Ready to cut your teeth on Colombia?
It’s your first time going to Colombia and you only have 10 days. Perfect.
Here’s your 10-day Colombia itinerary:
4 nights in Medellín (Friday – Tuesday)
3 nights in Tayrona (Tuesday – Friday)
2 nights in Cartagena (Friday – Sunday)
This Colombia travel itinerary is optimal for first-time travel to Colombia because it covers the best cities and gives you a well-rounded feel for the country’s diversity without burning you out or leaving you stuck in transit hell.
Start in Medellín, a city that defies every outdated stereotype with its innovation, nightlife, and story of transformation.
Then reset in Tayrona, where jungle meets Caribbean sea and hammocks replace your notifications.
End with a quick hit of Cartagena, where the colors, cocktails, and colonial architecture leave you on a high note.
This route balances Colombia travel between cities and nature, pace and pause, and adventure and comfort. No filler, no regrets -just the best of Colombia in 10 days flat.
This route is great for your first trip to Colombia, but I’ve actually done this exact itinerary like 5x because it’s just that amazing.
But first, some fun facts about Colombia:
📍 Country: Colombia; Capital & Largest City: Bogotá
💰 Currency: Colombian Peso (COP); 1 USD ≈ 4,000 COP
👉 Quick math: think of 10,000 COP ≈ $2.50
🛒 But how much does it really cost?: Colombia is wayyyy cheaper than the U.S. Think Detroit prices but you’re living like a king.
🗣️ Language: Spanish (English is spoken in tourist areas, but not widely outside cities)
🛬 Airports: Medellín – Olaya Herrera Airport (EOH), Tayrona – Simón Bolívar International Airport (SMR), Cartagena – Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG)
🕒 Time zone: Colombia Time (COT); same as Central Time (no daylight saving)
🚕 Transportation: Medellín – Metro & cable cars, Tayrona – mototaxis & private shuttles, Cartagena – taxis, walking, & boats
☀️ Best time to visit: December–March or July–August (dry season, ideal for travel)
🌡️ Weather & 🏔️ Altitude: Medellín – springlike year-round (4,900 ft), Tayrona – hot and humid (sea level), Cartagena – hotter and more humid (sea level)
🍽️ Typical foods: Arepas, bandeja paisa, empanadas, ajiaco, tamales, exotic fruits like lulo and guanabana, fresh juices, and Colombia’s famous coffee
Medellín has an obvious reputation for harboring the darker side of humanity, but the current state of the city couldn’t be further from where it was in the 90s.
Today, it’s a modern metropolis and the cultural and economic capital of Colombia. It has seen a huge influx of tourism and foreign investment over the last decade and is developing faster than anywhere I’ve seen. The culture is super open, friendly, and welcoming. I always feel safe there. And the value of goods & services bought with the Colombian peso was softer on the USD than anywhere I’ve been in the last 10 years, however prices in all of Colombia have doubled in the last 2 years so it’s not the free paradise that it used to be.
Arrive on Friday. The weekend is the best time here, and you should do the city while your energy is high and you’re feeling fresh.
I highly recommend staying at the Socialtel (previously the Selina), where you’re located perfectly in Poblado, it has everything you could want in a hotel, but also has a hostel vibe (in the cleanest, not noisiest way possible) if you want to meet people.
Medellín is fun. There is a ton of shit to do there. You can start here:
Check out Comuna 13 – the world’s coolest graffiti hip hop neighborhood (more like a city)
Spend a day kayaking and doing paintball in Pablo Escobar’s house in Guatapé
Hike with the hottest Colombians at Cerro de las Tres Cruces, and then get your pump on at the top
Cruise the highway on a bicycle or rollerblades Ciclovia
Play Tejo – like American horseshoes, but with explosives
Do a free city walking tour of downtown
Shake your ass and meet some friends at a salsa lesson
Learn how to ask someone on a day in their mother tongue with Nueva Lengua Spanish school
Get that near-death rush without the risk – paragliding
The best hotels in Medellín
Medellín has a lot of hotels across the spectrum, and they all kind of look the same. Many of the medium-end ones have a hot tub in them, which Colombians feel is an elevated look, but I find really disgusting, especially since it has a sex tourism kind of air to it.
