Which Colombia First? Let's Figure That Out.
I promised you this one. So let's talk about it!
In the last edition, I told you that where you land first changes everything you feel about Colombia. Because here's the thing: Colombia isn't one destination. It's three completely different worlds wrapped in one country. And choosing where to start changes everything — the pace, the feeling, the memories you come home with.
Cartagena. For those who want to feel it immediately.
If you've never been to Colombia, start here. The colorful and vibrant walled city, the Caribbean air, the energy of the people drifting from somewhere you can't quite place. Cartagena pulls you in before you've even picked up your bags.
Stay inside the walls if you can. Walk to Getsemaní in the evening. Take a day trip to the Rosario Islands, and when you get back, find a rooftop and enjoy the sunset view from the walls with your favorite drink.
Have you heard of Palenque? The first known town founded by escaped enslaved Africans in the Americas? You can't miss that. And don't forget to take a picture with the Palenquera, they might charge you $3-5 for the photo. Be nice to them!
One thing people don't expect: Cartagena has layers. What feels like a tourist city on the surface becomes something much richer when you go with someone who knows where to look. That's where we come in.
Medellín. For the ones who want to be surprised.
If you think you know what Medellín is from what you've heard in the news, I promise you don't. Not the real one.
Most people arrive expecting something edgy, something dangerous, something to brag about surviving. What they find instead is a city of extraordinary warmth, world-class food, and a creative energy full of art and music that genuinely stops you mid-sentence. Medellín transformed, and it did it with intention. That story lives in every corner, every mural, every melody drifting from the street if you know how to read it.
Start in El Poblado, Medellín's upscale district. Get your bearings. Eat well. Then go to Comuna 13. The next day, go to Guatapé. Climb the 740 steps up El Peñol (yes, all of them. I did it myself LOL), and stand at the top looking out over the reservoir. I guarantee you will take a hundred photos and still feel like none of them captured it.
The climate doesn't hurt either. They call Medellín the City of Eternal Spring for a reason.
The Coffee Region. For the ones who want to slow down.
My personal favorite, and I'll own that bias. I grew up in Cartagena, but when I first visited the Coffee Region, my mind went elsewhere entirely. Rolling emerald hills, mist in the mornings, the smell of fresh coffee everywhere. Stay at a finca, walk in Salento, go to Cocora Valley, and hike among the wax palms, the tallest palms in the world, rising out of the fog like something from another era.
This one asks you to exhale, and you will. Spend a morning learning the bean-to-cup process at Recuca, and I promise you will never drink coffee the same way again.
Here's something that genuinely surprised me: Colombia exports its premium coffee, and Colombians get to drink the second-grade stuff. Isn't that wild? If you're looking for real, authentic Colombian coffee available in the US, Casa Macondo is my best recommendation. Find them on Instagram as @casamacondocoffee. You can thank me later.
The Coffee Region is not the first place most travelers think of. That's exactly why it should be on your list.
So which one first?
Here's how I think about it.
If you want to feel Colombia immediately, start with Cartagena first. If you want to understand Colombia, then Medellín first. If you want to slow down in Colombia, go to the Coffee Region first.
Wanna do it right? That's what we do. A curated journey that moves through each world at the right pace, with the right experiences, so that by the time you leave, you feel like you didn't just visit Colombia. You lived a piece of it. START HERE
If you made it here, thanks for reading us. Let us know what you want to read about next!
Find us on social media below.
Best,