10 little-known tourist places in Colombia

Colombia is a beautiful South American country rich in tourist attractions such as the Tayrona National Park, Cartagena de Indias and the beautiful Bogotá. However, these sites are not the only charms of the country.

Let’s get to know in this article the 10 little-known tourist places in Colombia; natural parks, beaches and museums that are also attractive in the “land of coffee”.

1. San Gil, Santander

Let’s start our list with a colonial and colorful Andean city in northern Colombia: San Gil, Santander.

The tourist capital of the state of Santander is the perfect place for adventure sports and ecotourism, due to its parks, mountains, rivers and other natural attractions.

San Gil Parks

Gallineral National Park: a kind of 4-hectare island that serves as a reservoir for large plant species.

Parque La Libertad: natural ornament in the center of San Gil where you can meditate under the shade of ceiba trees.

Parque Chicamocha: it has a cable car, the Monument to Santandereanidad and animals such as ostriches and goats. You can mount on flying cable.

Extreme sports or adventures

Its whitewater rivers have allowed the practice of rafting since 1996, since they have been certified as class III waters. You can practice kayaking, bungee jumping, rappelling and canoeing.

20 minutes from San Gil you can enjoy the air and the landscape from above through paragliding, with instructors who will prepare you so that the experience is totally pleasant.

The cost of this attraction is between 70 thousand and 80 thousand Colombian pesos. Learn more here .

2. Galerazamba Salt Flats, Bolivar

Just 1 hour away from Cartagena you will find the pink sea of Galerazamba, salty waters and with microorganisms that give it this beautiful pink color.

Inside you can see and touch the salt formations of this body of water, which since prehistoric times provided salt to nearby towns, including Cartagena de Indias.

The Colombian singer, Carlos Vives, recorded the video clip of his single “Indira” there, which is believed to contribute to the tourism that decreased after the privatization of the salt flats in 1990.

The salt in this body of water increases its intensity between February and March, the best months to visit the pink sea of Galerazamba and its unique landscape.

Other activities that can be done in Galerazamba

In the 2300 meter deep Totumo Volcano you can exfoliate in mud.

In the Ethnoindustrial Museum you will learn about the elements that represent the indigenous culture that occupied the area for years, in addition to the vessels typical of pre-Columbian art and the photos that show the beginning of the intervention of the salt mines.

You will be able to tour the 300 hectares that make up the El Ceibal Regional Natural Park, to see the work being done to preserve the white-headed marmoset monkey and to enjoy the fauna and flora of this natural reservoir.

3. Capurgana

Calm beach of the Colombian Caribbean with white sands and palm trees, between a humid tropical jungle and the bay. Its waters are perfect for diving and snorkeling.

In Capurganá you will find a very varied ecosystem made up of waterfalls, forests, mangroves, rivers and beaches, which is being promoted as a national tourist area, but from the preservation of natural resources.

Its 500 thousand inhabitants are dedicated to agriculture and fishing.

If you travel between April and May you will see one of the rarest and most persecuted species by man, the caná turtle, which spawns on the Capurganá coast during this period.

In the town there are also nightclubs, Internet services, ice cream parlors, pharmacies, stores with national and Panamanian products, health centers and police surveillance.

4. La Guajira

The spectacular Colombian Guajira bears resemblance to the equally beautiful Spanish Cabo de Gata, with jungle and humid spaces that adjoin Venezuelan lands to the north.

It is a destination that is talked about a lot but few visit. It is believed that this is due to the lack of national and international recognition, added to the poverty of many of its inhabitants. However, it is a true exotic gem full of beautiful landscapes and rich culture.

Sports, attractions and landscape views

In its 20,848 km ² of deserts, beaches and dunes, you can admire the best sunsets in the Colombian landscape.

The most visited site for its monuments and beaches is Riohacha, a city in northern Colombia.

You can sleep in any of the options offered by the Wayúus, small accommodations in the form of cabins with hammocks and hammocks that promote ecotourism.

Windsurfers and kitesurfers have the ideal beaches to practice these sports, those of Cabo de la Vela.

The food of the Colombian Guajira consists of arepa with eggs, fish, shellfish, patacones and mojarra.

In the Aparanchi inn you will not only have the best place to stay, but also to taste any of the dishes of the area.

In El Cerrejón you will observe the stages that it takes to process the coal.

In Punta Gallinas you will see the sea and the spectacular sunsets from its mountains.

You can access La Guajira through Santa Marta.

5. Nuquí and Bahía Solano, Chocó

In Nuquí and Bahía Solano you will have the exuberance of the jungle and the warmth of the beach in the same place.

