GETTING THERE & AROUND

Avianca, Colombia’s national carrier, has daily direct flights from Heathrow to Bogotá, and KLM also offers flights via Amsterdam. avianca.com klm.com Average flight time: 10h45m. Long-distance buses are a cheaper alternative to internal flights, but if flying, try Avianca, LATAM or budget airline Wingo. Taxis are available with cash payment in all major cities; Uber is also an affordable and popular way to travel. latamairlines.com wingo.com

WHEN TO GO

Temperatures vary across Colombia. The coastlines have tropical climates, offering clear skies between November and March, and scattered showers at other times of the year. Cartagena, on the Caribbean coast, hovers at 29C year-round. As a general rule, where the altitude is higher, the country tends to be cooler; Bogota maintains a steady temperature averaging 15C, with the heaviest rainfall between April and July. The Amazon, meanwhile, is humid and often rainy year-round, with temperatures firmly between the midto high 20s.

MORE INFO

Colombia Travel. colombia.travel

HOW TO DO IT

Intrepid Travel offers a 17-day Best of Colombia trip that takes in Salento and the coffee region, Medellín, Cartagena, Bogotá and Tayrona National Park, from £2,644 per person, excluding international flights. intrepidtravel.com

Flash Pack offers a nine-day Vibrant Colombia tour with salsa lessons and rum tasting in Cartagena, graffiti lessons in Bogotá, molecular gastronomy in Medellín and a trip to the Rosario Islands, from £2,270pp, excluding international flights. flashpack.com