The recent making of a peace treaty (with amnesty provisions) between the government of Colombia and its longtime insurgent guerillas (a movement known as "FARC") has brought about an amazing change in the status of that country. With peace descending on such main cities as Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena--and the virtual disappearance of the drug trade (the "narcos") from its once-turbulent locations--Colombia has suddenly become a hot tourist destination for Americans. More and more of us are returning from visits with ecstatic stories of colorful and well-preserved colonial quarters, fine restaurants, ample nature within easy reach, and unusually cordial residents anxious to end their former isolation.
Equally important, the start-up of a major, new, budget-priced, no-frills airline called VivaColombia (www.vivacolombia.co/co), now flying there from the U.S., has helped to unleash a torrent of tourism. As amazing as it may seem, VivaColombia is charging as little as $171 (plus luggage fees) round-trip from Miami to Bogota and Medellin. And it is flying from Bogota to Cartagena for an even more astounding Colombia-peso-equivalent of $42 each way.
Colombia is an immense country, larger than Alaska, and with a population of over 40 million. Its first city to emerge into the world of large-scale tourism was the Caribbean-coastal Cartagena, famed for its large and extraordinarily-well-preserved Spanish colonial quarter (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). It is incredibly atmospheric and beautifully restored, a walled old city dotted with restaurants, nightspots, shops, ancient churches, and a variety of accommodations ranging from deluxe hotels to simple b-and-bs.
When it was first attempting to persuade the public that Colombia was safe to visit, its tourist board adopted as its slogan, "The only risk is wanting to stay" (which I felt to be overly defensive). That admonition has now been replaced with the two words, "Magic Realism", reminding the tourist of Colombia's renowned, Nobel-prize-winning novelist, Gabriel Garcia Marquez ("100 Years of Solitude").
In a later column, I'll be writing about other compelling Colombian cities and their many attractions, and with other reasons for vacationing here, among which are, appealing beaches, opportunities for Eco-and-Adventure Tourism, Archaeological Tourism, and Coffee Tourism (for this is the land of Juan Valdez). Until then, let me finally mention that almost everything here is moderately-priced, in the tradition of its new budget airline, the so-aptly-named Viva Colombia.