The first stop on our virtual travel series is Bogota in Colombia! We did have a trip here planned for late March 2020 but had to cancel and hope to do this trip again in the future. Find out why we chose Bogota and what we were looking forward to here.
Why this Destination:
Since our first visit to South America, we have become fascinated with the culture and scenery and want to see more, hence why Colombia, including the city of Bogota has been on our to visit radar since 2016. Bogota is the capital city of Colombia and features colonial-era architecture, museums, street art, and fun places to eat and drink.
Based on our research, accommodation, food, beverage, and activities are quite affordable when you are in Bogota even if the cost of flights is more expensive for us due to our departure point. In order to keep the costs of flights as low as possible, we try to use points and then pay for inter-continent flights where we are there as we usually visit more than one destination.
Colombia has suffered throughout its history and remains synonymous with the drug war that has plagued the country for some 30 years, beginning in the 1980s (this is our way of saying many people only know Colombia due to Pablo Escobar and “Narcos” on Netflix). Even today, political volatility is present and flares up every now and then. If you are interested in knowing more about Colombia’s complex history and transition, we highly recommend reading Tom Feiling’s “Short Walks from Bogota” to get a crash course and probably more information than you need to plan a trip here.
Where to Stay:
We had considered a few hotels and in the end, we chose The Artisan D.C. by Autograph Collection. Based on the places we pinned to our Google Map, The Artisan D.C was located conveniently and offered the benefits of both a large chain hotel and boutique hotel. We decided to book one of their specials that gives you an upgraded corner room, bottle of wine, and breakfast and dinner for two at the restaurant onsite every day. We also really liked the hotel design that incorporated local culture and design elements; some rooms have quotes by renowned Colombia Author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez on the walls.
What to Do:
The Bogota Graffiti Tour is at the top of our list of things to do because Bogota has so many beautiful murals and this tour gives you the chance to visit them with an artist to find out more about what inspired them.
Similar to the Defensa Street Market we visited and loved in Buenos Aires, Bogota has its own, Mercado de las Pulgas de Usaquén. These markets are a place for people to gather in the street, eat, drink, dance and play music. Thank you for the info and tips Ware on the Globe.
We would also like to eat at Tabula to enjoy Colombian food like Anthony Bourdain did. From arepas to oxtail cooked spicy and with achiote in a wood-fried oven, the menu has so many delicious options it would take us and many people to sample everything!
We also have numerous ceviche restaurants and craft breweries on our list to enjoy two of our favorite things; Cerveceria Statua Rota, La Grande Cantina Cevichera, and Cerveceria Gigante to name a few.
At the top of Monserrate, you get a nice view of Bogota at 10,000 feet; the city of Bogota itself sits at 8,660 feet. As much as climbing the stairs would be a good workout, we’d probably take the cable car or train for safety as it is a long steep climb through areas we do not know much about and being at high altitude is difficult if you are not used to it.
Summary:
As you can see, we have enough things planned to spend 2-3 days in Bogota. Our bags are packed and we are ready to go visit…as soon as we can. We will leave someday!
Have you been to Bogota? If so, did you enjoy it? What else should we add to our list of things to see and do?
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