Deep in Tayrona National Park on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, a 10-foot alligator lifts its gnarled snout from the river, sending ripples toward fishermen standing in waist-deep water and casting nets with their hands.
‘Isn’t that pretty dangerous?’ I ask Diva, our guide. “Ah, the alligator prefers to eat fish,” she replies. Although I recently saw one pick up a dog from the river bank.
I look at my kids, but even these two thrill-seekers balk at taking a dip in alligator-infested waters.
The 60 square miles that make up Tayrona National Park are home to a rarely seen menagerie of creatures, including the anteater, sloth, ocelot and jaguar. There is also abundant birdlife, including the Santa Marta parrot, sapphire-bellied hummingbird, rufous nightjar, and bright yellow great-footed snowy egrets.
Colombia, almost five times larger than the United Kingdom, lies next to the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. It has white sand beaches that can rival any Caribbean island, pristine national parks and Cartagena as its main triumph, possibly the most beautiful city in all of South America.
Brilliant views: Kate Wickers embarks on a tour of Colombia. Above, a beach in the Tayrona National Park
And seven years after the peace agreement between the government and paramilitary forces, and 20 years after the first military crackdown on drug cartels, there has never been a safer time to visit.
Most flights from Europe arrive in the afternoon and spending a day or two in the capital, Bogotá, is a good way to get rid of jetlag. We stayed at the BOG Hotel, in the trendy La Cabrera district, bordered by the Zona Rosa restaurant hub, where we dined on citrus-marinated ceviche at Central Cevicheria.
We schedule a visit to the Gold Museum, which houses more than 55,000 gold artifacts, take a tour of the street art of La Candelaria (the oldest and most bohemian district) and are enchanted by the “chubby” figures of Colombian artist Fernando Botero in the museum. Botero.
From the capital, it’s a two-hour flight north to Santa Marta and another 30 miles by road to our accommodations near Tayrona National Park.
Kate says Cartagena (pictured) is “possibly the most beautiful city in all of South America.”
Boardwalks and forest trails lead to beaches where edible sea grapes grow and tamarins peer out from palm trees, Kate writes. Above, a fruit seller in Cartagena.
Colombia, almost five times larger than the United Kingdom, lies next to the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
Finca Barlovento is an ecological lodge located among gardens of bamboo, palm trees and birds of paradise. Our suite has a shared terrace and pool, the perfect place to spy on kingfishers skimming by and blue crabs scampering along the river banks, dodging lurking iguanas.
Marijuana cultivation was once the largest source of income in the region, but with that gone, tourism is now crucial. The official guardians of the park are the Kogi indigenous people, who are highly respected and can manage it however they want.
At the start of a ten-mile hike, we buy coconut juice from young Kogi men, who crack open the nuts with a cloak-and-dagger machete. “If they think the park is too busy, they just close it,” Diva tells us, snapping her fingers. “The Kogi carefully observe this ecosystem and decide when it needs to rest.”
Boardwalks and forest trails lead to beaches where edible sea grapes grow and tamarins peek out from palms.
At Cabo San Juan del Guía, a double horseshoe bay protected by a rock breakwater, we swam before feasting on red snapper, bought for a fiver from a grill on the sand.
To go tubing (the gentle activity of floating on a rubber ring) we headed to the Don Diego River. We float past cashew trees swarming with howler monkeys and spot the alligator’s smaller cousins, the Cuvier’s dwarf caiman, blinking lazily at us from the river’s edge.
Barranquilla is Colombia’s fourth largest city, famous for its carnival and its association with writer Gabriel García Márquez (fans should also visit his birthplace, Aracataca). We stop here on the way to Cartagena to take a tour of the university where Márquez studied, the street where he lived and to have lunch at his favorite bar, Restaurante Bar La Cueva, where we see the first editions of Love In The. The time of cholera locked in the shelves.
The walled city of Cartagena, founded in 1533, is full of 16th-century houses painted in pastel colors and with huge wooden doors. These are adorned with shimmering knockers of curly fish, beautiful mermaids and full-mouthed pelicans that nod to Cartagena’s seafaring past when Spanish conquistadors traded in ill-gotten gold. We stayed in one of those houses, now the Ananda Boutique Hotel, whose rooms face a central courtyard. By moonlight, we stroll under geranium-filled balconies toward hidden plazas, where old men in straw hats play dominoes, and past Cartagena’s imposing Palace of the Inquisition (once home to those whose brutal work was to put an end to heresy). to St. Peter’s Square, where bars sprawl across cobblestones and street musicians play guitars.
Gethsemane, just beyond the city walls, is a little more rugged. Mojitos costing just a few pounds are served at makeshift bars in people’s living rooms, where grandpa sits in his rocking chair watching television.
Kate says a day or two in the capital of Bogotá (pictured) is a good way to start a trip to Colombia.
While in Bogotá, Kate visits the Gold Museum, which houses more than 55,000 gold objects, including the frog pictured above.
Live music resonates from the mural-painted streets adorned with flags and streamers.
In Plaza Trinidad we see the young rappers working. “Sis, you have more sass than Cameron Diaz,” sounds good to me.
We finished our trip with some downtime on the beach, heading by speedboat to the Rosario Islands, 30 miles from Cartagena and named for their resemblance to a rosary necklace, where moonlighting fishermen take snorkeling excursions in the middle of schools of fish butterflyfish and butterflyfish. .
‘Lobster for lunch? No problem!’ our guide promises once we return to the soft sands. ‘Wait here. I’ll be right back.’
And in ten minutes he is preparing four large lobsters that he cooks in his improvised cafe.
‘Delicious! Delicious!’ as the locals say. Because when it’s really good, say it twice.
…AND IT’S SERVING FABULOUS FOOD
In the photo appears ajiaco, a traditional chicken soup.
Colombia’s Creole cuisine may not have achieved international fame yet, but as food-focused travel increases, that may be about to change.
The best news is that if you are looking to eat at the best restaurants in Colombia, the price of the meals is a bargain compared to other Latin countries.
In Cartagena, head to Celele for contemporary takes on traditional dishes: a highlight is local hen confit with sour guava and roasted plantains. The restaurant is currently ranked number 19 in the ‘Top 50 Latin American Restaurants’ (celele.com).
In Bogotá, in position number five on the same list, is El Chato, which offers both à la carte and tasting menu options. Classics include suckling pig with coffee, barley figs and grape leaves (elchato.co). At more traditional places, dine cheaply on local traya paisa favorites: a sausage, beans, rice, egg, and arepas (corn cakes), or ajiaco, a chicken soup to which corn on the cob is added, sour cream, potatoes and capers.
And on the Caribbean coast, try posta negra (black meat), a casserole made with molasses and seasoned with bay leaf, thyme, and cloves.