Amanda Goes to Colombia with OWR: A Journey Like No Other

After a fantastic time in Morocco with Other Way Round, a chance conversation with a fellow traveler led Amanda straight to our Colombia trip. What followed was a whirlwind of color, culture, and connection across Medellín, Jardin, Cartagena & Bogota. Here’s her story.

If you’ve ever found yourself brainstorming/planning/booking your next trip while on your current trip, well then, you’ve found a friend in me.

I’m known amongst friends as always having something in the works, and if I don’t, you best believe I’ll have my next idea before I’ve landed back at home. 

That’s actually how I found my way to Colombia.

I was on another trip with Other Way Round in Morrocco last fall and mentioned that I had never been to South America, when a friend I met on that trip recommended two other OWR trips that she had been on—Colombia and Peru (thanks, Loren!).

After a bit of research, I decided to go with Colombia and booked it within two weeks of coming home from Morrocco.

Yes, I realize I may have a slight travel addiction.

“I LANDED IN MEDELLIN ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON, VERY EXCITED TO  START MY COLOMBIAN ADVENTURE”

Fast forward to a short four months later, I landed in Medellin on a Saturday afternoon, very excited to start my Colombian adventure.

I had hoped to get an hour or two of adventuring in before our first group meeting and dinner; however, a couple hours wait in passport control put a damper on those plans. (If I had it to do over again, I would have come in the evening before to get more exploration time in.)

Thankfully, I texted our guide for the week, Giuliano, and he made sure the driver waited for me. Before I knew it, I was at our hotel in Poblado where I got to meet my five fellow group members for the next week and a half. 

I was excited that we were all from three different countries and around the same age but was a tad apprehensive about the smaller group size at first—it felt like a smaller margin of error if anyone didn’t get along.

Thankfully, as we set out on a full-day walking tour of the city the next day, I quickly realized I had nothing to worry about—it was a great group! From Plaza Minorista, a bustling market where we tried all sorts of local fruits, to Botero square we walked all over the city before arriving to what was my main highlight…Comuna 3. 

Comunas are administrative districts, but the most well-known are those that crawl up the hills surrounding Medellin.

Previously known for their poverty and violence thanks to the cartels that used flourish in these neighborhoods, residents of these Comunas are now flipping the script and opening their streets to show there’s so much more to their communities.

Comuna 3 is not as well known as others (you may have heard of Comuna 13 or Comuna 9 thanks to its Pablo Escobar connections), but honestly, I’m so glad that we went there instead after looking at pictures and realizing that some of the others now have more tourists in their narrow alleyways than local residents.

Once there, we met local guides, Natalia and Emir, who told us all about their community as they led us through narrow, winding streets as we made our way up the mountain. 

As we strolled from one brightly colored building to the next, it became apparent that the violent past has not been forgotten but merely transformed into colorful murals that tell the stories of the people who live there and their strength, while inspiring hope for a more prosperous future.

We toasted this entrepreneurial spirit with the tastiest carimañolas (yuca fritters stuffed with meat and cheese) at one of the cute corner restaurants, and we ended our trek up to the top of the hill at a local restaurant, where we were greeted with cold drinks and stunning views of not only of the Comuna, but of all of Medellin. 

Perched on the corner of the railing that overlooked the city was an old sewing machine. Another symbol, along with its countless colorful murals, serving as a reminder that the fabric of community is stronger when stitched together rather than as seams ripped apart.

“A PICTURESQUE LITTLE TOWN, WITH VISTAS THAT LOOKED TO BE RIPPED STRAIGHT FROM DISNEY’S ENCANTO MOVIE”

Our trip to the Comuna felt a bit hard to beat, but the next day, we set out to Jardin, a small town nestled in the Colombian mountains in the heart of coffee farming country.

To be honest, I had few expectations. Jardin was the one stop on our itinerary that I had never really heard of, and it wasn’t a stop on any of the other group tours I had looked at before choosing OWR. However, after an absolutely stunning, but somewhat stomach-churning, mini-bus ride through the Andes Mountains, we arrived in a picturesque little town, with vistas that looked to be ripped straight from Disney’s Encanto movie.

I quickly became very happy that it was on the itinerary.

