Lessons Learned: 5 Surprises in Colombia

I traveled to Colombia for a little over two weeks with my husband and parents this February. Colombia packed a lot of adventures and surprises while we were here. Check out more details of our time in Bogotá, Cartagena, Barranquilla, and Medellin. But first, here are a few of the unexpected things I wish I’d figured out before we went…

Forget historical stereotypes of Colombia. Like any unfamiliar city or place with large crowds, stay alert and vigilant, but each of the cities we were in felt safe, even late at night.
Sundays are quiet family days in Colombia and many restaurants and businesses close early. Plan accordingly.
Getting a drink at the club? Buy a bottle. Many clubs (at least the gay ones) don’t sell mixed drinks. But they do sell booze by the bottle so you can pour your own drinks through the evening.
If you’re going to Barranquilla’s Carnaval, plan (and buy tickets) ahead! Most events require tickets and the more popular events sell out before Carnaval.
At Barranquilla’s Carnaval, forget every travel tip you’re read about not wearing bright, attention-getting clothes. Here, the brighter and more wild it is, the better!

Surprise #1

All smiles on Calle de la Magdalena in Cartagena

First things first: while not technically a surprise, the violent stereotypes from Colombia’s past are just that—the past. Everywhere we went in Colombia felt very safe, we didn’t see any violence, and we didn’t see any remnants of the country’s past challenges. Even taxis were plentiful, reliable, felt safe, and were mostly inexpensive for us, though we went against the words of caution in guidebooks that warned against flagging down a random ride. From what I’ve read, Uber is still technically outlawed in Colombia, but the app seems to work in most places and the few Uber rides we hailed were quick and pretty inexpensive too (though there was a protest between taxis and Uber that closed many roads when we were in Medellin, so plan accordingly!).

We felt safe as gay travelers too. Each city we were in had a variety of gay or gay-friendly bars and clubs (Nomadic Boys have great guides I used as reference), and we noticed and met a number of gay singles, couples, and groups out and about. Public affection was minimal, except for a rare couple holding hands, but hotels, restaurants, and other spaces were always welcoming and we never felt anything untoward out on the streets. We were told the coastal cities of Cartagena and Barranquilla were more conservatively Catholic and that many locals were more closeted and discreet than their counterparts in Bogotá and Medellin, but that didn’t seem to deter gay tourists or, in Barranquilla, gay clubs (Cartagena didn’t have much in the way of gay nightlife, but I didn’t get the impression it was because attitudes were unfriendly).

Everything mentioned above isn’t to say one shouldn’t be vigilant, however: petty theft isn’t unheard of and pickpockets can be pretty slick, especially in crowded areas. Double down on your common sense while you’re out and about: keep valuables where they’re safe (or leave them at home entirely), take out only what you need, keep belongings in a secure pocket especially if you’re going to be in crowded areas, and make sure you have a back up plan like leaving extra cash and/or a spare card in your room in case something does get swiped while you’re out.

Street art in Cartagena brings all the smiles.

Surprise #2

Speaking of adjusting expectations, dial back your epic Sunday plans. A significant number of restaurants, bars, and shops close (or close early) on Sunday. Those #SundayFunDay excursions may be short lived here. That’s not to say Sundays are a dud, but plan accordingly and double-check to see if the locations on your itinerary are open on Sunday.

Take advantage of the quieter Sunday schedules to check out parks, plazas, or street art (like the amazing murals in Barranquilla, below) that don’t require businesses to be open. Eat early or save this for the day to check out your hotel’s restaurant or bar. Or capitalize on the opportunity to regroup, edit your photos, and generally rest up to tackle the next day early.

Surprise #3

While they may be quiet on Sundays, on other nights Colombia’s nightlife was anything but. At the gay clubs on Fridays—and especially Saturdays—things were lively! I was expecting this: in addition to bustling scenes in most of the other cities, Bogotá has Theatron, South America’s largest gay club. But coming from the U.S., what did surprise me was that buying a mixed drink was particularly uncommon. In fact, in several clubs, it wasn’t an option.

Instead of selling mixed drinks, most clubs sold full bottles of liquor which patrons could pour themselves and their friends a drink and serve it up with whatever mix they bought. It’s Colombia, so rum or aguardiente were the spirits of choice, followed by whiskey. Most clubs also had vodka, but it was clearly a much less favored option. If you didn’t want to commit to a full bottle of liquor, beer was typically available in bottles of cans (Águila and Corona were the most common, with other local and import varieties often available). That said, at the busiest clubs, cold beer sometimes went fast, so you might get stuck with a lukewarm can or needing to resort to your second or third choice brew based on availability.

Beer is a staple in clubs, but other drinks aren’t what US tourists are used to

Beer, rum, and aguardiente are ever-present at festivities for Barranquilla’s carnaval too (rum is commonly available in unbreakable Tetrapak containers; I noticed aguardiente in both Tetrapaks and bottles). What isn’t readily available when carnaval starts is tickets. The #ProTip I wished I’d tracked before hand: you NEED tickets for most events and they need to be purchased in advance.

Surprise #4

Barranquilla’s carnaval is an impressive event and is said to be one of the largest in South America, second only to Rio’s. The events over the 4+ days of carnaval mostly require tickets, however. And with massive throngs of locals and visitors flocking to carnaval, it’s critical to buy in advance for the larger events, such as the main parade on Saturday.

Lesson learned.

Nicer, more expensive palcos reserve seats but require advance purchase

Tuboleta seems to be the most common site for advance ticket sales and has tickets for all the celebration’s events: Coronation on Friday (photo below), palcos at the parade Saturday through Monday (photo with dad above), and the street party outside Hotel del Prado on Sunday. Tour guides may indicate that you can purchase tickets from your hotel, but this isn’t necessarily true if you arrive on Friday or later, as we did.

Natalia de Castro is crowned Reina de Carnaval 2023. Buy tickets in advance.

Surprise #5

Don’t wear bright colors, they said. Don’t call attention to yourself with flashy clothing, they said … but they surely didn’t say that at Carnaval, ever.

That sequined vest or halter top gathering dust in your closet? Brush it off and bring it out. The high-viz shirt from your construction job? Perfect. Wear it. Even the bright Hawaiian shirt will do a pretty good job of fitting in. But if you really want to lean into the spirit of carnaval, get one of the shirts from the market below Romelio Martinez stadium, or from street vendors near the events.

Carnaval is all in on painted themed shirts and bright colors.

Stay tuned for other updates on an amazing visit to Colombia. It’s such a warm, vibrant country with an incredible diversity of climates, cultures, and people. I want to stay longer and can’t wait to return!