. Beautiful islands are only a quick 30-minute boat ride from Cartagena if you need a break from Cartagena's city beach.

7. Food: Colombian food is characterized by its blending of European cuisine with aspects of African and indigenous cuisine...a blend that produces some delicious dishes. We loved freshly caught fried fish with coconut rice, with arepa (bread made of corn) on the side. Also don't forget that Colombian coffee is amazing.

8. Adventure: With a varied landscape, your range of activities also expand. You can white-water raft, paraglide, rock-climb...and that's only in San Gil!

9. Music and Dance: The Music of Colombia contains different genres, traditional and modern in consistent with the features of each region. The diversity in musical expressions found in Colombia is the result of a mixture of African, European (especially Spanish) influences, as well as more modern American and Caribbean musical forms, such as Trinidadian, Cuban and Jamaican and is a big part of their culture which you can witness in the evenings on their beaches and streets.

10. It's undiscovered: If you like a destination with relatively few non-local tourists, Colombia will provided that. We loved seeing examples of their unique culture throughout our trip in Colombia.

Suggested Travel Resources: Download Lonely Planet South America Chapters Here.

Flights: Try discounted Airfares from the US to Central and South America at EconomyTravel.com.

Travel Insurance: Free Travel Insurance Quotes from Travel Guard.