Colombia

Capital City: Bogota

People: mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1%

Religion: Roman Catholic 90%, other 10%

Language: Spanish

Currency: Colombian Peso

Electrical Voltage:

How to get there:
By plane: There are regular international flights into major cities including Bogotá, Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Pereira and San Andres Islands as well as to other smaller cities in the borders with Venezuela and Ecuador.
There are daily direct flights to and from the U.S, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Spain, France, and South America.
Taxis are regulated, reasonably priced and safe from the airports. A taxi ride from the airport to the central business district in Bogota, takes approximately 20 minutes.

By car: Enter from Venezuela by the San Cristobal-Cúcuta / Maracaibo-Maicao pass.
Enter from Ecuador by the Tulcán-Ipiales(Rumichaca) pass.

By bus: Connections can be made from the Caracas main terminal to most cities in Colombia. From the main terminal, Maracaibo (Venezuela) you can find buses that run to the cities (Cartagena, Baranquilla, Santa Marta) on the coast. The border at Maicao provides a relatively easy, straightforward entry into Colombia from Venezuela.
It is very straightforward to enter Colombia from Ecuador. Travel to Tulcan, where you can get a taxi to the border. Get your exit stamps from the immigration offices and take another taxi to Ipiales. From there you can travel further to Cali, Bogotá

Weather: tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands

Travel Documentation and Custom Duty: Most Western countries don't need a visa. American citizens do not need a visa unless they are staying for more than 90 days. Colombian authorities will give American citizens an on-arrival visa free of charge, which is printed onto your passport and lets the person stay for a maximum of 60 to 90 days. It's very hard to get 90 days tourist visa on arrival. Immigration officers will ask you to show all the tickets of your route for it. Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa at a Colombian embassy anymore, and should have the same treatment at entrance as any other traveler from other part of the world.

Getting Around: Bus, Airplane, Car, Taxi, Metro

Tourism Website:

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Emergency Numbers