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Colombia’s magic isn’t just a story to be heard, however a actuality to be skilled. From the seashores of the charming Caribbean shoreline to sweeping Andean vistas to awe-inspiring emerald jungles, South America’s northernmost nation affords sudden surprises for households. Vital enhancements in safety and tourism infrastructure have rendered journey secure within the majority of Colombia, providing mother and father some peace of thoughts when visiting family-first cultural points of interest and planning unforgettable escapades. Colombia holds loads of house for kids to let their creativeness run wild and free and for the enchantment to disclose itself naturally.
Rooted in sturdy familial ties, nearly each nook of Colombia resonates with celebrations, shared meals and a collective spirit that embraces guests of all ages. Youngsters are handled with particular care and a spotlight, usually having fun with a VIP-like standing from the second they move via the devoted line for households at customs.
Is Colombia a very good vacation spot for youths?
Among the best issues about touring with youngsters to Colombia is that it’s not arduous to maintain the children actively engaged, whether or not they’re weaving a basket with an area artisan within the Amazon or taking part in in a metropolis park with different youngsters. Many museums and points of interest within the nation supply discounted admission for kids underneath 12 (some as much as 50% off the common value) whereas different museums are free. In Bogotá, there are greater than 50 museums and artwork galleries, and most are open to the general public free of charge or diminished charges on the final Sunday of the month.
Eating out in Colombia is usually a household affair, so there are many eating places that cater to youngsters. Andrés Carne de Res, recognized for its full of life ambiance and conventional Colombian fare, has face portray and crafts, plus a petting zoo and playground at its unique location in Chia. Different kid-friendly chains are Crepes & Waffles, El Corral, Frisby and Archy’s. Elsewhere, you possibly can typically discover a youngsters’s menu, smaller parts, excessive chairs and, typically, actions and video games. It will probably take a very long time for meals to be served, so all the time have snacks able to go.
Fortunately, quite a few bakeries, mom-and-pop comfort shops and cellular meals carts fill the hole for fast bites. Colombian delicacies balances acquainted flavors and delicate spices, making it accessible to younger palates. Arepas (corn-flour pancakes) are a staple accompaniment at breakfast, lunch and dinner, which frequently consists of hen with rice and a aspect of crispy fried plantains. Scrumptious, fresh-squeezed juices served with most meals are constituted of the numerous unique fruits grown within the nation. It’s a very good introduction to new flavors in a thirst-quenching type.
![Two young boys fish on a pier in a forested area of Colombia](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/2023-09/GettyImages-138307397.jpg?auto=format&q=75&w=1920)
The place are the perfect locations to journey in Colombia with youngsters?
When in search of the best locations for a household getaway in Colombia, one’s focus naturally gravitates towards a seamless journey expertise. The first worldwide gateway cities – Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and Cartagena – current quite a lot of cultural points of interest, metropolis parks and procuring multiplexes that make them kid-friendly. The attract of those main cities lies of their wealthy tapestry of historical past and modernity, providing a mix of academic experiences and concrete leisure.
Nonetheless, Colombia’s journey experiences prolong nicely past its cityscapes. Households wanting to immerse themselves within the nation’s exceptional biodiversity and pure wonders will take pleasure in venturing into smaller cities that boast adventurous pursuits and proximity to nationwide parks. Escape the city bustle of Medellín by heading to the colourful city of Guatapé, the place fascinating structure collides with leisure alternatives on a picturesque reservoir. From Cali, enterprise to San Cipriano Rainforest Reserve for river tubing and a experience alongside an deserted railway within the jungle. Head east from Cartagena to go to the awe-inspiring Tayrona National Park and the world’s highest coastal mountains, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. As for Bogotá, brief home flights grant quick access to much more exceptional locations – whether or not it is the Amazon, the Zona Cafetera (Coffee Triangle) or the Caribbean islands of San Andrés and Providencia, each geographically nearer to Nicaragua than the Colombia coast.
![A group of young girls splash in the ocean on the Colombian coast](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/2023-09/GettyImages-1161511183.jpg?auto=format&q=75&w=1920)
Greatest issues to do in Colombia with infants and toddlers
Bask in a day – or three – of leisure and journey on Parque Tayrona’s seashores
Parque Tayrona, one in all Colombia’s most-visited nationwide parks, is residence to a number of the nation’s most idyllic seashores, filled with loads of smooth sand for hours of sensory play. Encompassing almost 100 sq. miles of untamed magnificence, the park is stuffed with rewarding vistas, such because the wildly in style Cabo San Juan del Guia. That location requires a protracted jungle hike to succeed in, which can be powerful whereas additionally carrying babies, their diapers, snacks, towels, toys and different seaside requirements.