If you’re only here for 10 days and you can afford it, go medium higher end, which will run you $150 – $200.
Here are my favorites in affordable, medium high-end, and luxe:
Affordable: Socialtel Medellín
Price: $10–$30 for dorms, $50–$90 for private rooms
Location: Manila neighborhood, El Poblado – walkable, slightly quieter than Parque Lleras but still lively
Vibe: Social, affordable, fun-loving—designed for extroverts and community-minded travelers.
Medium high end: Click Clack
The Click Clack Hotel Medellín is a sleek, design-forward stay in the center, El Poblado. It has a rooftop pool and bar restaurant that is a scene in its own, moody lighting, and jungle-modern aesthetic. It’s perfect if you want to feel like you’re somewhere interesting without trying too hard.
Price: $190–$300 / night
Location: El Poblado, a few blocks from Parque Lleras – walkable to bars, cafés, and nightlife
Vibe: Trendy, youthful, boutique-luxury with strong attention to design and atmosphere
Luxe: El Cielo
The El Cielo Hotel is a luxury boutique property from Michelin-starred chef Juan Manuel Barrientos, blending world-class hospitality with immersive fine dining. The design is sleek and minimalist, with warm wood, soft lighting, and smart tech in every room. Guests have exclusive access to Elcielo Restaurant—one of the best dining experiences in Colombia—without ever leaving the building.
Price: $280–$400 / night
Location: El Poblado, near the Milla de Oro – close to upscale restaurants, bars, and shopping
Vibe: Refined, intimate, and culinary-focused—ideal for food lovers and special occasions
Medellín has a great food scene and eating will likely be an important part of your trip here. Check out the 17 best restaurants in Medellín in this article but keep in mind that street food and the menu del día are both something you should experince here.
If you feel like you’ve been super efficient in your American ways and have conquered Medellín over the weekend, then first of all – slow down. This is Colombia, we’re relaxed here. And second, take an overnight trip to Guatapé.
Stay at #ThatchedLuxe resort BOSKO, where you can climb El Peñol in the afternoon, relax with a massage in your room, eat an amazing Colombian-fusion dinner at a beautiful restaurant on-site, wake up to nature, eat breakfast in your private 70-foot high infinity pool, and kayak on a beautiful lake.
On Tuesday, you’re feeling a little tired from all this vacation and it’s time to cruise up to Tayrona where you can relax. Grab a $30 ticket on Avianca (RIP, Viva Air, thanks for going out of business the day everyone arrived in Colombia for my wedding). Take the early flight so you can enjoy the day in the Caribbean.
Tayrona
Tayrona is a national park located on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Its unlike most of the Caribbean places you’ve visited for a few reasons – all resulting from superior preservation of the environment and an elevated experience for visitors:
First, the park is protected by Colombian law and everyone there takes those laws very seriously.
Second, the indigenous groups of Tayrona dictate the protection of the land. They have pre-Columbian methods of tracking the health of the environment and they close down the park when they feel the energy getting out of balance.
Third, this part of the coast was occupied by both the FARC and the right-wing paramilitaries during the civil war so, while the people of Colombia were being terrorized for half a century, the nature was actually being sheltered from the cruise ship hoards and xylophone music that was taking over the rest of the Caribbean.
Most importantly, Colombian culture respects the land as much as Colombian law does.
The indigenous people do a great job of keeping the park pristine against the threat of tourists like us. You feel the energy as soon as you enter that part of the jungle. It’s a super peaceful environment and the indigenous people have maintained an astonishingly ancestral way of life – it’s pretty cool to walk among them.
Tayrona has REALLY COOL places to stay. Like bird nests built into the side of the mountain cool. I love the Senda hotels. They’re very nature-luxe. But if you want to get more earthy you definitely can. You can camp, or stay at one of the many down-to-earth lodges.