After lunch and a short walk through the town, we met our local guide, Anna Maria, who took us on a hike into the foothills of the mountains surrounding the town.

As we heard about the town’s history, we caught glimpses of the town from above, local coffee farms, and even made a pit stop at a waterfall.

It was the idyllic stroll through the mountains until the clouds above us finally let loose, and we got our first little Colombian rainstorm.

Armed with our umbrellas and rain jackets (thanks to our part-time meteorologist-guide, Giuliano, who warned us ahead of time), we didn’t let the rain dampen our spirits.

After a brief stop for snacks, we took a rustic cable car back into town, where we ended our little tour at the Jardin Basilica.

We quickly learned that folks in Jardin are VERY proud of the basilica, thanks to the extensive detail provided by Anna Maria, including several stories about their local saint and saint-in-waiting.

All-in-all, it was a great time, and our little band of travelers ended that tour with some rain-soaked clothes and several new inside jokes about Juan Bautista (IYKYK).  

The next day, we took a Willy—that’s right, that’s what this open, jeep-like vehicle is called (feel free to enter your own jokes here)—up to a local coffee farm. Now, this is where I may lose you, as I have a confession to make. 

I’m not a coffee drinker.

At all.

Go ahead and clutch your pearls or whatever you need to do to get you through this next part. I tell you this so you understand that while I was looking forward to the coffee farm as a cultural experience, it was probably the part of the trip I cared about the least prior to arriving.

“I WAS INSTANTLY CHARMED BY THEIR HOSPITALITY AND EAGERNESS TO SHARE THEIR HOME AND THEIR COFFEE“

But as we entered the home of Angela and Andres, whose family has owned the farm for five generations, I was instantly charmed by their hospitality and eagerness to share their home and their coffee.

They taught us about how they grow, harvest, and produce their coffee, as well as what makes good and bad coffee (pro tip: you want coffee made from pergamino not pasilla beans). 

My favorite part had to be when Andres took us down to the coffee plants, strapped some buckets to our waists, and let us try our hand at picking the ripe, red beans.

We had the best time and laughed at one another’s attempts to squat while sporting our large, blue buckets.

Some of us may have gone overboard with our competitive picking and toppled over in the process (spoiler: it was me).

Our mini adventure ended with a small miracle.

They offered us each a coffee of our choice, and I—not wanting to be rude or offensive to our hosts—accepted and tried it and…I actually liked it!

This would be my first of many coffees in Colombia, and while I don’t know that I’m a full convert (the few coffees I’ve tried since coming home just haven’t been as good), I will be forever grateful to Angela and Andres for welcoming us into their home and unknowingly reminding me that it’s never too late to discover new loves…well, at least a new like for now.

“IT WAS THE PERFECT LITTLE AFTERNOON“

While there were several different options for our free-time that afternoon in Jardin, we all ultimately decided to just roam the local shops in the town, find some espresso martinis (my first since my newfound tolerance for coffee), play pool in a local pool hall, and end up with a great dinner at a small, local restaurant.

It was the perfect little afternoon, and it solidified that the place that I once wondered if it was worth even having on an itinerary, became one of my favorite stops along the way.

The next day, we journeyed back to Medellin, where we were introduced to Colombia’s most interesting sport, Tejo.

The best way to describe Tejo is to imagine if the games cornhole and horseshoes had a baby, but that baby also included gunpowder.

Confused?

Don’t worry, just make your way to Medellin, and a self-proclaimed gringo named Chris will explain it all to you.

We then said goodbye to Medellin for the final time before heading to Cartagena.

“OUR FIRST DAY IN CARTAGENA WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITES OF THE ENTIRE TRIP“

How to describe Cartagena? There’s a certain je nes sais quoi that makes Cartagena just a bit different (dare I say special?) than any other Caribbean city I’ve been to so far.

Our first day in Cartagena was one of my favorites of the entire trip! We took a private boat out to the Rosario Islands, and after several glasses of wine and some bumpy waves, we ended up at the perfect little private island.

“ALL OF US PROFESSED AT LEAST 10 TIMES THAT WE NEVER WANTED TO LEAVE“

With hammocks, a swing, and clear, blue water, we spent the next several hours soaking up the sun, snorkeling with some fish, enjoying some more Colombian hospitality from our host, and all of us professed at least 10 times that we never wanted to leave.

