Visiting Colombia is an intoxicating experience. Vivid green valleys, the snow-capped Andes and rocky foothills, dense jungle (noisy with parakeets) and hundreds of miles of coastline are the setting for human passion, drama and heartbreak.
Their history has been a turbulent one, but Colombians are fiercely proud of this country and rightly so.
All that is left of its pre-Columbian past is the contents of the Museo del Oro in Bogota and a small indigenous population on the flanks of the Andes. But the history of conquistadors, pirates and 16th century traders is more in evidence, particularly in the Caribbean harbour city of Cartagena with its cobbled streets, plazas and stone forts, sea walls, cathedral and grand buildings dating back to colonial days.
Villages everywhere appear as a cluster of tiled roofs and whitewashed walls, dominated by churches with sculpted facades.
The country is famed as a hiking destination, but a thriving kidnap industry means that visitors must take care and take advice if travelling off the beaten track. Guided tours are a wise idea, and there is much to see in the cosmopolitan, arty and strangely European cities.
But Colombia is not all history, cultural immersion and cautious exploration. The hugely popular Caribbean island of San Andrés offers total escapism, merengue, calypso and a beach party every night.
Print >