Massages are $25 an hour. The seafood dishes are $12-$15 and soooo good, and even if you don’t drink alcohol – please drink the mocktails. I never drink cocktails in the states, I think they’re disgusting and I get hungover just thinking about them but I swear I feel healthier after drinking the cocktails in Tayrona.
The trek to Cabo San Juan (a beach 4 miles from the park entrance) is one of the main reasons that people go to Tayrona. It’s a pleasant, flat trek that goes between the jungle and the beach, 1.5-3 hours each way, and you can camp at San Juan if you’re a camper. I highly recommend doing this trek if you come all the way here.
That being said – the Indigenous people were talking about closing down the park more than the usual 3x annually in 2022/2023 due to increased activity. I don’t think they ended up doing it, but Colombia is more crowded now than it was then, so keep in mind there’s always a chance that the park could be closed when you’re there, in which case you wouldn’t be able to do the trek. If this happens you can just spend more time relaxing poolside, eating seafood and drinking jungle juice – and there are plenty of other hikes and interesting places for the restless to discover – but I would check into it if you’re going for the trek.
Tayrona is also one of the more biodiverse areas of the world. You’ll see boa, cayman, howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, ocelots, jaguarundis, agoutis, iguanas, poison dart frogs, scarlet macaws, toucans, motmots, harpy eagles, pelicans, herons, parrotfish, sea turtles, and reef sharks – and the super rare Cotton-Top Tamarin!
Theatrical trailers of the park:
Somos Dos: a music video shot in Tayrona by a Colombian band called Bomba Estereo
Playa Grande: another music video by Bomba Estereo, with Sofi Tukker – shot outside of the park (and also in metaverse, apparently)
Now that you’re all natured out and ready for your last hurrah in the city, it’s time to move on to Cartagena. The bad news is that you have to take a 4-hour bus ride (it’s only $12 and your hotel can set it up, or you can take a $90 cab)
The good news is that Cartagena is fucking amazing.
As far as where to stay in Tayrona, you can think of it as inside the park and outside. Inside is cooler – but more expensive. But I actually have a hack for this – it’s called inside out and it’s when you stay at a hotel that’s right outside of the park so you can just walk across the street and you’re inside. I know.
Restaurants for the most part are all inside the hotels, since it’s not a city, so you’ll mostly eat where you stay (another reason to splurge!)
Check out my favorite hotels in Parque Tayrona:
Affordable – The Valley Tayrona Hostel
Price: Starting at $30 for dorms and and up to $125 for private rooms
Location: Los Naranjos, about 10 minutes from the Zaino entrance to Tayrona
Vibe: Relaxed, social, jungle-surfer energy—ideal for budget travelers who want more than just a bed
Medium high end – Senda Casa Tayrona:
Senda Casa Tayrona Los Naranjos is the first place I stayed when I came to Parque Tayrona, and it completely set the tone. Casa Tayrona sits on a bluff overlooking the ocean, with palm trees swaying, an infinity pool facing the waves, and direct beach access just steps below. It feels boutique but breezy, and waking up here with jungle behind you and the Caribbean in front is something you don’t forget.
Price: $217 / night
Location: Los Naranjos, right outside Tayrona’s Zaino entrance with private beach access
Vibe: Serene, elegant, nature-forward—equal parts barefoot luxury and coastal escape
Luxe – Senda Watapuy:
The Senda Watapuy is where we stayed during my wedding – because it’s the best hotel in Parque Tayrona. This luxury eco-retreat has thatched-roof bungalows tucked between the jungle and the Caribbean, private plunge pools, canopy beds, ocean views, and incredible food. Every detail feels upscale vibes, from the open-air showers to the curated meals, and the whole property feels like it was designed for peace.
Also, this and the Senda Koguiwa (its more affordable sister hotel) are the ones that are right across from the park entrance.
