RSSMost of the people love to take a break from their routine work and escape to a far away place. But there are certain things to consider when one makes up his or her mind to visit a foreign nation. Here are some tips for those who wish to visit Colombia, a country rich in tradition and culture.
Visas: Visitors from Australia, New Zealand, most European countries and the USA do not need visa if staying less than 90 days as a tourist. Other passport holders should check visa status with Colombian consular representation before departure
Health Risks: Altitude sickness, cholera, hepatitis A, B and D, malaria, rabies, tetanus and typhoid.
Water: All mayor cities have good water. In some of them you can drink it directly from the faucet. But always it is better to drink the water after boiling it.
Electricity: 110V, 60 Hz. All cities have good electricity. Some very far away little towns may not have electricity in late night.
Phone: Phone communication is very good in the cities. Towns have fair phone services. You also have cellular phone services in all mayor cities and towns,
Roads: There are some fairly good paved roads. Most of them are unpaved. If you are using an unpaved road ask the conditions before using it.
Currency: Peso
Trips Costs
Budget room: USD 5-10
Moderate hotel: USD 25-35
Top-end hotel: USD 150+
Budget meal: USD 2-5
Moderate restaurant meal: USD 5-10
Top-end restaurant meal: USD 10+
Colombia is not an expensive country. Budget travelers can get by on around US$10 per day; while those staying in more comfortable hotels and eating at restaurants will spend around US$20-30 per day. Some banks change cash and/or travelers' checks, but others don't. Some branches of a bank will change your money while other branches of the same bank will refuse. This seems to vary constantly from bank to bank, city to city, day to day, and can be further complicated by a myriad of local factors, e.g. the bank may have reached its daily limit of foreign exchange. On top of that, the banks usually offer foreign exchange services within limited hours, which may mean only one or two hours daily; your best chances are in the morning.
You can change cash dollars on the street, but it's not recommended. The only street money markets worth considering are those at the borders, where there may be simply no alternative. You can use credit cards (Visa is the most widely accepted) for car rental, air tickets and in most top-end hotels and restaurants. Plastic money is also becoming popular for purchasing goods and payment for services in many other commercial establishments. There are an increasing number of cajeros automáticos (automatic teller machines); these accept Visa and MasterCard and pay out in pesos.
