Colombia Tours & Vacation packages | Guided trips to Colombia with Ada Tours

Highlights

- Bogota with its colonial architecture, botanical gardens and old neighborhoods
- Cartagena and the Caribbean Coast with its beautiful architecture, amazing coral reef and marine life
- The amazing rainforests and mountain regions in the northwest

Geography

Colombia is bordered in the northwest by Panama, ithe east by Venezuela and Brazil, and in the southwest by Peru and Ecuador. Through the western half of the country, three Andean ranges run north and south. The eastern half is a low, jungle-covered plain, drained by spurs of the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers, inhabited mostly by isolated tropical-forest Indian tribes. The fertile plateau and valley of the eastern range are the most densely populated parts of the country.

Language

The official language of Colombia is Spanish and spoken by around 43 million people. In addition there are approximately 500,000 speakers of American Indian languages.

Money

The official currency in Colombia is the Colombian peso (Col$).
1 US dollar is worth 3,1 Colombian pesos (February 2015)

Climate

The climate of Colombia is characterized as being tropical and isothermal as a result of its geographical location near the Equator, presenting variations within five natural regions and depending on the altitude, temperature, humidity, winds and rainfall. Each region maintains an average temperature throughout the year only presenting variables determined by precipitations during a rainy season caused by the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

Gastronomy

Food in Colombia is largely influenced by the Peruvian and Brazilian traditions and includes a variety of dishes such as bandeja paisa, sancocho de gallina, coconut rice, ajiaco, barbecued meat, etc. It resembles a rich blend of the different cultures. The food in Colombia presents a mixture of the American and the European cuisines. The prevalence of many soups is a result of the European influence. Besides the European and the American cuisines, the food of Colombia also shows the distinct flavours of the Arabic and the Japanese cuisine.

Furthermore, bread, desserts and sweets seems to be an integral part of the food in Colombia. In Colombia, the people are fond of meat and sea food. Therefore, food in Colombia presents a wide variety of non-vegetarian delicacies such as Cabano, Chicharron, Sobrebarriga al horno, Bofe, Hogao, Aborrajado, etc.

Thus, as it is evident, food in Colombia presents a wide variety ranging from American to European food, from Japanese to Arabic delicacies.

History

During the pre-Columbian period, the area now known as Colombia was inhabited by indigenous people who were primitive hunters or nomadic farmers. The Chibchas, who lived in the Bogota region, dominated the various Indian groups.
Spaniards first sailed along the north coast of Colombia as early as 1500, but their first permanent settlement, at Santa Marta, was not established until 1525. In 1549, the area was established as a Spanish colony with the capital at Santa Fe de Bogota. In 1717, Bogota became the capital of the Viceroyalty of New Granada, which included what is now Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama. The city became one of the principal administrative centers of the Spanish possessions in the New World, along with Lima and Mexico City.
On July 20, 1810, the citizens of Bogota created the first representative council to defy Spanish authority. Total independence was proclaimed in 1813, and in 1819 the Republic of Greater Colombia was formed.

Religion

Approximately 80 to 90% of all Colombians are Roman Catholic.

Culture

The culture of Colombia lies at the crossroads of Latin America. Thanks partly to geography, Colombian culture has been heavily fragmented into five major cultural regions. Rural to urban migration and globalization have changed how many Colombians live and express themselves as large cities become melting pots of people (many of whom are refugees from the various provinces that have hit Colombia through out its violent history).
More recently has the displacement been caused by the Colombian armed conflicts.

According to a study in late 2004 by the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Colombians are one of the happiest people in the world; despite its four-decade long armed conflict involving the government, paramilitaries, druglords, corruption and guerrillas like the FARC and ELN. Colombians are sometimes called "locombians" for this paradox and for their joie de vivre.

Music

The traditional music in Colombia is an oral tradition. Primarily, it is not mediated by books, recorded or transmitted media. Singers may extend their repertoire using broadsheets, song books or CDs, but these secondary enhancements are of the same character as the primary songs experienced in the flesh. This music derives from, or is related to, a commemorative character. On certain days of the year, particular songs celebrate the yearly cycle. Weddings, birthdays and funerals may also be noted with songs, dances and special costumes.
In a globalised world, many musicians are fusing traditional music with other styles (usually styles from the popular music genres). While this is no bad thing, it is also not traditional music; it's no longer related to their particular culture, but is related to both it and to the culture of the music that their music is being fused with. The points above mean that traditional music tended to arise in a pre-commercial setting.
Traditional music continues to evolve today, but generally as a continuation of the music from a pre-globalised culture.
Styles like bambuco, vallenato and porro were especially influential. When the waltz became popular in the 19th century, a Colombian version called pasillo was invented.

Wildlife

More than 45,000 species of plants have been identified in Colombia, but it is predicted that when the region has been thoroughly explored that number may be doubled. At the highest (3,000–4,600 m/10,000–15,000 ft) and coldest level of mountain meadows, called páramos, the soil supports grasses, small herbaceous plants, and dense masses of low bushes. In the intermontane basins some vegetables, European-introduced grains, and corn are found, along with the bushes, trees, and meadow grasses indigenous to the region. The temperate areas support extensive and luxuriant forests, ferns, mosses, trees of the laurel family, Spanish cedars, vegetables, and grain crops. The tropical zone may be divided into four main groups according to the amount of rainfall received: desertlike areas supporting arid plants, deciduous forests, rain forests, and grass plains. Palm trees of various species abound in the tropics and there are many edible fruits and vegetables.
Animal life is abundant, especially in the tropical area. Among carnivorous species are puma, a variety of smaller cats, raccoons, and mustelids. Herbivores include the tapir, peccary, deer, and large tropical rodents. Sloths, anteaters, opossums, and several types of monkeys are also found, as well as some 1,665 species and subspecies of South American and migratory birds.