I've been in Mexico City for 6 months, but recently broke up with my girlfriend of 5 months and my time in CDMX is coming to an end in mid-November. I have some time to kill between then and Xmas so I'd like to go to Colombia for 5 weeks. I'm probably gonna be pipelining Tinder pretty hard for each city a couple days before arriving. The goal isn't to bang the most girls possible, but rather find 1 or 2 cute girls in a city to bang and maybe show me around their city while I'm there. I tend to appreciate big cities and architecture more than nature, but Colombia is a beautiful country so I'm not opposed to fitting some non-city things or small towns into the itinerary.

I've never been to Colombia, but have done quite a bit of research as I was debating moving to Medelín, but eventually settled on CDMX. I actually really love CDMX and I suspect Colombia might be a bit of a letdown in terms of infrastructure, food, safety, architecture, etc. (obviously big edge in women to Colombia)

My rough itinerary is to spend a week in Bogotá, Medellín, and Cartagena. Maybe throwing in a day trip to cool nearby places like Guatapé. Debating doing a couple days in San Andrés b/c it's so cheap and will also probably do a week in Santa Marta and Tayrona. Debating on Cali, but feel like it doesn't offer too much new if I'm already spending so much time in the other cities. Although I was taking salsa lessons (I still suck tho) so maybe it could be fun for that. Also, I should probably do the Zona Cafetera, but I heard the cities in that area are kinda boring. I'll have to look into it more. Anything that I haven't listed that I'm overlooking in Colombia?

Is it worth trying to include Quito and/or Lima in the trip or should I just stick to Colombia? Trying to keep it to a reasonable budget, but if it's worth it adding in a different country then I'll do it. I don't really care about nightlife either as I don't drink more than maybe 2-3 beers a day. I prefer healthier pursuits like checking out a yoga class in the morning and inviting a girl to get a coffee after and seeing where it leads from there.

Colombia is great. My main priority when I arrive is to find a decent hotel room for 50,000 ($16 usd). It is easy to find a really nice room with stable wifi and a nice desk set up for online grinding. Unfortunately you won't be able to find these in tourist areas like Poblado, but there is no shortage of places with great value in working-class neighbourhoods like Fontibon (Bogota). If you stay in these areas you will also have plenty of access to cheap and healthy meals for just a few dollars at restaurants. Nothing like some hot and delicious caldo for desayuno.

Cali, Bogota, and Medellin all have a lot to offer. AFAIK Cartagena is over priced and way too hot and humid. I spent part of a week in Baranquilla which is right next door and the weather was intolerable. Cali is pretty hot as well, but Medellin and Bogota are much more temperate. Bogota is downright chilly especially at night.

If you are into energy drinks then Viva 100% is the best.

But yeah, I recommend sticking to just Bogota and Medellin. Focus on finding a good value hotel with a reasonable set up for grinding. You might have to switch hotels a few times. Also it is common to get billed twice for rooms so always save receipts.

You can evaluate hotel rooms online via booking.com or google maps

I'm just planning on using AirBNB the entire time. Looks like it's pretty easy to find nice 1 BRs/studios in safe areas for $20-25 per night. I'm probably gonna stay in Laureles when I go to Medellín. Poblado seems too overrun by gringos and I prefer being around some locals.

santa marta/tayronas are amazing and guatape is a great day trip, would def fit those in

cartaghena was nice for a day or two, but yeah, hot & humid. a week seems a bit too much perhaps

Did a bit more research and you're probably right about Cartagena. Sounds like it's too annoying with the hookers and hustlers everyone. I think I'll do 2-3 nights there just to check out the old city.

So far I'm thinking:

5-7 days in Santa Marta/Tayrona
2-3 days in Cartagena
10-14 days in Medellín
10-14 days in Bogotá

Still debating on San Andrés and Zona Cafetera, need to do more research.

I'm also debating staying an extra 2 months in Medellín or Bogotá. It depends on how much I like Colombia and maybe if I meet a girl who gives me a reason to stay.

