Colombia is a beautiful place to travel and a great place to avoid crowds

Published on April 30, 2017 by IBMT

At the very northern tip of South America, that nation of Colombia has beautiful, diverse, and distinctive places to visit – from the historical colonial cities to the spectacular natural parks, to the fabulous beaches. And while every visitor may have different interests and different vacation priorities, there are a number of amazing places that will appeal to practically everyone.

La Candelaria in Bogotá, Colombia

History comes alive in La Candelaria, the historic downtown neighborhood in Bogotá. There is an unmistakable colonial charm that takes tourists back to the beginnings of the nation. The famous Gold Museum (Museo de Oro) houses the world’s largest collection of pre-Hispanic gold works. For those who have time, the many churches scattered throughout the city centre are a marvel, especially La Tercera and La Iglesia de San Francisco.

Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira

In the town of Zipaquira, famous for salt mines, the Salt Cathedral is a remnant of the commercial mining enterprises that once were. The cathedral is unique amongst others in the world, with a diverse mix of religion and architecture. Tourists are immediately impressed with the amazing engineering and construction work. As well, for the spiritually inclined, the religious connotation vividly highlights the importance for the miners.

Santa Cruz de Mompox

The town of Mompox is renowned for its culture and architecture. While the rest of Colombia has gradually modernized over the decades, Mompox looks very much like it was in colonial times. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site, founded in 1540, and becoming a vital trading hub during Spanish rule. Mompox also became a safe haven for the Spaniards to stockpile gold and various other treasures, as protection from local pirates.

The Town of Barichara

The town of Barichara has been described as “the most beautiful town in Colombia“. The town offers a unique charm and quite the romantic atmosphere. Tourists are encouraged to visit the many artisan shops and to try out the regional delicacy – hormigas culonas – big-bottomed ants that are a source of pride in the Santander region.  Also worthwhile is a climb to the Church of Santa Barbara atop a hill that overlooks the town.

Cabo de la Vela

A worthwhile visit, Cabo de la Vela is a long journey to the north Caribbean coast. This unique landscape is almost alien in appearance and the proud land of its indigenous inhabitants (the Wayuu). Cabo de la Vela is one of the most incredible, remote places sit in Colombia, with the most stunning views of the landscape, and beautiful beaches on the Caribbean. It’s an excellent opportunity to learn about the Wayuu culture.

The Coffee Region

 Also known as the Coffee Triangle, Colombia’s coffee region is located in the Andes, where most of Colombia’s famous coffee is grown and produced. The region offers many options for tourism, including guided visits to coffee farms, where visitors can learn about coffee production. There are also opportunities for hiking and visiting local towns. For some, a planned tour of Colombia’s Coffee Triangle may be the perfect thing.

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Still traveling but wanted to thank you for planning a marvelous trip.  It is truly a trip of a lifetime.

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Susan Lachtman

 

The IBMT Bar Mitzvah tour was fantastic! It was the perfect blend of family time and peer group time, of sites with religious/historic significance and just plain fun. The guide was personable and informative, and even the bus driver was great. All the details were attended to and you didn’t have to concern yourself with or worry about a thing. It was a true vacation. We would highly recommend it to anyone. If you are going to Eilat, Petra is a must!

We went on a church group to the Holyland with IBMT Tours and had a great trip, everything was planned for us perfectly. There was over 123 people in four different bus groups and things went smoothly, I thought it was going to be hectic with that many people in the group but IBMT did a wonderful job and made sure the buses did not go convoy, every bus had its own time table and itinerary for the day, our guide Dani was so knowledgeable and loving. We love you IBMT and we will recommend you guys. Thanks for everything you have done for us.

We just returned from Israel on an IBMT Bar Mitzvah Tour for our three grandsons.  We had enough family members to warrant our own bus.  After checking out many tour companies we went with IBMT and all of us were glad we did.  The hotels were fabulous and the rooms allotted even more so.  From the INBAL in Jerusalem, KFAR BLUM in the Galilee, the SHERATON in Tel Aviv, to the ROYAL BEACH in Eilat we couldn’t have asked for more.  Our meals were equally excellent.  Beginning with a welcome reception at the INBAL to the closing dinner at the CANAAN restaurant in Tel Aviv one and all loved them.

It was a busy tour made even more so by my husband who was determined the grandchildren see “everything”.  Fortunately for us, we had the best guide when Ornan (from IBMT) gave us GADI.  All of the groups loved their guides but Gadi was  special.  He was able to reach the kids (ages 7-13) as well as the adults.  His knowledge, willingness to adjust the schedule, and good nature gave him a soft spot in all of our hearts.  He filled in at Yad Vashem when the guide droned on a bit too much for some of us.  He searched out a cemetery where a father, grandfather and great grandfather was buried and proceeded to enlighten us on the rituals and customs of a military cemetery.  He adjusted our times to include those little extras.  When weather precluded the camels, we visited Qumran.  After the Bar Mitzvahs, some wanted to walk down Masada - again, no problem. 

We loved everything.  Friday night dinner with an Israeli family (coincidentally the husband was from Toronto), meeting the soldiers on the kibbutz, the Druze lunch, sampling different foods at the shuk, the bullet factory and on and on.  Although the weather was precarious in December, it didn’t stop us and we were able to celebrate Chanukah in Israel...menorahs  everywhere, sufganiyot of every kind, celebrations in the street galore.

Would we recommend this tour...without a moments hesitation.  We had a family trip of a lifetime.  Thank you also to our bus driver Louie, whom we all loved and who got us around safely. 

“Gadi” - what else can we say ... g double o - d, j-o-b. Good job, good job.  V-e-r-y-n-i-c-e, very nice, very nice.💕

 

 

I cannot imagine a better, more organized, more perfect experience! IBMT went above and beyond all expectations!

Loved the trip! The itinerary was fantastic and really kept us moving. We were able to see and do so much. Best of all was our tour guide Natalie. She was very kind, patient and extremely knowledgeable on every aspect of Israel.

5/5

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