72 Hours in Bogota

One of the benefits of owning a travel agency is that I get to explore and experience places that I otherwise might not have chosen to go to.

When the opportunity came to visit the Colombian capital of Bogota, I must admit that having watched Narcos on Netflix, I wasn’t immediately convinced. I was concerned that the city would be quite dangerous and dirty, and I would be far outside my comfort zone. I might even bump into one of Escobar's descendants.

However, the opportunity was too good to pass, and I agreed to head off. My experience over the next 72 hours, really reshaped my opinion of the city, country, and South America as a destination.
 

The Journey / Day 1

Getting there wasn’t going to be quick, with three flights on the itinerary before I landed in Bogota International airport - El Dorado. My first flight was departing from our local airport of Inverness, which is still my favourite airport to fly from given that it is so quick and efficient to navigate.

I flew to Heathrow with British Airways, experiencing their domestic business class product, which included a cooked breakfast and extra legroom. Very pleasant. Upon arrival at terminal five, I changed terminals to terminal three with ease, and settled down in the American Express Centurion lounge, to enjoy a coffee, a little bit more breakfast, and I’m not going to lie, a beer.

My next flight was to Madrid on Iberia, flying one of their A350s in premium economy. The flight was short so there was no complimentary food or drink service, however, a limited menu of sandwiches and drinks was available. I had around three hours to wait in Madrid airport, for the main part of the journey, again on Iberia in the business class product to Bogotá in another A350.

The premium lounge in Madrid was spacious, and bright, and had an incredible selection of food and drinks, as well as incredible views across the airport. A very nice way to kill some time indeed.

On board the aircraft, the business class cabin had all of the little touches you’d expect, and the food and service were exceptional. There were blankets and pillows, some great movies on the in-flight system, and a complimentary toiletries kit.

I arrived in Bogota around 8 pm local time, feeling refreshed and ready to explore. That feeling didn’t last long however, as Immigration at El Dorado Airport was slow and chaotic, and it took me around two hours to get through passport control where I left the airport to board my shuttle bus to the hotel.  A lot wearier now.

Due to my late arrival, I opted for a hotel airport, in this case, the Garden Inn by Hilton. Located just five minutes by shuttle bus from the airport, it was a convenient location indeed. The rooms were large and well appointed with complimentary bottles of water, hot drinks facilities, a large king-size bed, and a rain shower. Being so late and with an early start to look forward to, I had a drink in the bar and headed to bed.

Day 2

Although the hotel reminded me of an American-style chain hotel, the breakfast was anything but ordinary. The usual selection of fresh fruits, cheeses, and Continental meats was available, however, saw some more traditional Colombian dishes such as Calentao (almost like a south American stovies) and Areap – sort of a corn/maize pancake. I hoped to try as much as I could, which filled my belly nicely and I went to wait in the lobby for my tour guide. 

Today I was going to explore a coffee farm located around 2 ½ hours from the capital city. This consisted of a drive with my driver Carlos, and my tour guide Natalie for 2 ½ hours over some pretty ropey roads, up through the hills and mountains and deep into the countryside.

Once we arrived, the farm representative Juan guided us around the property and grounds and demonstrated how coffee seeds were grown into plants, how the plants were cultivated and the crop was picked, how the beans were prepared for roasting, and finally how the roasting process works.

It of course finished with us being able to taste the delicious coffee which had been grown nearly feet away from where we stood. A true treat for any coffee lover, and an eye-opening experience of the level of hard work and attention that goes into getting us our daily cup of Joe.

On the way back we broke up the journey by stopping for a late lunch and I chose another local dish called Ajiaco. This consisted of a chicken-style soup with sweetcorn and broth, and a separate plate of corn, avocado and rice as well as a roasted chicken thigh. The tradition is to combine all of the ingredients into the bowl, and what resulted was a hearty plate of chicken soup, the likes of which I haven’t tasted before. Delicious!

My hotel that evening was the Hilton Bogota, located further east towards the financial district. A five-star hotel, which was contrasted against the graffiti-strewn walls of the downtown city.

The hotel was exceptionally clean, with large rooms, large bathrooms, large king-size beds, views of the city and the usual elements you would expect from a Hilton hotel. As large as the room was, I felt the whole hotel was a little bit corporate and the room itself was quite austere. It would’ve been nice to have some traditional Colombian artwork on the walls or even some photographs of the history of the city.

For dinner that night I enjoyed some empanadas, some tortillas, and an assortment of other traditional Colombian cuisines. I always like to make sure I get the full flavour of any destination I am visiting, and will never refuse a dish. I washed it down with three bottles of the local beer - Club Colombia - and again went for a slightly earlier night.

Day 3

I woke up after a great sleep in that king-size bed and headed down for my breakfast. The restaurant in the hotel was large and somewhat colonial feeling, which was a nice contrast to the otherwise quite stiff décor. Again, there were a number of traditional Colombian dishes as well as pastries cheeses etc, and I sampled as much as I could before my belly got full.

