Colombia has shed its troubled history and re-emerged as one of the top destinations in South America.
Working with local communities, the destination now offers many meaningful travel experiences and eco-driven initiatives which celebrate its rich cultural heritage and storied history.
The biodiversity
National Geographic has professed that if earth's biodiversity were a country, it would be called Colombia, as it is one of the most biodiverse countrries per square mile.
It enjoys the greatest variety of amphibians and birds in the world, the third-highest number of endemic species and 10% of the Earth's flora and fauna.
Colombia's biodiversity comes from it spanning five natural regions with Andean, Caribbean and Insular, Pacific, Orinoquia and the Amazon.
This embraces humid rainforests and tropical coasts, open wetlands and high-altitude savannahs.
Culture
Colombia is a blend of cultures and rich histories, with its pre-Colombian past, European influences and indigenous communities.
This makes for an inclusive and welcoming destination known for its friendliness and hospitality.
Rhythms
Held as the Land of more than 1,000 Rhythms, every part of Colombia has its own distinct sound, with local cultures reflected in the music and dance genres.
There is Cartagena on the Caribbean coast, the 'Salsa Capital' of the world in Cali and the cowboy style music of the wild eastern plains.
Carnival
The slogan of the Barranquilla Carnival, held annually in February, is Quien lo vive, es quien lo goza (Who lives it, is who enjoys it).
Embracing Indigenous, African, European and Middle-Eastern cultures, Barranquilla Carnival has exuberant dancing, vibrant music and colourful costumes.
The four-day celebration (which was declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2003) runs for the four days February, before Ash Wednesday.
www.colombia.travel/en/barranquilla/carnival-barranquilla
The Amazon Rainforest
Referred to locally as Amazonia, the country's Amazon region is a vast slice of rainforest accounting for a third of the country's total area.
Tourism is still relatively undeveloped here, with little human impact on nature and the indigenous population, who reside deep in the jungle and keep their cultures intact.
Wildlife
Wildlife experiences include :
Colombia is one of the first countries to participate in the Future of Tourism Coalition that shares a global mission to ensure a more sustainable and responsible future for travel including wildlife conservation as world tourism recovers from Covid-19.
Caribbean Beaches and snow-capped mountains
Colombia's Caribbean coast is one of the country's most colourful regions with fine beaches, local cuisine, festivals and vibrant music.
The coves and coastal lagoons of Tayrona National Park are popular and Palomino Beach offers views of the sow capped Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
The Pacific Coast
Colombia is the only country in South America with coasts on the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
Colombia's Pacific coast offers pristine beaches surrounded by jungle, national parks and indigenous communities.
The waters see hundreds of humpback whales travelling through from July to October.
The River of Five Colours
The Caño Cristales or 'River of Five Colours' is located in Serrania de la Macarena, where three ecosystems merge to create the rainbow river.
During June and November, the river, waterfalls and natural pools become a kaleidoscope of colour with yellows, blues, reds, blacks and greens emanating from algae unique to this water.
Outdoor pursuits
Colombia offers bird watching, with one of the highest biodiversity of birds in the world), scuba diving, jungle treks and horse-back trails.
There is also ziplining or paragliding through the Chicamocha Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world, and the chance for rappelling down waterfalls, rafting and caving in Santander's Andean.
Cycle-tourism
Colombia is embracing cycling tourism from mountainous climbs at high altitude, to humid rainforest routes and cool coastal circuits.
There are 38 key training trails that meander through national parks and heritage villages.
Cosmopolitan cities
Colombia's cosmopolitan cities include Bogota and multicultural Medellin.
Cartagena
The 16th century Cartagena offers cobbled streets, pastel-coloured walls and bougainvillea covered buildings.
The city's Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is maze of alleyways, churches with gold and street vendors with carts full of fresh juice, cigars and hats.
Ciudad Perdida
Ciudad Perdida, the 'Lost City', is located in the jungle of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains.
Built around 700AD by the Tayrona people it is 600 years older than peru's, Machu Picchu.
There are no trains or buses to help gain access to these ruins, but is reached by crossing forests full of exotic fauna and flora, hanging bridges, mountains and waterfalls.
Street art
With the 2011 legalisation of graffiti in Bogota, the Colombian capital has seen homegrown and world-renowned artists showcasing their art throughout the city.
A shining example of the transformative power of Colombia's street art can also be seen in Medellin,once regarded as the world's most dangerous city.
Through successful community-driven, revitalisation programmes, residents now use the city walls as canvases to share stories of the city's past and tell their personal tales.
The Coffee Triangle
Colombia's Coffee region, the Coffee Triangle, covers Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío, as well as the newer departments of Norte del Valle del Cauca and Antioquia.
Travellers can visit coffee plantations.
Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira
The Salt Cathedral, within the colonial city of of Zipaquira, is hollowed out of a mountain.
Near to Bogota the underground temple was carved into the salt rock by miners as a makeshift tunnel chapel in the 1930s.
www.colombia.travel/en/bogota/salt-cathedral-zipaquira
Places to stay
Secrets of Colombia
Secrets of Colombia is a newly-formed coalition of thirteen boutique hotels is committed to g conservation by working with local communities, respecting local traditions and promoting alternative tourist destinations.
https://www.futureoftourism.org/
Corocora Camp
The Corocora Camp in Los Llanos, has developed a community project to prevent illegal wildlife trafficking.
www.corocoracamp.com/the-projects
La Serranía de la Macarena
La Serranía de la Macarena's forest lodge La Manigua, invests its earnings in a nursery cultivating native plants to assist in the recovery of the forests.
www.lamanigualodge.com/english
Green Colombia
Colombia is amending its General Law of Tourism to recognise the importance of protecting the environment and supporting local communities as leading principles in the recovery of Colombia's tourism industry.
ProColombia recently launched the Illustrated Manual for Nature Tourism Guides, which promotes responsible and sustainable practices for guides to use.