I already have a good contact in Medellín. A really cute girl with a funny personality who I met on a language exchange site about 6 months ago. We Skyped maybe 5 times and have exchanged messages on WhatsApp off and on since then. I think she really likes me, and I'd like to hang out with her a while and maybe travel, but I'm not sure if she'll be too tied down with uni.

Other than that I'll probably spend a bit of time on ColombianCupid and Tinder setting up a handful of girls to meet in each city.

Don’t have any advise re: Columbia, but highly recommend Cusco and surrounding area if you extra time. Great food, affordable, very friendly locals and an extremely beautiful area of the world. Lima, however, not so much.

Colombian women are intoxicating, so long as your Spanish is at a reasonable level it won't be difficult to fall in love. Solid live poker scene in both Medellin and Bogota as well.

PoC, Cusco is obviously high on my list of places to go, but I think it would inflate costs too much if I try to fit it in here.

PPG, my Spanish is intermediate now. I'm fine with messaging and can usually hold my own in a convo, but if the girl speaks fast or we're in a loud place, then it can go to **** pretty quickly.

As far as the women. I did a quick check on ColombianCupid and the quality is insane. I'd estimate about 4 in 10 are worth messaging whereas on MexicanCupid it was more like 1 in 10. The main thing I'm curious about is the cultural chasm. I was surprised in Mexico City b/c most of the girls I went out with were super educated, well-traveled, and usually had solid jobs. I doubt a girl who's barely left her corner of Colombia would be able to hold my interest outside the bedroom. I'd imagine Bogotá will be way better than Medellín in this regard.

Is there any live PLO in Colombia? It's been my only game for about 5 years so the NLHE games would have to be super soft to interest me.

yes live PLO in both bogota (casino luckia) and medellin (casino rio). 5k/5k and 5k/10k respectively, the medellin game plays deep had a 2 million minimum the last time I played it, although sometimes it is 1 million minimum up to the players AFAIK. In Medellin there is no live poker on Saturday or Sunday.

Also most online poker sites don't work in Colombia, although the Chico network is fine so you should be good to go.

Thanks for the update! Looks like I'll be playing a bit of live poker and Chico is my main site so I can grind online while I'm there. Maybe I can stick around for longer than a month and play while I explore the country.

Kinda wish Bogotá was the one with the near perfect weather. I like larger cities with more cultural options and diverse people. I get the impression that Medallo is a bit boring if you aren't that into partying, and I'm not into the plastic surgery look for girls.

The Colombian visa situation is pretty good. You get three months automatically on arrival, and can stay for up to six months in any calendar year. So arriving in say November, you could stay for up to eight months, although you would have to either renew your visa or do a border run at Ipiales/Tulcan.

your expectations are pretty much on point wrt bogota v medellin. bogota has better nightlife and entertainment as well, but im with ya and can't stand cloudy/rainy, so medellin is where I normally end up. If you aren't into nature, skip eje cafetero and just do a quick guatape trip. 5 weeks isn't alot, i'd prob skip all of tayrona area as well - although its a great beach spot. Another quick trip that is worth the time is riding metrocable to parque arvi in medellin.

Curious since you spent so much time in mexico - most liveable beach city? Likely heading to sayulita next year, but really wish I knew of more rio de janiero type cities in south america - huge city with good weather right on the beach. Rio, caracas, and other northern brazil cities are all I can think of that fits the bill - but all pretty damn sketchy as well. Cartagena beaches aren't great and gotta take a quick boat trip to get to the nicer places, plus main reason for beach is waves

Thanks for the post. I think I might spend 2 weeks in Bogotá and see if I can handle the weather. Depending on my first impressions I might extend my trip to 3 months. Probably depends a lot on how live PLO goes and the girl situation. Was definitely planning on hitting up the convenient things like Arvi and Guatapé. Even though I'm not big into nature, if something is really cool and not too far out of the way, then I'll certainly check it out. Also feel like it'd be kinda weird to spend 5+ weeks in Colombia and only stay in Bogotá, Medallo, and Cartagena.