Time to change hotels again, which I did early as my new next tour started at 1 pm. Around a 15-minute drive to another Hilton this time the Bogota Corferias, which is located in the downtown, vibrant entertainment area. Unfortunately, my room wasn’t ready to check in so I left my luggage at the front desk and headed towards the meeting point for today’s activity, which was a traditional food tour.

The meeting point was a lovely little building called the Cranky Croc Hostel, located in the historic Candelaria region of the City, and rather than a private tour today, I was part of a group of 23 mixed nationalities all hungry to savour the tastes of the city. The good thing about this food tour is that we walked around the most vibrant area of the city, and our senses were assaulted by the colours, sounds and smells. Something that you wouldn’t get to experience if you took a car or bus.

We visited seven local eateries, all small businesses locally owned and got to sample their offerings. I’m not going to attempt to pronounce or spell the dishes we sampled but hopefully, the photos give you an idea. The ceviche was my favourite. Sharp, clean, fresh. I wanted more!

The tour lasted around five hours and finished back at the cranky croc. I stayed and had a drink with an American couple I have met before heading back to the hotel once again. I only had one more sleep, and one more activity before my flight home late tomorrow evening.

I checked into my hotel room and was incredibly lucky to have been upgraded to one of their suites. With rolling views across the city and the hills beyond, it really was an awesome vantage point.

The room itself was split into three areas. A living, working, dining space, a large bedroom, and one of the largest hotel bathrooms I’ve seen. Albeit I was given a very generous upgrade, at just over £100 per night, this hotel is exceptional value for money given the level of luxury they provide.

Part of my state included the use of their executive lounge. This meant that for two hours every night, there was complimentary soft, hot, and alcoholic drinks, and a complimentary buffet. The quality of the food provided really was exceptional, however, after my extensive food tour of the city my appetite was somewhat lacking. I sampled some empanadas, with their house salsa and enjoyed a couple of glasses of local wine.

The lounge closed at 8 pm, and I transferred downstairs to the bar where I sampled one of their house cocktails and caught up with some work. Given its opulence, I was surprised to see the hotel so empty and I noticed that security was quite high. Upon speaking with one of the managers, it turns out that the Ecuador national football team were sharing the hotel with me that evening and the spaces were being reserved for them.

Day 4

Another early start as I awaited Natalie and Carlos picking me up again, this time for a walking tour of the city. I very much wanted to get into the nitty-gritty of what Bogotá is all about, so booked a private one-to-one tour to help achieve this.

I started my day with a swim in the hotel pool which was very pleasant, and again had views across the city. It also had a Jacuzzi which was a very pleasant way to wake up.

The only word to describe breakfast this morning is incredible. Three huge lines of food representing various nationalities, food groups, and tastes. The football team were enjoying their breakfast, and it occurred to me I should perhaps have made more use of the gym facilities as the food from yesterday was starting to put my T-shirt under some strain.

We spent a few hours touring around the Candelaria area of the city, taking in local markets, food stalls and Cafes. We went to a coffee shop where they have no less than nine separate methods of brewing their national drink, and we experienced a couple before moving on.

Natalie took the time to explain the local history, politics and crime (which is of course fascinating), and while we stood in the main square of the city, there was a student protest underway and in full swing. Despite this, I felt completely safe, and Natalie explained that the protest group had recently been given what they wanted so she couldn’t understand what they were continuing to protest about.

Content that I had got my daily allowance of steps in, we went to Monserrate mountain, where we took a cable car to the top. An ancient lookout post, the views span across the city towards the Andes, and there is rarely a spot in the city that cannot be seen from this vantage point at over 10,000 feet high. No wonder I was out of breath!

There is also a church built just over 100 years ago located on the summit, “Basilica Sanctuary of the Fallen Lord and Our Lady of Monserrate “ and given how long it took us to reach the top, I did wonder how people could make the journey to church without being exhausted by the time they reach there. The views really were spectacular, and truly awe-inspiring.

The time was approaching 5 pm, and Natalie had to clock off, so I was dropped back at my hotel where I collected my bags and headed to the airport. My journey home was almost the same as my journey there, only in reverse. The airports at Bogota, Madrid, and London were all extremely efficient and easy to navigate.

All in all the trip opened my eyes to what South America has to offer and perhaps left me feeling a little guilty that I had prejudged such an incredibly diverse and welcoming destination.

What the city has to offer is an abundance of incredibly friendly locals who are only too happy to share the wonders of the city with anyone who wants to learn. They are extremely proud of their food, and their culture as they should be.

I would highly recommend Bogota, Columbia, and other northern South American destinations to anyone who has a love of diverse cultures, and world cuisine. In summary, there is really nowhere quite like Bogota that I have experienced so far on my travels.

 

 

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