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Mr. Falcon doesn't know what he's talking about, he's never even been to Colombia. No vaccination is required to any destination within Colombia, even the depths of the Amazon! It's advised as it is with any tropical destination but in no way shape or form is it a requirement.
However, Canadians do have to pay for a visa on arrival as I mentioned in the Bogota thread. It was only introduced a year ago because Canada walloped a tax on Colombians visiting Canada. So be prepared to fork out another $60 US dollars on arrival.
As for must sees, you only have a week so I suggest Cartagena 2 days, Santa Marta 3 days and Bogota 2 days. Forget about visiting the Mosque, it's in a small city close to the Venezuelan border and there's spill-over from the troubles there plus Colombian traffickers taking advantage of Venezuelan lawlessness to transport drugs. It's bandit country and not a place a tourist should find themselves. Northern Guajira is nice and some adventure tourists do go there but as you saw from my other thread it's a desert owned by the indigenous Wayuu, so zero hotels and only hammocks in the open air which doesn't seem like your cup of tea. It's also pretty far and requires 3 days across dirt roads.
Also practically all major cities have potable drinking water from the tap, including Cartagena. However, the water in Cartagena is heavily treated at the Loma Marrion plant so doesn't taste very nice. Water in Bogota tastes sublime as it comes straight from the Paramos and high altitude lakes.
Thanks. To be honest I usually drink bottle water any time I travel outside of major cities and often in any major city outside of Canada as the water just taste different. Ex. To me the water in Florida even though clean taste nasty (like it was high levels of some sort of chemical in it). I got sick too many times drinking water in other places so I always drink bottle water so I do not spoil my trip. I 100% loved that about Costa Rica and Panama even though I was not going out of my way to drink that water I knew at least for the most part if I did I was not going to end up getting really sick.
I just realized that the exchange rate from Canadian to Colombian peseos is some crazy number (1 to 2326 so I am going to think too hard to realize what I am spending). Is the most commonly taken currency other then the local curreny American dollors like other places in the Latin America. That always annoyed me about Cuba. Despite their issues with the USA they only want American money.
The visa has to be paid on arrival in US dollars or Colombian pesos. In Colombia they only use Colombian pesos!!! No dollars, American or otherwise. However, if you want to exchange cash, dollars and Euros are the best denomination to exchange. However, I always take out a specialised travel credit card that doesn't charge me any transaction fees or exchange rate fees.
Also just pretend that 1 Canadian dollar is just over 2 Colombian pesos (with three 0's on the end). Everything goes up in thousands, just round up or down to the nearest thousand.
And just to second the previous poster, Tayrona National Park near Santa Marta is a MUST! And do try the water in Bogota, it tastes lovely and makes your hair and skin so soft!
Peru in particular is a much better tourist destination than Colombia - as far as facilities, sights, food, music, shopping, much more to do in Peru (Lima or Cusco).
So wrong. Maybe except for food. And not even that, Colombian food is much more varied than what most people think. As diverse as the country itself.
The visa has to be paid on arrival in US dollars or Colombian pesos. In Colombia they only use Colombian pesos!!! No dollars, American or otherwise. However, if you want to exchange cash, dollars and Euros are the best denomination to exchange. However, I always take out a specialised travel credit card that doesn't charge me any transaction fees or exchange rate fees.
Also just pretend that 1 Canadian dollar is just over 2 Colombian pesos (with three 0's on the end). Everything goes up in thousands, just round up or down to the nearest thousand.
And just to second the previous poster, Tayrona National Park near Santa Marta is a MUST! And do try the water in Bogota, it tastes lovely and makes your hair and skin so soft!
Okay ... The math bit slightly went over the top of my head. I think I will just try not to buy anything from any places that look crazy high end and not sweat it too much for now. Re the water are you being sarcastic lol? I probably have said a few annoying things over the last few months so i hope this is not a ha ha lets teach that little pest a lesson !
Regardless thanks for the tips !
Okay I am very close to booking a flight to head to Colombia in late April/ early May OR October.
If going to Colombia what do you think would be must see's and must do's? Ex Don't leave the country before seeing, trying or doing this? I think I could spend years in Colombia and not see as much as I might want to so I got to narrow it down. Anyone know of any festivals or events in either of these times frames that I should check out? I am only going to be there for a week. The cities/areas I am likely visiting are going to be 1 to 3 of the following Bogota, Cartagena and La Guajira maybe if I can figure outa way to get there and back fast (it is a streach, but I want to see the Mosque). Stupid general note Colombia is pretty big ... the world map is really not to scale as on papper these places seem much closer to together and take like 7 hours plus to drive to from each other!
Also anthing I should know ahead of time to absolutely NOT do to not get in to trouble ex cultural, social or political taboos I should be aware of.
The person I am going with is trying to push going to Brazil or Peru instead (He has got to be out of his mind if he thinks I am climbing anywhere to get to machu picchu because I do not do sleeping outside and potentially getting knock off a moutain by falling rocks ... if I am climbing up anything for that many hours they better be handing out desginer bags, have a spa and 5 star resort at the top )!
Any ideas or suggestions will be greatly apprecited ex airlines and train names and stuff like that.
Okay. This seems pretty interesting, but exactly how far up the hill is this place? I don't know ... honestly I got to do more research on this place to understand what is up there that should motivate me enough to want to go all the way up there. Like serious I am sure that there a like a millions pictures of what is up there.
I already have learned lessons about just doing things because everyone else says it is a good idea and almost had a panic attach in Mexico climbing inside a pyramid to see nothing really worth seeing to me (WORST and MOST SCARY experience ever). Climbing up the pyramid was cool. Climbing inside of its narror chambers to see a tomb or something that was not worth the terror of being in that confinded space. I am getting anxious just thinking about it !.
I looked up pictures of Machu Picchu ..... mmm all I am seeing is stones in a pattern, grass and moutains. I see picture with llamas, but I have seen llamas many times. They have them at the zoo and Exhibiton (a fair we have every summer) and I have already seem some and touched some. They are soft and cute, but serious not worth going up there to see. Is this really all that is up there? It that is it ... oh my god would I ever be furious FURIOUS if I hiked all the way up there for that. Serious is that all that is up there?
And do try the water in Bogota, it tastes lovely and makes your hair and skin so soft!
lmao yes!!
I miss Bogota water.
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Lol...
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... if I am climbing up anything for that many hours they better be handing out desginer bags, have a spa and 5 star resort at the top 
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