6 PLACES TO VISIT IN COLOMBIA WITH KIDS – OUR TRAVEL TIPS

If you’d like to visit Colombia with kids, it’s possible.  There is plenty to see for everyone to enjoy.  However, you’ll have to pick some of your travel destinations wisely and really take into consideration your kid’s ages.

In my opinion, with younger kids, it just might be best to just stay up North close to the Caribbean. 

Don’t worry about safety while visiting Colombia with kids, just as long as you stick to main tourist spots. Colombians are very family-friendly.

That being said, let’s dig in.  Here are some of our tips to visit Colombia with kids based on the different places we went to.

MEDELLIN

If you’d like to visit a city in Colombia with kids, Medellin is a fun and vibrant city to explore.

The botanical gardens are FREE and kids of all ages can enjoy them.  They will love walking around surrounded by lizards!

If you are visiting Communa 13 (with a guide), DO NOT BRING A STROLLER.  It’s all uphill and will be a nuisance. The kids will enjoy the colorful street art that all tell a story and the outdoor escalators.  There are also a couple of playgrounds that you’ll pass by that your kids can enjoy. Eat at Rico Pollo Asado after the morning visit.

Ride the cable cars with the kids.  It’s a great way for everyone to enjoy the view of the city while sitting down at a relatively low cost.

Don’t stay in El Poblado with kids.  It’s where all the restaurants and bars are and therefore it’s really loud.  However, there are some great places to eat.

Do the free city walking tour.  If the kids can’t stand it, you can just leave and not pay anything or leave a little tip before exiting.

Have them check out the statues at Plaza Botero.  It will make for an interesting conversation.  However, keep them close by and watch out for pickpockets.

Pueblito.  If you can’t do a day trip from Medellin, you can visit a village that was recreated right in the heart of Medellin.

GUATAPÉ

The town of Guatapé is a growing area of recreation for citizens of Medellín and aims to be a tourist destination for foreign travelers.

In order to get to Guatapé, you can ride on a comfortable bus for about 2hours if no traffic. It’s only 80km away from Medellin.

Spend time on the many lakes on a speed boat or a paddleboat. Also, check out Comfama park (a water park) near Piedra del Peñol and don’t forget your sunscreen and bathing suit.

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If you’d like to visit the Piedra del Peñol (the Rock), absolutely NO STROLLER as its only stairs (700+ and there are no elevators).  Kids that are less than 1m high can go there for FREE.  Arrive really early in the morning or at the end of the day.  There is no shade going up and it can get really hot. Don’t forget to bring extra water. Moreover, if you’d like to grab a bite to eat near the rock, just walk down the main road a little, just passed the car entrance and eat in a more local place. The prices are more affordable and less touristy than the ones offered in the restaurants surrounding the entrance and the parking lot.

Finally, just walk around the colorful town of Guatapé and take a ride in one of the tuk-tuk. Don’t be frightened by their driving!

SANTA MARTA

Santa Marta was founded in 1525 and is the oldest remaining city in Colombia.

However, if you’d like to visit this city, just know that it gets really hot and is perhaps not the best place to stay with kids. Unless you can find a hotel with a pool inside the city, perhaps Taganga would be best suited for a family stay. This little town very close to Santa Marta is perfect to stay at if you want to be close to nice beaches without the sounds of a city. The town of Taganga can make for a nice base camp if you’d like to only do day trips from there to Tayrona Park and Minca.

There isn’t much to see in Santa Marta that will interest the kids. The gold museum is pretty boring but FREE. The old part of the city is really colorful and fun to walk around. You could grab a bite to eat at Mango Beach restaurant. The interior is colorful, the food and service are good, and the prices are decent.

If you’d like to have a place to walk around with some shade, visit Quinta de San Pedro, an hacienda. This is where Simon Bolivar spent his remaining days. Your kids will have fun spotting some iguanas and birds. Also, there is a mall nearby where you can cool off and grab some food.

MINCA

Instead of staying in the hot city of Santa Marta, go and refresh yourselves in Minca’s waterfalls and possibly visit a coffee plantation in the jungle.  Minca is only a 30-45 minute bus ride away from Santa Marta and can easily be done as a day trip.

