Top tourist attractions in Colombia
Here is a list of top tourist attractions in Colombia. Only the topmost tourist destinations are presented here. To see other destinations, please check the images from Colombia section.
Curious if any of these place from Colombia made it our best tourist attractions in the world list? Read the aformentioned article in order to find out.
You can also view all tourist attractions in Colombia and other countries on our tourist attractions map.
Gold Museum, Bogotá
Museum
The Gold Museum is a museum located in Bogotá, Colombia. It displays an extraordinary selection of its pre-Hispanic gold work collection - the biggest in the world - in its exhibition rooms on the second and third floors. Together with other pottery, stone, shell, wood and textile archaeological objects, these items, made of what to indigenous cultures was a sacred metal, testify to the life and thought of different societies which inhabited what is now known as Colombia before contact was made with Europe.
Hacienda Nápoles
Zoo
Hacienda Nápoles is the luxurious estate built and owned by Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar in Puerto Triunfo, Antioquia. The estate covers about 20 km² of land.
Colombian National Museum
Art Gallery
The National Museum of Colombia is the National Museum of Colombia housing collections on its history, art, culture. Located in Bogotá downtown, is the biggest and oldest museum in Colombia. The National Museum of Colombia is a dependency of the Colombian Ministry of Culture. The National Museum is the oldest in the country and one of the oldest in the continent, built in 1823. Its fortress architecture is built in stone and brick. The plant includes arches, domes and columns forming a sort of Greek cross over which 104 prison cells are distributed, with solid wall façade. It was known as the Panóptico and served as a prison until 1946. In 1948, the building was adapted for National Museum and restored in 1975. The museum houses a collection of over 20,000 pieces including works of art and objects representing different national history periods. Permanent exhibitions present archeology and ethnography samples from Colombian artefacts dating 10,000 years BC, up to twentieth century indigenous and afro- Colombian art and culture. Founders and New Kingdom of Granada room houses Liberators and other Spanish iconography; the round room exhibits a series of oleos from Colombia painting history.
Bogotá Botanical Garden
Tourist attraction
The José Celestino Mutis botanical garden is Colombia's biggest botanical garden. It serves both as a recreation and research center with an emphasis on Andean and Páramo ecosystems. The garden is located in Bogotá and features plants from every Colombian altitude, climate and region. It was founded in 1955, in honor of botanist and astronomer Jose Celestino Mutis The municipally owned park is famous nationwide and is a member of the internationally known BGCI. The garden has an artificial waterfall and labs for studying plants and flowers. It also has public services such as a library and a tourist information desk. The garden is the only one in the nation specialized in preserving and collecting Andean species of flowers. Its 19.5 acres are full with collections of plants grouped by their original ecosystem. Among other curiosities, the park includes a sun clock, a palmetum, an orchid collection, and a wide variety of Amazon flowers.
Cali Zoo
Zoo
Cali Zoo is located in the city of Cali in the country of Colombia. The Zoo belongs to a foundation that carries its name and whose mission, since it took the zoo's administration in 1981, has been to improve the animals' diet, their natural environment, and the medical care of the existing fauna. The zoo offers a unique experience of direct contact with nature and the culture of this South American country. Cali Zoo promotes and performs different educational, recreational and investigative programs to help preserve Colombian biodiversity and create an environmental social conscience. Cali Zoo is committed to quality in all its areas, processes, and research projects. The Cali Zoo's 10 hectares are home to about 1,200 animals, representing some 180 species - from lemurs to condors. The Cali River runs through the zoo's park-like grounds.
Los Katíos National Park
World Heritage Site
Los Katíos National Natural Park is a protected area located in northwest Colombia which covers about 720 km². The elevation ranges between 50 m and 600 m. It is a part of the Darién Gap, a densely forested area shared by Panama and Colombia, and is contiguous with the Darién National Park in Panama. The Pan-American Highway when completed as proposed will pass near or through Los Katíos. The park was declared a World Heritage Site in 1994 due to the extraordinary diversity of plant and animal species represented. The park contains over 25% of the bird species reported for Colombia in an area less than 1% of the total Colombian territory. The topography of the Los Katios National Park is diverse, with low hills, forests and wet plains comprising its total area. The two largest parts of the park are the Serranía del Darién mountains, which lie to the west, and the Atrato River floodplains in the east. The Atrato River is the fastest-flowing river in the world, and empties an astonishing 4,900 m³ of water into the Caribbean every second. The floodplains hold exceptionally fertile soil and consist of alluvial plains of two types. One consists of low-lying terraces that flood often and the other has high terraces that seldom flood. There are also low hills of up to 250 m elevation and others that are 600 m high. Swampy marshes spread for nearly half of the park's total area. The wetlands of the Atrato floodplain are unique. Cativo, one of the indigenous species, can grow to a height of 50 meters. It lends its name to a formation called 'catival', something that is found nowhere in the world except Colombia, south Central America and Jamaica.
