Guide to Colombias best vacation spots

Cartagena is Colombia’s best kept secret destination and is a lovely place to spend a week or two.

Situated in splendid isolation on the Caribbean coast it offers a cultural and culinary experience par excellence. Historically rich and diverse, Colombia’s second oldest city boasts the only walled city in South America. Built in various stages from the 16th to the 18th century by the Spanish colonials as a protection against European pirates it is said that it took 200 years to complete with the blood of many millions of black slaves being spilled. Today, it’s a traffic free paradise of a unique nature, being home to local residents, restaurants, hotels and shops. There is a horse driven taxi ride, touristy for sure but not to be missed.

If you can afford it, stay at the hotel Santa Clara. The hotel is a tastefully converted former nunnery which retains many of the original features. There is a very beautiful enclosed courtyard, within the confines of the hotel, which is lush with vegetation and even has toucans flying around, reasonably tame, and keen to share your breakfast. Just walking around the streets is a pleasure and a visit to the Plaza Santa Domingo to view Fernando Botero’s Fat Lady Statue should be on the agenda.Sit and watch the beautiful people, touch the Fat Lady on the buttocks, as everyone else does, strange I know, but it feels good at the time, relax and soak up the atmosphere.

Walking along the top of the city wall is also a must. The wall can be followed for most of its length, one side will be the old city and on the other the Caribbean, stunning views and vista’s are to be seen.

One should also remember that Cartagena is on the stop over port list for many of the cruise ships plying their trade in the Caribbean.This is great for the economy of Cartagena however,the town is crowded with tourists for the duration and some local people will try to benefit from this. Beware of inflated prices during these periods. Cartagena’s port is also a busy commercial hub with many container vessels calling here on scheduled routes. The main exports are Ferro alloys and tiles. Coffee is now exported from a different port.

There are many other places of interest to visit in Cartagena, to mention but a few; the Theatre Heridia is famous for the excellent local ballet troupe, bull fighting if you are not squeamish is also hugely popular, the main arena is just outside the city, by the football stadium. The naval museum is interesting, Colombia has a proud naval history, there are plenty of good beaches to relax on and the food of course is fantastic. My only restaurant recommendation would be La Vitrola. This is a great restaurant with an excellent menu and wine selection. There is live Cuban music every evening which will have your feet tapping, it is not cheap but well worth making the effort. It is recommended to book in advance as it is well frequented.

Top Ten Places to See in Argentina Continued …

In the last article I presented my five favorite places to visit in Argentina. In this article I round off that list with another five of Argentina’s best vacation spots.

6. Bariloche and the Lake District. Whereas the southern reaches of Patagonia are known for their ruggedness and extreme isolation, the northern half of Patagonia is a pleasant, almost Swiss-like region of lakes and green forests rimmed in by Andean peaks. Bariloche, Patagonia’s largest town, though far from being a metropolis, is every year more and more a cosmopolitan place, offering a full range of hotels and services for travelers. A little further to the north, in the neighboring region of Neuquén, trout fishermen will find a network of pristine rivers and streams in the Andean lowlands, many of which are considered world-class in the sport.

7. Mendoza and Argentina’s wine country. Vaguely reminiscent of the Chianti region of Italy or perhaps of Bordeaux in southern France – but with the difference that in Argentina’s wine country the highest peaks in the Americas loom over the vineyards. If wine tasting is not attraction enough for you, then scale the Aconcagua. Stop long enough to see the Puente del Inca which, at over 12,000 feet, is a natural bridge over a rock chasm which the Peruvian Incas would use when on silver mining expeditions in the southern parts of the Andes.

8. Ushuaia. The southernmost city in the world and the gateway for expeditions to Antarctica. It’s also the place to visit the mountains, lakes and fjords of Argentina’s most southern region, Tierra del fuego.

9. Cordoba and the Sierras. Though not nearly as imposing as the Andes, the sierras or “little mountains” of Cordoba have a quieter sort of charm – as well as the added benefit of a mild climate which makes them pleasant to visit the year round. Some of the must-sees in the area include Jesuit cathedrals and ruins, especially those in the town of Che Guevarra’s birthplace, Alta Gracia. The National Park “Quebrada del condorito” is also highly recommendable. It’s an open canyon with verdant cliffs that condors use as nesting places and where in the spring months, if you’re very lucky, you can see baby condors make their first plunge from the nest.

10. La Rioja and San Juan. The desert regions of Argentina’s West, most noted for two Regional and National Parks, the “Valle de la Luna” (Moon Valley) and La Talampaya, with red rock formations and narrow canyons. San Juan is also Argentina’s second wine-producing region.