Colombia Overland Travel Guide

My visit to Colombia began on November 7, 2023, and finished on January 16, 2024. The logistical lessons learned while wrestling with regional bus networks and securing secure, affordable basecamps apply directly to anyone planning an extended overland route through South America.

My objective for those three months was concrete: document the battlefields of the War of Independence, assess regional whitewater, and dig into the national museums. Bypassing domestic flights, I relied strictly on public transit to log miles across the country. My route tracked steadily through Bogotá, Tunja, Villa de Leyva, San Gil, Bucaramanga, Santa Marta, Cartagena, Medellín, Guatapé, Cali, Popayán, Pasto, and Ipiales.

Note on Pricing and Freshness: The specific prices cited in these guides—such as securing an apartment in Cali for $22 a night or obtaining 80GB of mobile data for $7.50—reflect the exact rates I paid at the time of publication during my late 2023 to early 2024 expedition. While inflation and exchange rates continuously shift, the underlying process remains the same.

Dive into the destination briefings and security intel below.