After a VERY bumpy boat ride that had us bouncing around and laughing hysterically, we made it back to Cartegena for a lovely rooftop dinner.

We had the next day completely free until our late afternoon Champeta class, so we all split up and did separate things.

Some spent most of the day taking advantage of the hotel’s rooftop pool while others of us set out to see the sights of the city, and we created our own little walking tour thanks to some advice from Giuliano on the must-see spots.

Highlights for me included walking along the city walls, checking out some artisanal shops near the shore, and finding a shopping mall that actually houses the city’s old bullfighting ring at the top. 

Though I had very tired feet, I was excited to kick off the evening’s activities with our Champeta class.

It was so much fun, but I don’t think you’ll be finding any of us on Dancing with Stars anytime soon. 😉

We were, however, much better at the next activity of the evening…rum tasting.

After filling our minds with new-to-me rum facts and our bellies with the favorite elixir of the Caribbean, we made our way to the Getsemani neighborhood. I LOVED our night out here.

“AS YOU WALK THROUGH THE NARROW ALLEWAYS, YOU HEAR NOTHING BUT MUSIC, LAUGHTER, AND A WIDE RANGE OF LANGUAGES“

The residents essentially turn the bottom floors of their homes into bars or restaurants and line the streets with tables and chairs.

As you walk through the narrow alleyways, you hear nothing but music, laughter, and a wide range of languages, as folks chat with friends and make new friends with others sitting nearby.

It was the perfect end to our lovely time on the Caribbean coast.

We somewhat reluctantly set out the next morning for Parque Tayrona, a national park located in the Sierra Nevada Santa Marta mountain range.

My biggest regret of the trip is that we asked for a late departure from Cartegena and made a stop for a volcanic mud bath on the way.

Don’t get me wrong, sleeping in was needed and the volcanic mud bath was an awesome experience that I won’t soon forget (and we all appreciated the flexibility).

But when I walked into the jungle oasis that would be our hotel for the next two nights near Parque Tayrona, I (as well as most of my fellow groupmates) instantly wished I had more time there and regretted every single hour of my life that I hadn’t spent there—okay, so that might be a tad dramatic, but moral of the story is that it’s absolutely wonderful and if you choose to join the trip, don’t ask for a late departure from Cartagena.

Sleep on the bus. 😉

After an evening enjoying the hotel’s pool and hot tubs next to the calming sounds of the nearby river, we set out the next morning to the actual national park for a hike that would end at a remote beach.

The hike was beautiful and in addition to getting to see different types of wild monkeys (so cool!) we learned a lot about the local tribe, the Korgi people.

This tropical paradise is a bit unique in that you walk through different microclimates along the way, from soaring trees to squat mangroves, it’s definitely a unique experience. 

We ended our ~1.5-hour hike at a beautiful, white sandy beach, where we spent the next couple of hours getting a well-deserved swim in the refreshing crystal-clear water and lunched on a new-to-us Colombian cuisine, cayeye (mashed green bananas).

We spent one more evening in paradise enjoying some well-deserved massages before leaving for our final destination…Bogota.

After an early flight to Bogota, we went straight to Montesserate, a mountain that seems to emerge from the heart of the city.

We took the funicular up to the top for some pretty spectacular views of the city before setting out on a short (and rainy) walking tour of the old city of Bogota.

There, we learned a bit more about the modern history of Colombia (the Chorro de Quevedo area was my favorite part) and got to try coca tea. 

“HOW HAVE I ONLY KNOWN THESE PEOPLE FOR 11 DAYS?!“

We ended our short time in Bogota with a final group dinner at the famous Andres restaurant—a unique, but fun experience, thanks to the live dances and performances—that perfectly bookended an incredible 11-day experience.

At one point in during the dinner, I remember looking around the table as we laughed and told our 10-day old inside jokes, and thought, “how have I only known these people for 11 days?!” 

As I packed up and said my goodbyes the following day, I really did NOT want to leave!

However, I left with a full heart and lots of gratitude for new friends from around the world, some priceless new memories, and newfound love for this incredible country.

I’ve been back a week now and am happy to say that I haven’t booked my next trip yet.

Emphasis on yet.

I do have lots of ideas though… 😉