Colombia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and there are endless places to visit to be awed.

13 Most Beautiful Places In Colombia (With Photos)

ByHaley Posted on Updated on
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Searching For The Most Beautiful Places To Visit In Colombia?

As a former Colombia resident, I explored almost every inch of this beautiful country when I wasn’t in class teaching English. There honestly wasn’t a single place I visited in Colombia that wasn’t beautiful on some level, but here is my ultimate list of the most beautiful places I visited with photos so you can get an idea of just how wonderful they really are.

🇨🇴 13 Most Beautiful Places You Should Visit In Colombia

There’s a saying in Colombia that God made the land so beautiful that to balance things out, it was populated with a race of evil men.

Colombia may have a troubled past, and while they may have moved on from it (everyone was incredibly nice and welcoming when I lived here), their land remains breathtakingly beautiful.

1. Salento – Stunning Nature

Salento is my favorite natural destination in Colombia and I highly recommend adding it to your itinerary.

If I could choose only one beautiful destination in Colombia, it would be the Coffee Region town of Salento. I fell in love with nature and hiking because of Salento, and I think it’s a must-see for anyone that loves adventure and the outdoors.

My favorite thing to do here is the Cocora Valley hike and though it’s challenging, it is incredibly rewarding and honestly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen, not only in Colombia but in the world.

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2. Villa de Leyva – Colonial Charm

Villa de Leyva is the most beautiful colonial town in Colombia and one of the best places to visit.

Villa de Leyva has a completely different landscape from the Coffee Region, but very beautiful in a desert, colonial architecture kind of way. It almost felt like I’d gone back in time to 17th century Colombia with the cobblestone streets, colonial buildings, and the monastery built in 1620.

ATV rides are super popular here, but it felt real slimy and car salesmen-like to me, so I opted for renting a mountain bike and riding it all the way to the Convento Santo Ecce Homo Monastery and while it was challenging, it’s still one of my favorite adventures.

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3. San Agustín – Ancient History With Amazing Views

San Agustin is one of the best historical destinations in Colombia thats well worth visiting for those interested in history.

Outside of the Coffee Region, San Agustín had the most beautiful nature I’d ever seen, plus it’s covered with ancient history. I went horseback riding to many of the natural and historical sites, and it’s still one of the coolest and most adventurey things I’ve ever done.

The view from the historical La Chaquira site was the most incredible viewpoint in the area with the Magdalena River down below and mountains lining the windy river with waterfalls pouring out along the way.

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4. Santa Rosa de Cabal – Hot Springs & Wild Nature

Santa Rosa de Cabal is one of the most beautiful natural places in Colombia and a nice place to warm up in the hot springs.

Santa Rosa is the town where I taught English at the last school on the road up to the famous hot springs. I spent plenty of time here, even got lost in some of Santa Rosa’s beautiful nature (thanks to one of my roommates 🤨), and had another adventure of a lifetime hiking up to a glacier.

I don’t recommend getting lost, but I do recommend exploring this beautiful natural area and taking a tour up to Nevado Santa Isabel to hike up to the glacier (tours leave out of Santa Rosa).

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5. Filandia – Cute & Quaint

Filandia is a very small town in the Coffee Region, but it's natural beauty makes it worth visiting.

The Coffee Region is by far the most beautiful natural area of Colombia in my opinion, and another one of the best places to visit here is the small town of Filandia, plus it’s a much less traveled destination compared to the more popular town of Salento.

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6. Bogotá – Mountains, History, & Cold Weather

While many have differing opinions, Bogota is my favorite big city in Colombia.

Those that aren’t from Bogotá don’t typically like Bogotá, but I thought it was the best big city in Colombia. The surrounding mountains are beautiful, the history is fascinating, and there’s an endless amount of things to see and do here.

The Salt Cathedral/Mine just outside of Bogotá is one of the most unique experiences you can have in Colombia and if you’re claustrophobic don’t worry, the mine is very wide and open in most parts.

