There are many transport options once you are in Colombia, plane and buses being the most obvious ones as there are only touristic trains (train to Zipaquira, Boca de Cenizas in Barranquilla).
And once you're in a city, taxis are the easy and relatively cheap option. For more authentic stuff or little adventures, try the Transmilenio in Bogota or Barranquilla, the underground in Medellin or the busetas available in all Colombia.
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Travel in Colombia by Plane
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Here's the good news: It's pretty cheap to fly within the country.
Prices remain pretty much the same (around $120/return for most destinations) so you don't have to book too much in advance.
=> Be careful if you are flying to a destination where an event is happening (ex. Carnival of Barranquilla) as the cheap seats will get booked well in advance!
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Air Companies
There are 6 companies doing domestic flights: Lan, Avianca and Copa Airlines are the biggest and more reliable ones. Easyfly and Satena could be cheaper and offer direct flights to less famous destinations, and Viva Colombia is a really good deal, but offers few destinations for now.
- Avianca: www.avianca.com
- Copa Airlines: www.copaair.com
- Lan: www.lan.com
- Satena: www.satena.com
- Easyfly: www.easyfly.com.co
- Viva Colombia: www.vivacolombia.co
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Travel in Colombia by Bus
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Bus is a great & super cheap way of traveling between sites or within the cities.
It could be quite a long journey for some routes, as there are often serious mountains to be crossed. Never the less, bus remains a unique experience and a fantastic way of witnessing the majesty of Colombia's landscapes.
There are usually 2 bus terminal in the major cities, one in the North, one in the South so go to the one that points to the place you want to go. There are many companies offering seats to the same destinations at various prices, don't hesitate to bargain especially if it's a close departure and they have seats left.
=> If you are looking for a faster journey (but not necessarily safer), you can also get seats in a mini van.
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Travel in Cities by Busetas
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These are small buses going to pretty much every corner of the city. They are pretty cheap and convenient, we find it quite tricky to catch them though.
It is usually tough to know where they go, where to catch them (there is no precise stop & you have to wave at them them like a taxi) and where to get out!
=> It is not necessarily worthy it anyway if there's more than one of you as taxis are super cheap. You might want to try the experience though, especially if you are accompanied by some locals.
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Travel in cities by TransMilenio
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TransMilenio is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system that serves Bogota (although equivalents can be found in other cities such as Cali or Barranquilla).
It consists of several specially designed lines, composed of numerous elevated stations in the center of a main avenue.
=> Passengers typically reach the stations via a bridge over the street. Roads are dedicated to bus traffic which make it fast and secure.
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Travel in cities by Taxi
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Taxis are more than just a convenient & comfortable way of moving in Colombia... They are a proper way of life!
There are numerous taxis in every city of Colombia (more than 50 000 in Bogota).
They are very easy to catch & extremely cheap, especially if you are more than one (usually around $3 for a ride). We didn't find that the traffic was that bad compared to cities like NY, London or Paris.
So this is it, taxis are your door to freedom! Can you imagine that? Being able to move anytime and anywhere you want in less than 30 mns and just for a few bucks? What a revolution for us who have been living in London where it usually cost 5 times this price and takes twice as long to get anywhere!
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Security concerns
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There are quite a lot of concerns about risks of being mugged in Colombian transports, especially in night buses & taxis. We personally never had any problems (apart from "Gringo prices": always check before how much it will cost).
=> We heard many stories though, especially with "non-official taxis", so we recommend prudence and to follow those simple rules:
=> More information about safety in Colombia
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