4 days in the city of Medellin, Colombia. Was it enough? No! I could have stayed for several weeks. You know how travelling sometimes you just connect with a city? Well it happened here.
I arrived into the international airport and sure the beginning was annoying, the passport queue was forever long then I took an Uber into the city. After passing through the longest road tunnel in South America I had my first glimpse of the city, wow it was huge.
I arrived at my hostel which I couldn’t wait to stay in, Los Patios. I’d been following the page on Instagram for a while and it had such a cool vibe. A 4 bed dorm room sets you back around 17€ a night.
The common space, bar and pool area was epic and the staff were the friendliest of any hostel I’ve stayed in. Sadly the room didn’t look like the photos it was very very small and dark so I decided to book a private room at a hotel nearby but keep my hostel wristband to use the facilities.
The first day it rained alot so I hung around the hostel chilling and hoped the next day would be dry. Luckily it was and I met my tour leader at the train station to visit comuna 13.
This was once labelled the most dangerous area of a city in the world. Now it is a lively area full of music, street dancers and amazing Street art. You reach the comuna by taking the metro to the cable car and then a bus. It’s super hilly so ensure you have a bottle of water and good shoes! I booked my tour via getyourguide. (20€)
The next day was an early start heading 3 hours east to the town of Guatape. With the first stop being the rock of Guatape involving 657 steps to reach the top. It was worth it for the view.
After we made the short journey onto Guatape. The town has blown up on Instagram for its colourfulness. We had lunch which was followed by a boat ride on the lake which had been created by the hydro dam.
Then came a walking tour of the town, the colours were just as good in real life. A really beautiful place. The tour cost around 32€ for the day also booked on the getyourguide app.
On my final day I wasn’t too sure what to do so I decided to take a coffee plantation tour, you guessed it also booked via getyourguide. The tour cost 40€ and included the transfer, coffee plantation tour, lunch, coffee tastings and a sample pack to take home.
I cannot recommend it enough! I couldn’t believe the work going into making coffee (check out my last blog post). The views from the plantation were also amazing.
It’s recommended to wear long trousers to prevent being eaten by bugs. You will thank me later. The last day I checked into Medellin vibes hostel, I had booked their suite room costing 50€ for one night. It was one of the best rooms I’ve ever stayed in, well worth it for a spot of luxury at a price that didn’t break the bank.
I went out for a final dinner with some friends I had met on the coffee tour to Taqueria mexicana in the Laureles area. The food was amazing and it had such a fun vibe.
Be prepared to queue if you arrive after 8pm.
Other good meals I had during my trip include breakfast at ganso & castor
and chicken wings from Western wings.
If you’re staying in the poblado area like I did then you can get a local SIM card inside the supermarket exito it’s not far from the train station. During my stay in Medellin I can say I honestly felt safe the whole time but like any big city be sensible at night don’t walk down an empty street, keep your valuables safe and only carry on you what you need.
To travel is to live… 