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Trip Report: Bogota, Colombia – Tours and Activities

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a large sign with graffiti on it

In November, we visited Bogota, Colombia. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt hotel for five nights. I have nothing negative to say about the hotel. It is luxurious and comfortable and very well run. Moreover, it is only a category 3 World of Hyatt hotel, which also makes it a bargain. My grope, though no fault of the hotel, is it is inconveniently located vis-a-vis downtown Bogota.

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We visited the historical center of Bogota, went for a tour and visited a few museums.  I loved it. Dave enjoyed it as well, but he was a bit more skeptical about Bogota overall since he was concerned about the safety of Colombia. I personally never felt that our environs were the least bit unsafe, or even sketchy, or that our safety was jeopardized in any respect. I’m just mentioning this because sometimes people have differing views of the same situation.

When we travel, we often go on free walking tours (where you actually pay by tipping the tour guide) because we enjoy being guided through a city by a local tour guide who is both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about sharing the history of their city. There are a number of free and paid tours of Bogota: we chose the Free Historic Downtown Bogota Tour, as we felt it would provide a well-rounded introduction to Bogota.  We booked the tour through Freetours, but the tour is actually run by a local tour company called, Beyond Colombia. Except for the looming rain (which held off until the very end of the day), we absolutely loved the tour and our tour guide.

We got to the historic center a little early, and walked around Bogota, until we got to the 2pm “red umbrella” meeting point at the Museo Del Oro (The Gold Museum).

a building with a sign on it

For the next three hours we were mesmerized. Our tour guide shared valuable information about Colombia and Bogota from both a historical and a cultural perspective. We walked the streets, visited famous cites, wandered through Candelaria, learned about Colombia’s liberation from Spain and the historical figures such as Simon Bolivar who were instrumental in the liberation, and we also learned about Colombian contributors to the arts, such as the author Gabriel Garcia Marquez and the artist Fernando Botero. Along the way, we also saw a lot of wonderful street art. Here are some photos.

a man standing in front of a mural

Our tour guide explaining how this painting depicts the history of Bogota

a man in a red hat holding a book and a book Invalid request error occurred. a mural on a building a group of people walking on a street a mural on a building a wall with graffiti on it a wall with a painting of people sitting at a table a mural of a man with a mask on a wall a building with a store front a motorcycle parked on a sidewalk next to a street a building with a door a group of people walking down a street with colorful umbrellas a building with a sign and statues on the wall a mural of a child and butterflies a food store with people standing in front of it a street with buildings and baskets from the ceiling a mural of a landscape with a stream of milk and flowers a group of people outside a building with tables and chairs outside a building with a mural on it a street with cars and buildings a mural on a brick wall a man standing outside of a building a window with a metal grate on the side of a building a large square with people walking in it a stone building with a tower and people walking in front of it a stone building with columns and a stone walkway

a sign on a wall

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour. We returned the next day to walk around the neighborhood some more and visit the Gold Museum and the Botero Museum.

I knew I would like the Botero Museum, but I absolutely loved, loved, loved it!!

a painting of a woman in a black frame

Mona Lisa!!

a painting of a woman lying on a bed a painting of a woman in a red dress a painting of a man in a suit a painting of a man and woman dancing a framed painting of a woman a large painting of a woman a painting of a bathroom with a person in the mirror a statue of a man lying down with a bird on it a statue of a woman sitting on a pedestal a statue of a man and a woman a statue of a man on a horse a statue of a woman lying down with a bird on her back a statue of a man holding a baby a framed art on a wall a statue of a woman lying on a pedestal

We also enjoyed the Gold Museum. Learning how gold influenced Bogota’s history.

a gold piece of art a statue of a man with a crown a statue of a man a gold object on a black surface a group of faces on a glass wall a gold plate with a face and a nose a gold object on a glass surface

Often the best way to learn about the history and vibe of a city is through a local tour guide! The tour of Bogota led by Beyond Colombia was great!

I wish I had more time to explore Bogota, both as a historical city and as a thriving modern metropolis. That’s what next time is for!

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About Will Run For Miles

Will Run For MilesA New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.

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