Price: $130 – $300 / night
Location: Los Naranjos, steps from the Zaino entrance to Tayrona but totally secluded
Vibe: Intimate, romantic, slow-luxury—perfect for honeymoons, or anyone needing total restoration
Senda Watapuy really is magical – one of my favorite hotels to stay at in the world. (video, left)
Where I’m staying next time I go back:
Finca Barlovento Maloka y Cabaña is actually two properties – Maloka and Cabaña, right next to each other. They’re set on a dramatic cliff where the river meets the sea, just outside the park. The views look like you’re in the Amazon, the hammocks are plentiful, and the whole place looks like it’s been carved out of the coastline just for me. (pictured, right)
Check out more Tayrona hotels:
Cartagena
In the 15th century, Cartagena was essentially a layover for Peruvian silver going to Spain, which made it an obvious target for pirates and privateers, including the famed Sir Frances Drake. In 1594, after a series of attacks, Spain finally drew up plans for a walled city. Cut to today’s Cartagena and you have a romantic-colonial fortified city with a super hot food scene and boutique shopping. It has 3 distinct neighborhoods – each within a few minutes’ walk from the others.
Getsemaní is a colorful hipster area where the backpackers hang out.
Bocagrande is the modern area with beaches and skyscrapers. I recommend skipping this area altogether, its touristy and has a cruise ship port vibe.
The Walled City is where you should spend most of your time, imo. It has a super aesthetic modern-colonial look and feel, where people move through narrow cobblestone streets to get from the swanky bars to the restaurants on foot or horse-drawn carriage.
If you’re a shopper this is your place to buy breathable but stylish Caribbean fashion in natural and colorful patterns. Also look out for emerald and gold-plated brass jewelry, bikinis, and coffee. Check out this article to find out the best things to buy in Colombia.
Unfortunately, Cartagena has gotten a bit more crowded since BC (before COVID), so expect some ‘street salesmen‘ with annoyingly repetitive pickup lines (“where you from,” “what you looking for?,” and “you smoke marijuana,” mainly) – but if you don’t engage they’ll leave you alone.
Carmen’s: When you make a res, reserve the 7-course with wine pairing in the outdoor seating, but when you arrive ask if you can sit at the bar, and then ask for Luke – introduce yourself he’ll take care of you.
1621: Used to be a convent, now serves amazing 10-course experiences. Sit inside for upscale dining or in the garden for amazing food and the opportunity to interact with a Colombian wedding (the Sofitel is one of the most famous places for weddings here)
Here’s a full list of The Most Beautiful Restaurants in Cartagena – and how much they cost.
You can also try out some of the street food if you want to get your feet wet before committing to a brick & mortar experience – here is a list of street food to try
Some don’t miss bars:
Cuba 1940: I know it seems weird to go to a place called “Cuba” when you’re in Cartagena but trust me, its a vibe. Usually with a live band and basic, inexpensive drinks.
Alquimico: Really cool, 4-story spot with top mixologists, some food, and usually a band.
Mirador Gastro Bar: This place literally has it all. Another 4-story venue with a brunch spot, a coffee bar, a rooftop (yes, with a band), and disco club.
Spend your time eating, drinking, shopping, watching the Colombians vacation, listening to live music, and feeling the mid-century vibes.
Where to stay in Cartagena:
Read this article for 9 Cartagena hotels that are better than all-inclusive resorts – yes, the true Cartagena experince includes an extra luxe stay. Spoiler alert: the San Agustin is the best.
Find Cartagena hotels:
Colombia is one of those countries that can give you a little bit of everything – urban culture, natural beauty, history, and adventure – all in a single trip.
This Colombia travel itinerary keeps things moving without feeling rushed, giving you time to breathe in Medellín, explore the jungle and beaches of Tayrona, and wrap it all up with Cartagena’s sun-soaked charm.
If it’s your first time traveling to Colombia, this route will show you what this country has to offer.
Save this 10-day Colombia itinerary for your next vacation – you can thank me once you’re there, cocktail in hand, wondering why you didn’t come sooner.
More Resources
33 best things to do in Colombia.
The list for foodies: The 17 best restaurants in Medellín.
And Travel Insurance so you can know you’re taken care of if something goes wrong.
Ready to go? Check out flights to Colombia
As always, if you have any questions or want specific recommendations for your Colombia travel itinerary leave them in the comments and I’ll respond.
If you want to message me privately, I’ll respond on Instagram @Le_Gipset
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