Cartagena is Colombia's number one tourism attraction, and the country's most frequently visited city. Possibly the most beautiful city in South America, Cartagena ozzes charm and character and is a very romantic holiday destination. The old town is full of beautiful plazas and churches, and there's nearby laid back beaches and resorts such as those at the idyllic Rosario Islands.
Colombia's Caribbean coast has a host of wonderful beaches, most of which remain completely undeveloped. To the West, the San Bernardo Islands and Capurgana are rarely visited but offer lovely empty beaches in addition to fantastic scuba diving. Further East, there's more undeveloped beaches at the Guarija Peninsula, in addition to visits to indigenous Wayuu villages.
Colombia's rainforest backed beaches of the Pacific Coast are remote, and while security considerations advise against travel to certain regions, others are safe to visit. The whole coastline is great rainforest tours and also for surfing - the town of Nuqui is the best base for surfers. Bahia Solano is another small resort on the Pacific, and a perfect base for deep sea fishing.
Colombia offers more than just beaches though. The huge range of activities is immense, and one could easily send over a month and still have only seen a small piece of what the country offers.
In addition to Cartagena, Colombia has numerous other wonderful, peaceful, colonial towns. Villa de Leiva is the most beautiful, and ha been the set of many films and Colombian soap operas. In addition to walking around the tranquil and beautiful streets of the small town, the surrounding countryside offers good hiking and horseback riding, and ancient relics and remains of giant fossilised pre-historic animals can also be visited. Other beautiful colonial towns in Colombia include Santa Fe de Antioquia, Popayan and Mompos.
Colombia also offers excellent opportunities for wildlife trips. Leticia is in the Amazon in the far South, where there various jungle lodges and river cruises available. In addition, the birdwatching is some of the best in South America - in fact Colombia has the highest bird count of any country in the world.
Tourism is starting to boom in Colombia as travellers discover that it's reputation for danger is unfounded. Now is the time to visit before the tourist hordes descend.