For a extra accessible path to beachfront bliss, strive Bahia Concha and Playa Cañaveral. Positioned on the western finish of the park close to Santa Marta, Bahia Concha presents a tranquil oasis within the type of a picturesque horseshoe-shaped bay. Right here, the waters are mild, excellent for a worry-free dip together with your little swimmers. And for these moments when nap time beckons, relaxation assured that rentable tents and lounge chairs supply shady respite. And you do not have to get out of your seat to order foods and drinks.
Alternatively, Playa Cañaveral, positioned on the jap fringes of the park, isn’t just a day journey vacation spot. Keep at Ecohabs Tequendama contained in the park boundary. The decked-out huts supply the perfect of each worlds – proximity to the water, so shut you possibly can virtually hear the waves lapping, and a stage of consolation that ensures the household’s well-being.
Take it to the streets throughout Bogotá’s weekly Sunday Ciclovía
Each Sunday, 128 kilometers of Bogotá’s foremost thoroughfares near vehicular site visitors between 7am and 2pm for the Ciclovía – a charming car-free day that may be a breath of contemporary air in comparison with town’s ever-present site visitors jam. Households take to the streets on bikes, skateboards, scooters, curler skates, hoverboards, wagons and tricycles, weaving via the city tapestry alongside these open lanes of leisure. Most of the routes hyperlink town’s inexperienced areas, historic websites and museums, making it a good way to take a look at locations just like the Museo de los Niños close to the Parque Simón Bolivar, the graffiti of La Candelaria or the Mercado de las Pulgas, a weekend affair of crafts, meals and leisure within the prosperous suburb of Usaquén.
Bike outlets all through town lease bikes, restore flat tires and deal with different mishaps in the course of the day. Youngster carriers are arduous to come back by, although. Strive Bogota Travel Tours in La Candelaria, which rents a motorbike geared up with a child seat and a child-size helmet for 4 hours at a charge of COP $70,000 (roughly US$19). When you can’t procure a motorbike, it’s completely acceptable to go out on foot, pushing the kiddos in a stroller.
![A woman stands in a valley of sky high wax palms in Colombia's coffee region](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/2023-09/GettyImages-1412823713.jpg?auto=format&q=75&w=1920)
Greatest issues to do in Colombia with youngsters
Discover the bountiful countryside of the world-renowned Eje Cafetero, or Espresso Triangle
Whereas espresso is likely to be a pleasure primarily relished by adults, Colombia’s oldest and most illustrious espresso area is stuffed to the brim with outside adventures for all ages. Embarking from one of many three cities – Manizales, Pereira and Armenia – that type the Espresso Triangle, head into the Andean panorama, dotted with sprawling espresso and dairy farms, colourful cities, hidden sizzling springs and verdant valleys.
Get a double shot of pleasure at Parque del Café, a theme park positioned on a working espresso plantation. You may delve into the historical past and means of espresso manufacturing when not busy screaming with pleasure on the fun rides, which embody the longest rollercoaster in all of Colombia.
The close by Valle de Cocora entails a 20-minute experience in an open-air Jeep Willy from the city of Salento. This native public transportation is a wild rollercoaster experience on 4 wheels, particularly for the adventurous souls clinging to the again bumper. When you arrive, hike or horseback experience via the valley, surrounded by wax palms so sky-high they almost break via the clouds.
Lastly, pay a go to to Termales Santa Rosa de Cabal, the place nature’s sizzling tub is heated by geothermal exercise from the El Ruiz volcano. The baths are set amid a tapestry of lush greenery punctuated by a cascading waterfall. You may even snooze at its upmarket resort, designed to seem like a Swiss chalet.
Escape to the Caribbean island of San Andrés for solar, sand and snorkeling
The island of San Andrés stays a largely off-the-beaten-track Caribbean getaway, regardless of direct flights from the US and mainland Colombia. It is a fantastic place for aspiring underwater adventurers because it sits alongside the third-largest coral reef on the planet. Diving journeys and boat excursions to Johnny Cay and Cayo El Acuario are in style, however probably the most accessible and kid-friendly spots to don a masks and snorkel are on the island’s rocky west aspect. Facet-by-side waterparks, Eco Parque West View and Reggae Roots, lease gear and life vests. West View has a twisting waterslide, whereas Reggae Roots has a shallower spot to enter the water. From both location, fearless swimmers can swim out to the sunken statue of Poseidon resting on the ocean flooring, eight meters beneath the water’s floor. It’s an underwater vacation spot for scuba divers or an Aquanautas helmet-diving tour.