Bolívar Square
Tourist attraction
The Bolívar Square is located in the heart of the historical area of Bogotá. It has a statue of Simón Bolívar sculpted in 1846 by the Italian Pietro Tenerani, which was the first ever public monument in the city. Plaza Bolívar is also the name given to the main square in every city or town of Venezuela, the native country of Simón Bolívar. On the Northern side of the square is the Palace of Justice, a big modern building where the Supreme Court works. The history of the Justice Palace is tragic enough and maybe symbolic of the problems of the nation. The first building was built in 1921 on the corner of the 11th and with 6th street and destroyed by a fire during the Bogotazo in April 1948. A new palace was built on the north side of the Bolívar Square and destroyed again in November 1985 by the guerrilla movement M-19 during the "Palace of Justice Siege", while the army tried to take control of the building. The ruins of the building were kept untouched for four years until the government decided to demolish them and construct the new building that currently exists. On the southern side of the square the National Capitol is located, which is the seat of the Colombian Congress. Its construction was initiated in 1846 but due to the politic instability of the country it was not finished until 1926. This building was designed by the English architect Thomas Reed. The original design included a big dome. It was decided not to build the dome to finish the construction on time and not to defy the cathedral's tower.
Chicamocha National Park
Tourist attraction
Chicamocha National Park also known as Panachi is a Colombian national level natural park along the Chicamocha Canyon located 50 km from the city of Bucaramanga, Santander. The site is a tourist attraction due to is spectacular landscape and the variety of outdoor activities that it offers such as paragliding, spelunking, bushwalking, camping, fishing, kayaking, rafting, mountain climbing, etc. The park is located on the highway between Bucaramanga and San Gil, 54 Kilometers from Santander's largest and capital city Bucaramanga.
Matecaña City Zoo
Zoo
The Matecaña City Zoo is located in Pereira, Colombia, the work of the Society of Public Improvements Pereira, who on January 26, 1951, through a management buy the 17 hectares of farm Matecaña. The initial goal was to build a football stadium, but the ground was not considered useful for this, and decided to spend at a botanical garden and playground. Currently the zoo is at its Matecaña master plan renovation of facilities that aim to change cages by plant more closely resemble the natural habitats of the animals exhibited originating ecosystems, providing a better quality of life for animals and a better understanding to the community who daily visit. The zoo has a collection of 800 individuals from 150 different species, between birds, mammals and snakes from Americas, Africa and Asia, plus some endemic animals. In the garden there is also a great diversity of flora endemic and native to the area.
Rodadero Sea Aquarium and Museum
Zoo
The Rodadero Sea Aquarium and Museum is a public aquarium and maritime museum located in the Inca Inca Cove off the Rodadero beach in Santa Marta, Colombia. It was opened in 1965 by Captain Francisco Ospina Navia. The aquarium is part of the National Network of Museums of Colombia and part of ACOPAZOA, the Colombian branch of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accessible mainly by motorboat, the aquarium has 13 pools with direct connection to the Caribbean Sea, and 15 glass aquaria that contain over 805 animals that include sharks, sea turtles, dolphins, sea lions, crustaceans, fishes and seabirds, 98% of which are native to the area. The Aquarium also contains a museum section that exhibits dissected specimens and nautical equipment, as well as an exhibition that focuses on the pre-columbine culture of the Taironas and their connection to the sea.
House of Santander
Museum
The House of Santander is the place where the hero of the Colombian independence Francisco de Paula Santander lived his first 13 years. It's in the locality of Villa del Rosario, in the 6th km of the International Highway to Venezuela. Now it is a museum that contains many possessions of Santander, including his uniform and swords. The house is in the Park of the Great Colombia, which also contains the Historic church where the Constitution of Cúcuta was written and signed, and the House of the Bagatela where the Legislative Power worked. The park is 1 hectare in area. ⁕ House de Santander ⁕ Testament of Santander ⁕ Speech of Santander
Barefoot Park
Tourist attraction
Barefoot Park is a zen-inspired public park in Medellín, Colombia. The park was funded by EPM and designed by architect Felipe Uribe de Bedout. The park includes a green area with gardens and bamboo, a sand area, and an area with water fountains. As suggested by its name, the park is playful in nature. Children and adults are encouraged to play in the park barefoot. The Barefoot Park was created between 1998 and 2000. It is located in the administrative area of the city, adjacent to the Medellín Metropolitan Theatre, and the Medellín River. The Interactive Museum EPM, an interactive science museum, is part of the park.