Wish I could help more wrt México. I had planned to visit some beaches in Oaxaca with my now ex-gf and was gonna visit Puerto Vallarta in November with a buddy, but both fell through. I mostly just visited a bunch of cities in central México close to CDMX, but I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw. I think México is vastly underrated by most people, but Spanish is pretty important away from the resort cities, so that limits a lot of people I think. It also doesn't seem as "exotic" as S. America due to proximity to the USA and always being run down by the media.

For beaches, I only visited Cancún and Playa del Carmen. Both are nice, but I wasn't really a fan b/c they are both just tourist zones with gringos and foreigners and don't feel like part of the city or part of Mexican culture at all. Basically Mexico's version of Las Vegas I guess. That might appeal to some, but not really my thing.

Sayulita I've heard good things about it, but it's pretty small. Mexicans rave about the beaches in Oaxaca, but it's gonna be a way different ambience. Fewer tourists, not as developed, but great beaches. So while Mexico does have great beaches and solid weather I think you have to make a choice between larger (but still not close to the population of Rio or Caracas) beaches that are basically tourist zones and not real cities or smaller, authentic beaches that might not have a ton to do away from the beach.

As far as safety, I think you'll be fine in all the beaches with Los Cabos and Acapulco probably being the most sketchy. In those 2 I think you can get into some trouble if you leave the tourist areas as they're in areas that are patrolled heavily by narcos. That being said, I've visited about a dozen cities and never once felt uneasy. I can't compare to Colombia (yet) or Brazil, but from what I've read and people I've talked to who have visited all 3 extensively is that Mexico is noticeably safer.

+1 for Guatepe (its about 2 hours by bus from Medellin)
If you're staying in Laureles then la 70 has the best nightlife.
I know the girls can be intoxicating but proceed with caution, there's a lot of bad ones out there.
I think the PLO game moved from Casino Rio to Casino San Fernando Plaza in Medellin but I've been away for a while and not sure if this is still the case.

If you're thinking Sayulita, check out San Pancho/San Francisco one town North off the 200. Still get some 3rd wave coffee, yoga studios, gringo trappings, etc. without it being a town totally overrun with tourists.

(*Can't vouch for the livability of either and I'm a boring gringo who is happy spending extended time in PV )

Both within a day trip's drive of the birthplace of Tequila as well.

judging from your posts itt and the Mexico thread, you'll have a better time in Argentina then you will in a country like Colombia. You have to be fluent in the local language when you travel solo in countries with little tourism, otherwise most of the experience goes over your head.

You're almost guaranteed to have a good time in a city like Buenos Aires regardless if you speak Spanish or not. The weather should be turning soon too which is what you want.

When are you coming to Bogota? I've been here a few months but will be going back to the US in about a week. If you're interested I could PM you a link to a couple Airbnb spots I've stayed and been happy with (one of which I'm actually at now) that look like they're in your budget range, and if you're interested I could give their contact info to bypass the Airbnb fees.

To be honest I don't love Bogota as a city tho, kind of wish I was less busy and had more time to explore other parts of the country during my stay.

upswinging, yes I'm sure I'd love BA, it's the place I'd most like to visit in South America, but for this trip it'd just increase the time/money associated with the trip too much. CDMX to Bogotá is a nonstop flight and like $125 each way, and all flights within Colombia are usually super cheap. So I can do a long trip and see a lot of the country for very little. Add in BA and it becomes too much. Hopefully some day soon though.

As for the 2nd part. My written Spanish is fine and speaking I can hold my own unless someone talks super fast or we're in a really loud place. Even back in February I had a couple Spanish only dates in Mexico and apparently the girl had a good enough time b/c she wanted to keep seeing me (in my head I thought it was a disaster though). My Spanish has improved a bit more since then so I'm hoping to find a girl in each city that seems cool enough and discover the city through her. We'll see if I have any success. I'm planning to pipeline on ColombianCupid and Tinder about a week in advance so hopefully I'll have some decent leads.

