Happy Travel: What To Do In Bogota, Colombia
Bolivar Square in Bogota.
In 2016, I wanted to visit Colombia. The country had recently become exponentially safer for travelers, and I wanted to get to it before it became overrun with tourists.
I asked my best friends, my good friends, and my dad - no one could make it happen with me. Offhand, I asked my mom and was totally caught off guard when she said she'd love to join.
So, we planned a two week trip to travel the country!
Where To Stay In Bogota
We started by flying into Bogota, the country's capital. We stayed in Zona G, in a quiet neighborhood hostel, just a short walk away from Zona Rosa/T. My mom agreed to stay in hostels to keep our trip cheap, so I used HostelWorld.com to book all our stays. For Bogota, we chose the Kozi Hostel.
Our cute little concrete bedroom at the Kozi Hostel in Bogota.
It was your typical bare bones experience, but we enjoyed our stay. The staff and other travelers were super friendly, and a free breakfast was prepared for us every morning. The room was as you might imagine...lumpy mattress on the floor of a small room, with very little space to put our backpacks. Concrete walls and floors, but a window that let in the cold and sound for outside. Nonetheless, we loved it.
The vertical herb garden outside our room at the hostel.
Things To Do In Bogota
During our stay in Bogota, we made our way through a couple of sights. Some I would highly recommend:
- Bolivar Square
- Museo Botero
- Top of the Monserrate
- Zona T (for hip neighborhood vibes)
Gorgeous old architecture in Bolivar Square.
Interesting juxtaposition between the old and the new.
Our two favorite and must-do activities in Bogota were our trips to the Botero Museum and the Monserrate.
Fernando Botero is an extremely important figure in Colombian history, and he produced some really incredible, unique artwork in his time. The museum shows off some of his most famous work, and you cannot miss it. Pro Tip: Museums are free on Sundays!
The Monserrate is a huge mountain that sits in the center of Bogota. You take a cable car to the top, which is fun in itself and provides increasingly dazzling views of the city. On top, there is a church and a few restaurants. My mom and I had lunch at one of them, while looking out at what felt like the entire city from a cloud.
Our sit down lunch on top of the Monserrate.
Weather in Bogota
The weather wasn't great in Bogota, as you can see from the pictures. Pretty cold and grey most of the time, so pants and jackets were necessary.
Old church ruins sit on top of the giant hill, as well as a relatively new, fully in-service church.
AREPAS. Super delicious bread and cheese combo you should definitely eat as a snack.
What Not To Do In Bogota
Finally, a few things we did in Bogota that you could definitely skip:
- La Candalaria
- Museo de Oro (Museum of Gold)
- Jardin Botanico de Bogota (Botanical Gardens)
We found the Botanical Gardens in Bogota to be pretty underwhelming.
We found the Museum of Gold to be a little boring, while the Botanical Gardens were just downright nothing. Coming from the PNW and California, we have some pretty high standards for beautiful vegetation, and Bogota is just not boasting the best.
Inside the Botanical Gardens in Bogota. This is one of my prettier shots.
Safety in Bogota
Walking the streets is a cultural experience in itself. I'm not sure if it was because this was our first city and we still weren't fully comfortable with being solo female travelers in a country notorious for drug-related violence, but Bogota definitely felt like the least safe city we visited. It was really only when we were walking in the Candalaria that we felt a little on edge. Nothing ever happened, though, and we felt perfectly safe elsewhere.
Guinea pig races are everywhere on the streets of Bogota! I regret never seeing one in action.
Not sure of the name of this church, but the image is somewhat evocative of street life here.
Summary
We spent about 2.5 days in Bogota, and that was plenty of time to get a feel for Colombia's capital city. Next up, Medellin, the unofficial culture capital of the country! Read about that adventure here.
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Pictures and events from October 2016.