Tourism in Colombia

Popular tourist attractions include the historic Candelaria district of central Bogotá, the walled city and beaches of Cartagena, the colonial towns of Santa Fe de Antioquia, Popayán, Villa de Leyva and Santa Cruz de Mompox, and the Las Lajas Sanctuary and the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá.

Tourists are also drawn to Colombia’s numerous festivals, including Medellín’s Festival of the Flowers, the Barranquilla Carnival, the Carnival of Blacks and Whites in Pasto and the Ibero-American Theater Festival in Bogotá. Meanwhile, because of the improved security, Caribbean cruise ships now stop at Cartagena and Santa Marta.

The great variety in geography, flora and fauna across Colombia has also resulted in the development of an ecotourist industry, concentrated in the country’s national parks.

Attractions

World Heritage Sites

There are a number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites located in Colombia:

  • Cartagena
  • Los Katíos National Park
  • Malpelo Island
  • Santa Cruz de Mompox
  • San Agustín, Huila
  • Tierradentro
  • the cannon museum
  • Taganga

Attractions in Bogotá

  • Bogotá Botanical Garden
  • Bolívar Square
  • Capitolio Nacional
  • Gold Museum
  • La Candelaria
  • Luís Ángel Arango Library
  • Maloka Museum
  • Monserrate
  • Usaquén
  • Salt Cathedral Zipaquira
  • Zona Rosa
  • National Museum
  • Botero Museum
  • Jorge Eliecer Gaitan Museum
  • Zona G
  • Modern Art Museum

Other attractions

  • Colombian National Coffee Park
  • Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá
  • San Andrés, San Andrés y Providencia

Ecotourism

Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis

The Colombian coffee-growers axis (Spanish: eje cafetero) is a part the Colombian Paisa region famous for the growing and production of most Colombian coffee, renowned as some of the best coffee in the world.

The axis is composed of three departments: Caldas, Quindío and Risaralda. These departments are among the smallest departments in Colombia with a total combined area of 13873 km² (5356 mi²), this amounts to roughly 1.2% of the Colombian territory. The combined population is 2,291,195 (2007 census).

Colombia has coastline, mountainous areas, and tropical jungle. There are volcanoes and waterfalls.

  • Amacayacu National Park
  • Cabo de la Vela
  • Cocora valley
  • Los Nevados
  • Doña Juana-Cascabel Volcanic Complex
  • Gorgona and Malpelo islands
  • Los Katíos National Park
  • Munchique National Park
  • Serranía de la Macarena
  • Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park
  • PANACA Park
  • Tayrona Park (Santa Marta)
  • Tatacoa Desert
  • Chicamocha Canyon National Park
  • Mariposario enthomologic display specialized in Lepidoptera
  • Peñasblancas rock climbing site