However, a lot of uphill walking is required on unpaved and bumpy roads.  You might just want to book a jeep tour if your kids aren’t old enough to ride on a moto-taxi.  Once again, NO STROLLERS in that area. 

The Marinka waterfall has a place to eat with decent food and little hammocks.  Bring a raincoat and good shoes.  There still will be a little hike from the road in order to get there.

If you can, stay in one of the many eco-lodges that can be found in the area of Minca or stay directly in town where you can find a couple of restaurants as well. The two main waterfalls can be reached on foot directly from town but as I said, it will require a lot of walking. So if adventure is what you seek without costing an arm and a leg, Minca will do the trick. Don’t forget your raincoat just in case.

TAYRONA PARK

Located 35km away from Santa Marta, Tayrona Park is a must-see in Colombia if you are in the area with kids. There are 2 ways on getting there and you can even sleep inside the park, but the lodging type is limited. However, this is what you need to know.

The main entrance and the easiest walkable route is El Zaino. It’s about a 2-hour walk to the main attraction of Cabo San Juan but with kids, it could take much longer. You can also access Cabo San Juan by boat from Taganga. If you are traveling with young kids, this could be a good option. However, just know that there aren’t any docks at Cabo San Juan, so you’ll have to ‘jump’ into the water in order to get out of the boat. Kids under the age of 5 get FREE access to the park.

If you want an extra side adventure without the fear of overdoing it and getting stranded in the jungle before nightfall, check out the Nine stone path.  This hike takes about 1hour to do and leads to a beautiful beach, but you can’t swim there.  Watch out for the crocodiles! This path is located right after the entrance of El Zaino.

Don’t even think about going to Playa Brava or Pueblito with kids, unless they are at least 8 years and older. We encountered some brave souls carrying their kids on their backs or shoulders on the steep path. Personally, I couldn’t do it. I was having enough trouble just carrying my little backpack and it was really hot and humid even at 7:30 in the morning.

NO STROLLERS in that area.  Make sure to bring a lot of water, especially if you are willing to test out your endurance by going through the Calabazo entrance.

Another way of moving around the park and less tiresome is by horse. However, it will cost you 120000COP per person for the ride, depending on your starting and ending point.

I wouldn’t recommend staying inside the park with a baby unless you can find some decent accommodations.  Otherwise, if with older kids, spend a night in a hammock by the sea. The most popular spot is at Cabo San Juan where you can sleep in tents and hammocks and it has a decent size restaurant.  It is one of the few areas where you can actually swim.

It is recommended to have the yellow fever vaccine to enter the park but they didn’t check our health card when we went there. You will also need to bring your passport in order to get into the park.

We were there at the end of July, and we didn’t feel the mosquitoes much.  It doesn’t mean that there aren’t any though.  We live in Quebec where the mosquitoes are king and where they constantly buzz in your ears.  It was not the case there.  Bring mosquito repellant and wear light and long clothes.

Just know that the park generally closes for a month in February in order for the indigenous people that actually live inside the park and whose land it actually is to have some peace.

CARTAGENA

Another great place to visit in Colombia with kids will be the beautiful walled town of Cartagena. Despite being overly touristy, there are still some places and things to do that you’ll be able to appreciate with kids.

First of all, find a hotel with a pool inside the old city, as the decent beaches are really far.

Book boat excursions that take you to the Rosario Islands and enjoy the beautiful beaches and some snorkeling. There is a 8000COP port fee that you will have to pay extra in order to access your tour.

Check out the pink flamingos at the Baru Bird Sanctuary, but best to spend a night in that area as the cost of getting there can get pricy. Trying to get there on your own might make you lose a lot of time.

Walk up to the citadel for the view and on the old city walls.  Who doesn’t like to play with canons and walk on top of walls?

Eat a typical daily menu at Holy Christ.

Just enjoy walking around the old city and appreciate all the street art and the colorful houses.  Once again, you can go on a free guided city tour there.

Finally, rent bikes and explore Boca Grande, a popular neighborhood of Cartagena outside the city walls.

So there you have it.  It’s totally feasible to travel to Colombia with kids, you just need to be smart about the planning and the choice of activity.  For an overview of Colombia, read our Travel Guide to Colombia.