Five Reasons to Love Bogota, Colombia in 2023

Over labor day weekend in 2015, I went to Bogota, Colombia, South America for three days (about two and a half days to be exact, but I was there three calendar days). I flew there for free (other than a small surcharge) and I stayed there for free – if you want to learn how I travel on a budget, check out this travel advice.

My Journey

The core of this post is about the five reasons why I fell in love with Bogota (and you might as well), but before diving into those I want to quickly share with you my epic adventures.

I was looking forward to this trip for so long and was it everything I hoped it would be? Yes – and more! After landing in Bogota my wonderful Couchsurfing host Alex was kind enough to meet me at the airport. Talk about a win-win situation! Not only did I get to stay with Alex for free, but a local took the time to show me around. This is why I love Couchsurfing so much and the authentic people who are a part of this community. On top of that, we met up with two very fun Europeans (originally from Croatia) who were also visiting Bogota and hung out with them.

The entire first day, we walked all around the city and through some of the main squares and side roads. We had a delicious late lunch and explored several museums. We capped off the day by going to the hill overlooking Bogota. Tea, one of the Europeans who flew in from Spain, asked for advice on how to travel for free and I sent her some useful links via email. Always great to connect after-the-fact with fun people like Tea! Before calling it a night, Alex and I grabbed a burger at a local restaurant.

The second day was more exploring! We went outside of the city of Bogota to Zipaquira (I sat at the VERY front of the bus and got a great view of the countryside) to do explore the famous caves, where the well-known Colombian salt mines are located. There is a lot more I could go into here, but the main point I want to convey to you about my journey in Bogota is that you can do a lot more in a 3-day weekend than most people think. Many people – in a semi-joking, fun-loving way – thought I was crazy to fly to South America for a weekend. But the reality is that the flight was only a little over a two hours from New York to Miami and then only a little over three hours from Miami to Bogota, so I really wasn’t in the air that long considering I was flying to another continent.

Five Reasons

Ok, here they are! The five reasons I love Bogota and hope to return there again in the future:

• The locals are friendly. My Couchsurfing host Alex was not only one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met, but most of the people in the city are kind as well. Also, it’s a safe city: there are armed guards who initially scared me because they were holding guns, but Alex explained to me they help keep the city safe. You have to be careful here just the way you’d use your common sense in any other city in the world, but overall it’s pretty easy to get around.

• The food is delicious. Loved the lunch I had there (the dish I had was called Ajiaco), it was unexpectedly one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Also, I enjoyed the coffee and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t even drink coffee!

• It has a hill overlooking the city below! The view was simply stunning and we could see planes taking off and landing in the distance. I’m a sucker for the high points of a city, like the time I hit The Mountaintop (figuratively and literally) in Paris and Barcelona.
• There are lots of different options. Whether you are artsy or into the bar scene (or both, like me) I can almost guarantee there is something in Bogota you’ll like.
• It’s an affordable city. I was on a budget for this trip and I got to make the most of my three days without breaking the bank.

Conclusion

I shared with you the five genuine reasons why I loved Bogota, having had no preconceived notions or prior experience in the country of Colombia. Of course there are many more great places to see in Colombia that I hope to check out in the future, as I’ve found that the more you travel, the more you realize there is to travel to (you can quote me on that if you’d like).

Have a wonderful day and stay tuned for more posts in the future!

Cheers,

Jeff Davis AKA Mr. Mountaintop

P.S. A future post will talk about how and why I have the nickname “Mr. Mountaintop” and what it has to do with you fully enjoying the places you travel to.

Jeff Davis is an award-winning author, professional speaker, and world traveler. Learn more about his story on his About page and feel free to check out his author page on Amazon. Contact Jeff’s Executive Assistant via meg@jeffdspeaks.com or feel free to email Jeff directly at jeff@jeffdspeaks.com.