Columbia! (crime, hotel, bus)

[kg1701d]

I'm going to Columbia on vacation arriving May 23rd and Leaving June 1st out of Bogota.
I need/would love some suggestions on where to go and what to see.
I'd like to go to Baranquilla also.
Suggestions are really appreaciated. As a background, there's going to be 1 gay m, 1 straight m and 1 straight female. Where to go for nightlife? See nature, museums?
Thanks!!!

[recycled]

You mean Colombia? Don't worry, I've mis-spelled that country name also. In Bogota, go to the Gold Museum (Museo de Oro), the #1 tourist attraction in the city. Take it easy when you arrive the first day, the high altitude (over 8000' elevation) might give you a headache. Drink a lot of water and take an aspirin pill every day if needed. Take a jacket too, it can get cold at night and June is in the rainy season which makes it feel even colder. It sounds odd because you will be so close to the equator, but I'm not kidding.
If you go to Barranquilla, that's a whole other world, very hot and tropical. It's a famous party city, known for iCarnival in February, almost comparable to Carnival in Rio but not as famous outside Colombia. Barranquilla has all kinds of great places to enjoy tropical / carribbean music, when you get there your Hotel should be able to give you some recommendations. How are you getting from Bogota to Barranquilla? It's a long and winding road for a bus trip. If you have time, take a bus east from Barranquilla to Cartagena. That's Colombia's biggest coastal resort town, where you'll find a 400 yr old Spanish fortress guarding the waterfront. Be safe too on your journey there. Things in Colombia have improved there related to crime in the last few years, but I would recommend checking with some locals upon arriving to get an update on places or areas to avoid.

[icazares]

Colombia is a big country with dozens of tourist attractions. If I had a little over a week like you have, I would definitively visit Cartagena. It's one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It's not a resort town like someone said; the beach should be the last of your priorities and is not even pretty. The old town is spectacular though.

[recycled]

That's correct icazares, I did not mean to imply that Cartagena is a coastal "beach resort" like Cancun. I probably should have said something more like coastal tourist destination largely due to the 400+ yr old fortress adjacent to the old central city and harbor area.