Things to do in Colombia

Cartagena, on the Caribbean coast, is a walled colonial port of pastel houses, flower-draped balconies and lively plazas, with the coral islands of Rosario offshore. Medellín, in an Andean valley, is a city of eternal spring, known for its cable cars, Botero sculptures and the striking transformation of neighbourhoods such as Comuna 13.

Bogotá, the capital, high in the Andes, has the Gold Museum and the colonial district of La Candelaria. The green hills of the Coffee Triangle and the towering wax palms of the Cocora Valley, the jungle beaches of Tayrona National Park near Santa Marta, the trek to the Lost City and the Amazon around Leticia show the country's astonishing variety.

Breakfast often means an arepa, lunch a bandeja paisa or a bowl of ajiaco soup, with fresh tropical fruit and excellent coffee in between. Near the equator, temperatures depend on altitude more than season: the coast is hot all year and the highlands mild, with drier months from about December to March and again in midsummer.