Most of the rivers that you will find are born in the beautiful mountains chocans of great waterfalls, waters that flow into the Pacific.

Between July and November it is possible to see the humpback whales that arrive in the waters of the Colombian Pacific from Antarctica, to mate and have their young.

You can get to this natural space from Medellín and on any of the two airlines that travel to Nuquí. The other alternative, the sea route, is to take a boat from Buenavista.

Bahía Solano is considered the most beautiful cove in Colombia. Their excursions will allow you to get to know the jungle, fish and dive, in any of its beaches, such as Playa Almejal, Playa Mecana and Playa Pescadores.

Bahía Solano has the Chocolatal and Sabaletas, two natural formations 5 meters high.

6. Department of Guaviare

It is the gateway to the Colombian Amazon with exotic spaces such as Cerro Azul, a museum with a gallery of open-air paintings that has existed for more than 1,000 years, and Tranquilandia, a channel of crystal-clear waters adorned during the last 6 months of the year by colored algae.

Guaviare is an ideal destination to live unparalleled experiences, where you will see Precambrian formations that make the landscape one of the incredible places in Colombia.

In the La Lindosa natural spa you will see how many rocky structures are covered by water and the jungle biodiversity of Charco del Indio will make you feel in an earthly paradise.

Another attractive option is the Cascada del Amor with its 5 meters of height, whose path and sound of the water give an incomparable sensation of peace.

7. Tatacoa Desert

If you like arid places, the Tatacoa desert, the second largest arid zone in the country with 330 km ² , is for you. The word “Tatacoa” refers to the large number of snakes that inhabit the place.

You will not only observe the characteristic nature of this type of site, but also the structures that are part of our galaxy at night. So take and have your camera ready to capture those moments.

In the desert there is the Tatacoa Astronomical Observatory, which allows students to see the cosmos through its advanced telescopes.

Snakes are not the only animals in the arid place, they coexist with the cardinal guajiro, the cucarachero, lizards and eagles.

Walk Sendero El Cusco in this desert

Visit the area known as Sendero El Cusco where there are many reddish rock formations and little vegetation, due to the erosion of the area.

The tour with guides along this path in the Tatacoa Desert varies between 40 to 90 minutes. It is an extremely quiet place made up of dry canyons and whose sand is red and gray.

The Tatacoa Desert, also known as the Valley of Sadness, is located in southern Colombia.

8. Oasis of La Sirena, Valle del Cauca

One of the most attractive oases on the continent, an hour and a half from Cali. A paradise that is part of Valle del Cauca whose waters come from the Danube River.

Its abundant biodiversity is made up of parrots, bluebirds, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, sparrows, among other animals. Plants abound, but one of them is special, the quereme, an aphrodisiac flower that cannot be found anywhere else.

Its emerald-colored waters and the rock formation that borders this waterfall make this one of the incredible places in Colombia.

Entering and exploring La Sirena costs 5,000 Colombian pesos.

9. Eastern Plains of Colombia

This penultimate site on our list is made up of landscapes worthy of world postcards.

The Colombian plains are synonymous with maracas and the harpan, musical instruments that mix their sounds to the rhythms of the joropo to create llanera music.

Get to know the Manacacías River and Caño Cristales, the latter considered the most beautiful in the world for its 5 tones that distinguish it, colors that add to its vegetation and incredible rock formations.

Capture with your camera impressive sunsets and the color of the sun’s rays that appear on the horizon.

10. Mompox

In the last place on our list of little-known tourist places in Colombia is Mompox or Mompós, a place full of history and culture reflected in cobblestone streets and colonial houses, which are part of this Colombian district.

If you like to know the space described by García Márquez in his novel, “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, Macondo is perfectly evidenced in Monpox.

When you head to this, one of the tourist destinations for older adults in Colombia, visit the Santa Bárbara Church and the mighty Magdalena River.

To get to Mompox take a bus from Bogotá, Cartagena, Santa Marta, Bucaramanga or Barranquilla.

If you go by car, go to Magangué and then take the ferry to cross the Magdalena. Then you must follow a short route to reach the town.

Hidden places of Colombia

El Tuparro National Natural Park, Río Claro Reserve, Antioquia, Cerro Azul, Guaviare, Nemocón Mines and Cundinamarca.

Magical places in Colombia

Nuquí, Providencia Island, Caño Cristales, Playa Blanca and Coffee Zone.

Places to visit in Colombia by car

Tatacoa Desert, Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Barichara, Santander, La Guajira and the Coffee Region.

These 10 attractive but little known places in Colombia are a small sample of the tourism potential that the country has.

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