Lonely Planet Colombia

by Jade Bremner

Lonely Planet’s Colombia is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Journey to Ciudad Perdida, explore Cartagena’s old town, and trek in El Cocuy; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Colombia and begin your journey now!

 

Inside Lonely Planet’s Colombia Travel  

Up-to-date information - all businesses were rechecked before publication to ensure they are still open after 2020’s COVID-19 outbreak

NEW top experiences feature - a visually inspiring collection of Colombia’s best experiences and where to have them

NEW pull-out, passport-size 'Just Landed' card with wi-fi, ATM and transport info - all you need for a smooth journey from airport to hotel

Color maps and images throughout

Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests

Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots

Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, websites, transit tips, prices

Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss

Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics

Over 55 maps 

Covers Bogota, Boyaca, Santander & Norte de Santander, Caribbean Coast, San Andres & Providencia, Medellin & Zona Cafetera, Cali & Southwest Colombia, Pacific Coast, Los Llanos, Amazon Basin

 

The Perfect Lonely Planet’s Colombia , our most comprehensive guide to Colombia, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less traveled. 

 

About Lonely Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveler since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and phrasebooks for 120 languages, and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travelers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, videos, 14 languages, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more, enabling you to explore every day. 

 

'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' – New York Times

 

'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveler's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' – Fairfax Media (Australia)

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference

903 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2002

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read through this guidebook very quickly as our Ecuador trip was cancelled at the last minute due to nationwide strikes, protests and road closures. We didn't know how long the strikes would last, so I wanted to plan for Colombia if we couldn't reschedule Ecuador. It turns out now we can go to Ecuador, so I consolidated the ideas from this guidebook on Colombia and set my notes aside for another year. I used to think Colombia was too dangerous a travel destination, but the ideas in the guidebook make the country seem very appealing in places, and a little less daunting than I thought. Now I'm excited to go, but don't know when it will be! When we go, it will be to Bogotá, Medellin, and Cartegena, with some side trips to Guatapé and another to the Zona Cafeterra. It sounds like a great future trip.

[Ariadna73 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting, complete and accurate guide. I did not find some of the places that I would like to know a little bit more about such as the "Parque de los estoraques" or Cali or Pasto; but I was positively impressed with the good taste and the brightness of the comments. This book is a great guide and I will definitely take it with me when I travel to that beautiful country again.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Colombia. And this guide certainly helped me appreciating it even more. Especially in the beginning I would have been lost without my lonely planet. It's a good one. Would certainly recommend! (Though obviously most of the prices aren't up to date.. but that's because they change all the time).

[Tina Dreffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lonely Planet guide greatly attributed to our fabulous adventure in Bogota. Up-t0-date reviews and weblinks guided us through the maze of daily possibilities in choosing cafes and hostels. Ample images made the reading delightful.

[Messia]

Can’t wait!!!

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Figuring out the Colombian territory (some 1.1 million km² - equivalent of Spain, Portugal and France combined) with multiple “no-go” zones could be quite a stumper.

The LP guide provides a handy overview based on regional breakdowns, much needed when picking your course (and avoiding sketchy areas). Recommended for any backpacker as a baseline, although as with any adventure, the real fun lies in the unknown🌝

[Cristian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impresionante la cantidad de información que da sobre la gran mayoría de Colombia. Me llama la atención, que lugares muy populares entre viajeros como Cartagena o Isla San Andrés, no esten tan desarrolladas. Pero es tanta la información sobre el resto del país, que la falta de un poco sobre una zona, no le quita puntos a la excelencia de esta guía.

[Joshua H · Rating 1 out of 5]

the newest version is the worst travel guide I have ever seen. it's written for artificial glamour and people dedicating their life's to Instagram. it's useless and does not provide any information on anything.

While some of the proposed walks are nice to do, there is no information for any of the hallmarks present. Useless and not worth the money.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great guide for easy tourism

This is my first Lonely Planet guide and I loved it. All recommendation are on point. Be conscious, Though, the itineraries suggested here will take you on the path most-travelled, the one where tourist are praised and abundant.

[A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did the job and did it well. Unfortunately our trip to Colombia was canceled. :(

[Jair Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

A great presentation of Colombia. Full with historical context and great advice for anyone wanting to visit the beautiful country of Gabo

[Ann Viveros]

Great Trip to Colombia

[Cody Remy · Rating 1 out of 5]

A lot of inaccuracies and outdated information

[Oriol Pérez Masdeu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Algo desactualizada en terminos de precios debido a una reforma turistica pospandemia. De todos modos, muy util respecto a desplazamientos y puntos de interes de cada zona.

[Miel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me ha gustado mucho pero como toda guía de viaje, hasta que no esté allí y lo vea con mis propios ojos y lo viva desde mi experiencia no sé si se acercará o no a la realidad

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright for a basic touristy overview. Typical of of Lonely Planet. Useful, but not overly.

[E&A Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful on my recent trip to Colombia. If you haven't been yet go!! Amazing country and this book helped far more then the online resource there.

[Brian Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good general guide to Colombia. I found it to be an excellent introduction for the first time visitor, or someone thinking of going there.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history included was a great overview as we tried to learn a bit about the different regions we would be traveling to, and again while we were there to review the information. Lonely Planet has been a travel guide that has helped us more than others while traveling South America. The recommendations were spot on to our type of travel and hit highlights locals were recommending to us - a good sign.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had some use in giving me a couple of ideas on attractions for my trip to Medellin, but overall the internet was more useful in general. However, this is my first time reading a travel book which I did at the insistence of one of my friends. So I don't know how helpful they normally are.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource

[Theut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miniera di informazioni utili per visitare il paese, pronti alla "prova del 9" sul campo.