The islands of Providencia and San Andres are owned by Colombia, though geographically they are many miles away in the Caribbean Sea.� San Andres is the most visited, with various all inclusive beach resorts and stunning multi coloured seas. A 30 minute flight away is the island of Providencia, one of the last remaining islands of the Caribbean that still remains undeveloped. In Providencia, English is widely spoken and the lovely beaches are devoid of other people.

Cartagena is many tourists top destination in Colombia, and is the country’s most frequently visited city.� Even cruise ships dock thes days. Many regard it as one of the most romantic cities in Latin America – colonial Cartagena oozes charm and is a very special destination to spend a few nights at least. The old colonial quarter is full of amazing monuments and churches, and there’s nearby beautiful white sand beaches such as those on the Baru Peninsula or the peaceful Islas del Rosario.

Colombia’s most stunning beaches, indeed some of the most beautiful in all South America, are found at Tayrona National Park, which is an hours drive East from the popular beach resort of Santa Marta. One is instantly hit by the spectacular beauty of the white sand beaches of Park Tayrona and it’s crashing waves, which unfortunately means that many beaches are notsafe for swimming. Boat tours can be arranged from Santa Marta or Taganga to discover empty coves, but most visitors choose to stay in a campsite or sling up a hammock on the beach between the coconut palms.�
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Colombia is also great for wildlife tours. There’s numerous rainforest lodges in Leticia, which is in the Amazon region.� Colombia also has the highest bird count of any country in the world – and as such it’s increasingly a bird watching mecca.� The aquatic life is equally biodiverse – and scuba diving is popular in Santa Marta, Providencia and Malpelo island in the Pacific, where hammerhead sharks are almost always found.�

Colombia is full of beautiful colonial towns in addition to Cartagena. The smaller inland colonial towns are more peaceful, and one can really feel themselves stepping back in time in places such as Mompos, Villa de Leyva and Popayan.

Now is the time to travel to Colombia. The security is greatly improved comapred to 10 years ago, and there is still few enough visitors you one to feel a little special when visiting.