JCA, I'll arrive in Bogotá on Nov 15th. I've already booked a studio near Parque 93 for the first week. It has 50 reviews and a 5 star rating so I'm sure it will be fine. I've used AirBNB about 40 times and only had 1 minor issue. I'm not sure what my plan will be once I arrive. If I think Bogotá is ok and the PLO games in the casino are good then I might stay another week or 2. Otherwise I think I'll head over to Medellín. If I need help then I'll hit you up for the links, thanks.

yeah it's easy to find lots of solid 5-star places here, the point was mainly to cut out the airbnb fee. gl, let us know how the games are (or maybe not if they're too good ). i think there was an old Bogota thread where the word was that none of the poker rooms were that great, for one reason or another (rake, lack of consistent players, colluding regs, etc.).

re: girls, with intermediate Spanish you'll do somewhere between fine and fantastic probably. i'm in the same boat with Spanish ability, and people in Bogota who are actually from Bogota or nearby towns are reasonably easy to understand, but some of the people from the coast who are in Bogota for work/school/travel/whatever were much harder to understand for me.

Yah, thanks for the offer. If I decide to come back to Bogotá for a longer term stay then it'd be a good idea to avoid fees. But you're right, a solid place in a good area is very cheap anyway.

Mostly I just get really excited when it's possible to play live PLO, and supposedly they have it in Bogotá and Medellín. Hopefully rake isn't too ridiculous.

Yah, I think I'll do ok in Bogotá, but I'm a bit worried about Medellín and the coast. In any case, I think Latinas are waaaay more forgiving than French girls, for example. So even if I'm struggling, most Mexican girls just think it's cool that an American has non pathetic Spanish. And I heard Colombia is super friendly too so I think it will be ok.

Rake is pretty reasonable. IIRC the cap is 20,000-25,000. Tipping is uncommon. In Bogota reasonable accommodations can be found in Chapinero neighbourhood which is close to the Luckia casino where the games are. Taxis are pretty cheap anyway, probably similar to what you were paying in the district federalis.

Actually I did find the Bogota games to be quite nitty overall, but the PLO action was fine. Medellin games (mostly 5k/10k NLHE) were much softer.

I'd give DF 8/10. Using the same scale id rate bogota 5/10. You only seem interested in getting laid- that will be next to impossible without paying for it unless you dance, drink, and are fluent. People that live in DF are so friendly, people in bogota generally are not.

I don't see a reason to stay in Medellin or bogota long term when there are better and cheaper options. BA is (or was) cheaper than Medellin. Airfare can be a killer, but you more than make up for it when you get down there.

I booked an AirBNB that's a 5 minute walk from Luckia, so I'll probably be playing quite a bit of poker provided the PLO runs regularly.

upswinging, yah I'm under no illusions that the cities in Colombia will be comparable to DF. I've been super impressed with DF and if I end up staying in Latin America long-term, then it will likely be my home. BA I would like to visit someday soon. I'm curious what you rate BA using the same scale. I've heard Argentine girls are about the most challenging in Latin America, it didn't bother you?

As far as girls, yah I'd like to get laid, but it isn't my primary objective. I'm trying to meet a couple girls that I enjoy hanging out with who can show me a few interesting spots in Colombia. I don't dance (well), don't drink very much, and have decent Spanish, but am not fluent, so maybe it will be a pretty big challenge. If poker sucks, I'm not meeting any girls, and I'm not really enjoying Colombia, then I can just bail after a couple weeks.

Cost living index and airbnb rates are roughly the same but BA has 100x more to offer imo. Your chances of sleeping with an Argentine (not a hooker) is low. Your chances are probably the same with a Colombian since you don't dance, drink or are fluent. I mentioned that in aprevious post.

If you don't get laid in Colombia and if the poker sucks (which it probably does lol) then a trip is a bust, yeah? If you don't get laid by an argentine you'll still 100% get laid by another traveler you meet in the city. And BA offers so much more than just hot women and good weather.

Since I'm obviously biased towards BA I'll be fair and say that Colombians are much more friendly and open then Argentines. In fact, their quite an arrogant bunch but you won't really understand anyways since your Spanish is so so