Money Gram, Western Union, Airport ATMs, and/or local ATMs. Travelers checks are not worth the hassle of carrying around anymore, as they are hard to cash. Dollars are rarely accepted, save for high-end hotels or in San Andrés. To have cash wired to you from abroad, look for a Western Union office. These are located only in major cities. Counterfeit bills are a problem in Colombia, and unsuspecting international visitors are often the recipient of them. Bar staff, taxi drivers, and street vendors are the most common culprits of this. It’s good to always have a stash of small bills as a preventative measure. Tattered and torn bills will also be passed off to you, which could pose a problem. Try not to accept those. *Be sure to notify your bank before traveling to the country to avoid account hold/freezes due to foreign international purchases.
Colombia’s official currency is the peso, which is abbreviated as COP. Prices in Colombia are marked with a dollar sign, but remember that you’re seeing the price in Colombian pesos. COP$1,000,000 isn’t enough to buy a house in Colombia, but it will usually cover a few nights in a nice hotel! Bills in Colombia are in denominations of $1,000, $2,000, $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, and $100,000. Coins in Colombia got a makeover in 2012, so you may see two different versions of the same coin amount. Coins in Colombia are in denominations of $50, $100, $200, $500, and $1,000. The equivalent of cents is centavos in Colombian Spanish. The exchange rate for Colombian pesos fluctuates. The best way to make a quick (though imprecise) conversion to U.S. dollars is to take half of the amount and move the decimal three places to the left. Thus, think of COP$10,000 to be around US$5, and COP$20,000 to be US$10. Go to site: https://colombia.travel/en/practical-information/currency-information
The locals main source of travel is public transportation and taxis. Uber and Lyft are illegal in Colombia.
Dial '123' for police and emergency services. If you're not familiar with your location, drop a pin on your Maps app (for iPhone users). Select the pin and it will provide you with the coordinates. If this is too complicated, do a 360 and provide the operator with a building/major landsite.
Colombia is country in South America with a frightening reputation for drug wars and kidnappings, but it is – and has been for while now – a favourite destination for adventure travelers. From the Caribbean coast to the friendly people and charming culture, travelers are flocking to see Colombia before it becomes a tourist hotspot – and here's why you should do it too. The short answer from us is yes, it is safe to travel to Colombia – as long as you keep your wits about you and stay away from known dangerous areas, this is one of the most incredible destinations in South America.
Currently, no vaccines are required to gain entry to Colombia. However, if you wish to visit tourist sites such as the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park, the Tayrona National Park or the different Amazon reserves, the Colombia authorities will require that you are properly vaccinated against yellow fever. Remember that this vaccine must be administered at least 10 days prior to traveling to these destinations.
We would highly recommend that, before traveling, you take out international medical insurance to ensure full cover should you need medical attention. Recommendations: GeoBlue with BlueCrossBlueShield. Go to https://www.geobluetravelinsurance.com/product_overview.cfm
One of the most surprising things about Colombia for foreign visitors is the unchanging nature of its climate all year round. This is because the country is located on the Equator, which means the sun rises and sets at the same time all year round and the season stays the same, unlike almost every other country in the world. There are just the dry seasons (from December to January and July to August) and the rainy seasons (from April to May and October to November). However, this doesn't mean that the whole country gets the same weather. In fact, the topographical diversity of Colombia provides a huge variety of landscapes, biodiversity and thermal floors.
Yes. Visit https://colombia.travel/en