Traveling to Colombia
Colombia is not one climate with a handful of attractions scattered across it. Bogotá sits on an Andean plateau at roughly 2,600 metres, Santa Marta is a hot Caribbean port beneath the Sierra Nevada, and San Andrés belongs to a western Caribbean world shaped by Raizal Afro-Caribbean history rather than the Andes. Here's what to know before you go.
Colombia in numbers
Capital
Bogotá
Population
53.1-53.9 M
Currency
Colombian peso (COP)
Language
Spanish
International visitors
~5.1 M
UNESCO sites
9
Continent
South America
Time zone
UTC-5
Airports covered
6
Why visit Colombia
From the Andes to the Caribbean, via a Caribbean archipelago
Bogotá, a capital at altitude
The Museo del Oro, La Candelaria and Monserrate tell the story of an intellectual capital sitting at 2,600 metres on the Sabana.
Santa Marta and the Sierra Nevada
Historic centre, Tayrona and Minca: a city-and-base combining the Caribbean with the Indigenous peoples' sacred mountains.
San Andrés, Raizal culture
Far more than a postcard-blue sea: La Loma, the Sanandresano creole and coconut-based cuisine tell an Afro-Caribbean story of its own.
A plural country
Muisca, Kogui, Arhuaco, Wiwa and Kankuamo peoples are contemporary communities, not pre-Columbian relics.
Traveling to Colombia
Six airports covered by SniperAir
El Dorado (Bogotá)
The country's main international airport.
José María Córdova (Medellín)
The gateway to Antioquia and the Coffee Region.
Rafael Núñez (Cartagena)
Direct access to the UNESCO-listed Caribbean heritage.
Alfonso Bonilla Aragón (Cali)
The gateway to the salsa capital and the Colombian Pacific.
Simón Bolívar (Santa Marta)
Access to Tayrona, Minca and the Sierra Nevada.
Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (San Andrés)
The only airport of the San Andrés archipelago.
SniperAir already tracks prices to the country's main gateways.
SniperAir destinations in Colombia
Discover our destination pages
More Colombian cities will progressively join this list.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Colombia
What's the best airport to arrive in Colombia?
El Dorado (BOG) in Bogotá is the main international gateway. SniperAir also covers Medellín, Cartagena, Cali, Santa Marta and San Andrés.
Do you need to fill out a form before entering Colombia?
The free Check-Mig service can be completed between 72 hours and one hour before travel. Check Migración Colombia's requirements on the exact date of your trip.
Is Colombia more than just Bogotá?
Yes — Santa Marta and the Sierra Nevada, San Andrés and its Raizal identity, or Medellín, Cartagena and the Coffee Region offer radically different trips within the same country.
Can you pay by card everywhere in Colombia?
No. Urban hotels and restaurants often accept cards, but markets, local buses and villages mostly run on cash.
How do I get alerted when a flight to Colombia drops below my budget?
Create a SniperAir alert profile with your departure airport and your Colombian destination: we track prices for you and notify you as soon as a deal matching your criteria appears.
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