There’s never really a bad time to visit Colombia, however, in terms of weather — December to March and June to September are generally the best months. Bear in mind that these are also the busiest times to visit, so expect bigger crowds and higher prices. February is a fantastic month to visit due to the Barranquilla Carnival, whereas if you’re wanting to visit the coffee region, the wetter month of April is probably the best. This is also low season, so you’re likely to have much of the region to yourself.

Weather variations in Colombia are more determined by locations rather than by clearly defined seasons. The main difference here is between the highlands and the lowlands. The lowlands are by the coast, and generally enjoy tropical temperatures of around 30°C (86°F) all-year-round. The most rainfall falls in the months of April to June and October and November, reaching peaks of around 193mm in October. The highlands tend to be much cooler, with highs of 20°C (68°F) in the capital Bogotá in February and March. Rainfall peaks in April and October. The most rainfall occurs in the verdant Zona Cafetera, which can reach highs of 364mm in October.

Tipping isn’t really that common in Colombia, except for in some restaurants and bars where sometimes 10% is added to the bill. Of course, if you’ve enjoyed a particular service, then you’re more than welcome to tip\!

In major cities like Bogotá, Cartagena and Medellín, the internet access in Colombia is fairly good, and there are plenty of places for hotspotting. However, in rural areas like the Amazon, expect it to be much slower and, in some places, non-existent.

There are ATMs all over the country, which usually accept foreign debit and credit cards. They usually have a maximum withdrawal limit of 1,600,000 COP (around USD $400) and will usually charge you a fee. Each bank is different, so do your research before you travel to see which one works best for your bank.

Colombia has made great progress with LGBTQ+ rights, and it’s one of the safest places to be LGBTQ+ in the whole of Latin America. Same-sex marriage is legal here and has been since 2016, although given that it’s mainly a Catholic country, it can be relatively conservative in more rural areas.

Spanish is the official language of Colombia, and around 99.2% of the population speak it. However, there are many different languages spoken all over the country. Top estimates state that over 100 languages are spoken here, with 37 major languages and over 60 indigenous languages. In other words, quite a lot\!

While opinions are mixed when it comes to the larger cities, we’d recommend for your safety not to drink the tap water anywhere within Colombia. Bottled water is cheap and safe and is widely available.

Whilst Colombia used to have major issues when it came to safety, the country has made leaps and bounds within recent years and is now considerably safer. Of course, it pays to be careful in larger cities, particularly at night. Take a licensed taxi. Avoid the border areas with Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama due to the rebel groups resident there, and keep your wits about you when drinking. Bear in mind that most visits to Colombia are trouble-free — just use common sense and you should be absolutely fine.