Top 10 tips – Colombia family holidays

Top 10 tips – Colombia family holidays

Kathy travelled to Colombia earlier this year with her 7-year-old son Lewis, to see just how much had changed since her previous visits over 10 years ago.

Here are her Top 10 (and then some more!) tips on travelling around Colombia.

She writes:

“We found that there are masses of activities for kids to get involved in.

“The highlights for us were the Bogota cycle ride on closed roads, the many hot springs – all outdoors and with stunngin views, jumping the waves on the Caribbean beaches and – particularly the river crossings and riding the “emergency horse” led by a 9 year old local child on school holiday, on the trek to the Lost City.

“The regular availability of ice cream and hammocks also helped.”

Southwest Bay beach, Providencia, Colombia

Places not to miss:

1. Gold Museum Bogota (maybe a bit too much but so much gold!) – also good on archaeology aimed at a younger audience.

2. Changing of the guard Presidential Palace in Bogota – happens 3 times a week and is a really great show.

3. Zipaquira Salt Cathedral – amazing building and engineering and quite weird really!

4. River rafting, treks, zip-lining amongst other activities are available at Tobia, the adventure capital of Cundinamarca, just a 90 min drive from Bogota, and a lovely tropical climate.

5. San Gil is also well-known for adventure activities

6. Chicamocha Canyon – simply breathtaking and with a cable car.

7. Panaca  Park in the coffee area has some really amazing cowboy shows  that are well-loved by families, local and tourists alike.

8. The flora and fauna Sanctuary Otun-Quimbaya is a real natural escape with various family-friendly trails where you can search for rare and endangered birds and some howler monkeys.

9. Salento offers interesting and interactive tours of coffee plantations, kids get to pick beans and help with the whole process. The town is full of small souvenir shops and has several play parks.

10. The Valle del Cocora is a stunning walk and horses can be used for kids (with helmets)

11. Rio La Vieja offers  a leisurely river rafting day

12. The Lost City 4 day trek is a real Indiana Jones jungle adventure, and horses can be used on some of the days.

13. Cartagena is a fabulous city for kids with city walls to walk, a nearby beach for wave jumping and swimming, snorkelling and colourful markets.

14.The Aviary on Baru Island, near Cartagena  is new with hundreds of bird species in an immense compound.

Lost City, Colombia

Our top tips for happy children on holiday in Colombia:

1. Colombia is generally pretty warm (and can be quite wet), so make sure kids are kept well hydrated – the tap water is generally safe to drink.

2. Always ask for a helmet and/or life-jacket when taking part in adventure activities.

3. It is well worth having a cheap waterproof and shock proof camera for kids to use.

4. Let the kids plan the day – it could be interesting where you end up!

5. Give the kids some binoculars and teach them how to use them  – they are great fun and kids find them fascinating.

6. Always ask for the gruesome details when talking with the guides. The more gory and shocking the better

7. Ensure that you pack travel games as distances are long, so either in vehicles or at airports there is a fair bit of time to kill.  Also, games are good for sharing with local kids too and help break down any barriers. You can’t go wrong with a football, though you won’t be allowed to take an inflated ball onto a plane – so buy a cheap one locally.

Kids playing at Manzanillo Beach, Providencia, Colombia

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