The island’s greatest seashores, corresponding to San Luis and Rocky Cay, will be discovered on the jap flank of the island, which has a variety of lodging for the household on or close to the sand. Native bus passes often for ease of getting round, nevertheless it’s plenty of enjoyable to lease a golf cart to discover the island at your leisure.
Greatest issues to do in Colombia with youngsters and tweenagers
Get wild within the Amazon
With numerous tales of untouched Indigenous communities, elusive jaguars, shockingly giant snakes and rambunctious monkeys hidden deep throughout the jungle, it’s no marvel the Amazon rainforest evokes a way of marvel in each youngsters and adults. For a really out-of-the-ordinary expertise, start your journey in Leticia, a steamy city bordering Peru and Brazil. At nightfall, go to the Parque Santander for its nightly nature present, when hordes of colourful parrots eclipse the setting solar as they descend upon the park’s timber to mattress down – accompanied by a deafening hum of beating wings and loud shrieks. Talking from expertise, deliver wipes to wash up any undesirable fecal matter that lands on you.
From Leticia, voyage deeper into nature’s mysteries alongside the Amazon River, which winds alongside the southern border of Colombia for 150km on its journey from the Peruvian Andes to the Atlantic Ocean. As your boat glides alongside, you’ll get a glimpse of life within the tiny villages that dot the riverbanks. Plan to remain a couple of nights at an eco-lodge linked to one in all these Indigenous communities for a sense of whole immersion. Simply don’t inform the children web and mobile service is extraordinarily restricted or non-existent.
Lodge workers can prepare different excursions, whether or not you need to watch pink river dolphins frolic within the wild, go piranha fishing, take part in a conventional Indigenous dance, take an evening hike for an opportunity to identify nocturnal creatures or go to the close by river city of Puerto Nariño, the place you possibly can climb to the highest of a look-out tower for a birds-eye view of the territory. An Amazon escapade guarantees unforgettable moments even in case you simply need to lie in your hammock at dawn, listening to the hum of boat engines competing with the rhythms of the pure world awakening – croaking frogs, bugs, birds and the sound of rustling branches bending from the load of micos (small monkeys) grabbing for fruits and seeds within the cover.
Really feel the adrenaline rush in San Gil, Colombia’s capital of journey sports activities
You don’t must be a fan of utmost sports activities to fall in love with San Gil. The 300-year-old Andean city on the financial institution of the Río Fonce has its share of breathtaking vistas, together with lush moss-covered timber thriving in opposition to a backdrop of inexperienced hills and pristine rivers carving their means via deep gorges and leaping over rock faces. Nonetheless, households with the proper dose of braveness and dedication can tackle a number of the daring actions for which the Santander city has develop into well-known.
Whereas heart-pounding bungee jumps, exhilarating mountain-biking trails and the fun of paragliding, caving, canyoning and torrentismo (waterfall rappelling) are all on the menu, whitewater rafting put this journey city on the map. Skilled rafters tackle the mighty and unpredictable Class V rapids of the Río Suarez or the Río Chicamocha, which delivers Class III and IV rapids because it winds via a dramatic canyon. For a extra stress-free experience with youngsters seven and up, the Río Fonce could also be extra your pace.
Planning suggestions
- Damaged, uneven sidewalks, cobblestone pavers and buildings with out ramps or elevators make it tough to navigate Colombia with a stroller. Convey a child provider for wheel-free transportation.
- All the time examine for reductions for kids. Even when it’s not marketed, you could possibly negotiate a descuento para niños (low cost for youths).
- When you’re touring with little ones, you should definitely ask to concerning the minimal age requirement earlier than reserving excursions and points of interest.
- Exterior of main metropolis procuring facilities, bogs will be small and cramped for one, not to mention a father or mother and baby. Child-changing stations aren’t commonplace, and uncommon in males’s restrooms.
- Attitudes about breastfeeding in public are sluggish to vary. Bogotá’s El Dorado airport has added lactation cubicles all through the terminal.
- Along with meals supply, you possibly can order diapers, ache relievers, groceries, clothes and toys all to be delivered to your lodging with the cellular app Rappi. The service at present works within the cities of Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Cartagena, Barranquilla and Bucuramanga.
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