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7. Popayán – White Walled Religious Center

Popayan is one of the most beautiful places in Colombia for its white walled architecture.

Popayán doesn’t get as many foreign visitors as other Colombian cities, but its beautiful white walled buildings and interesting religious history make it worth a visit.

Semana Santa (Easter week) is wholeheartedly celebrated in Popayán as well as many other religious holidays. I showed up in Popayán on a random weekend and was pleasantly surprised to enjoy celebrations and a parade.

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8. Medellín – Paisa Paradise

Medellin was not my favorite place in Colombia because the smog gave me headaches, but there are still some cool places to see.

Medellín is one of the most popular places to visit in Colombia, and although it wasn’t my absolute favorite place (I got a lot of smog headaches here), it does have a lot of beautiful views (my favorite being La Catedral view, pictured above).

As a history major, I was very interested in seeing and learning more about Pablo Escobar here in Medellín, but so you know, you have to be very careful and sensitive when mentioning his name or anything related to him in this city and Colombia as a whole.

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9. Pereira – Capital Of The Coffee Region

Pereira is the capital of the Coffee Region and the perfect place to explore many of the beautiful places in Colombia.

While I worked in the town of Santa Rosa, I lived down the mountain in the bigger city of Pereira. Within the city, there’s not too much, but there’s some surrounding natural beauty and it’s the perfect base city to explore more of the Coffee Region.

My favorite hike here (pictured above) was the La Florida hike. Just outside of the city and alongside a road, I saw beautiful nature, waterfalls, and even a monkey!

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10. Cartagena – Spanish Fort On The Caribbean

Cartagena wasn't one of my top favorite places to visit in Colombia, but its still got nice beaches and cool architecture.

My experience in Cartagena wasn’t the typical tourist experience, but I admit that the architecture and further out beaches make this one of the most beautiful places in Colombia.

When I visited, I stayed kind of in the hood outside of the main tourist center of Cartagena because of the cheaper prices. I was fine and never had any issues, but I suggest visitors stay in the walled city for the best experience here.

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11. Guatape – A Giant Rock With Panoramic Views

Guatape is a fun day trip from Medellin and a good way to exercise going up the 700+ stairs of the rock.

Guatape is the most popular day trip destination from Medellín, and it’s one of the most beautiful places in Colombia because of its unique lakes and enormous climbable rock.

This famous rock sits just outside of town and while its about 740 steps straight up, the top offers wonderful views of the entire area (pictured above).

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12. Cali – The Valley Of Salsa

Cali is a hot valley that's famous for Salsa music and dancing.

Cali is located very close to the Coffee Region, but the landscape and climate is completely different. Rather than its neighboring spring-like destination, Cali is a hot and dry valley that’s most famous for Salsa music and dancing.

There is also a beautiful gothic-style church right in the middle of town, and a Christ Redeemer replica on top of a hill overlooking the city (pictured above).

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13. Santa Marta – History & Nature Combined

Santa Marta has nearby natural areas that are known as some of the most beautiful places in Colombia.

Santa Marta, and the nature surrounding it, is considered one of the most beautiful areas in Colombia, plus there are some very interesting historical places to visit here.

The famous Lost City Trek outside of Santa Marta is still on my bucket list, but I did get to see the historical place where Simón Bolívar died.

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🔁 Sum Up: Most Beautiful Places In Colombia

For its size, Colombia is incredibly diverse and one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited. You can’t go wrong no matter where you visit in Colombia, but I highly recommend not missing the Coffee Region, Villa de Leyva, Bogotá, and San Agustín.

Haley

Haley is the owner and author of Adventure Evermore, a travel blog that encourages users to explore, adventure, & bucket list around the world, no matter what anxieties or other difficulties they may have. When she's not writing blog posts about her favorite destinations, she's reading, playing soccer, or watching sports, movies, or TV (especially The X Files).