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How
is the security situation in Colombia at the moment?
Do
I need a visa for Colombia?
How
can I pay in Colombia?
When is the best time for traveling to Colombia?
Which vaccinations do I need for Colombia?
What should I bring for a trip to Colombia?
How
can I stay in touch with family and friends?
Is
knowledge of Spanish necessary to travel in Colombia?
How
can I book my trip?
How
can I pay for my tour?
Which additional costs will I have to pay?
Can
I cancel my trip?
Can
DE UNA Colombia Tours also book tickets for my international flight?
Can
I obtain international travel (health) insurance through DE UNA
Colombia Tours?
How
is the quality of meals, transport and accommodation?
Can
DE UNA Colombia Tours keep me up to date concerning tour offers and
other activities?
By
traveling with DE UNA Colombia Tours you can be sure of a wonderful
and unforgettable experience in Colombia. We offer a multitude of
guided tours and are also the only travel company to give you the
possibility to arrange your personal custom-made tour suited for
every traveler. From the Caribbean Coast to
the high peaks of the Andes, from the archaeological sites to the
cultural highlights in the cities, from Carnival in Barranquilla to
tropical rainforest or a combination of all these, DE UNA gives you
the opportunity to get to know the Colombia the way it should be
traveled. In fact, this country is an exciting travel
destination with an incredibly varied nature and warmhearted and
special people.
We
constantly revise our tours based on feedback from our customers.
Even though we offer fixed guided tours, we are always open to
suggestions and requests from the tour group. This is possible
because we only travel with small groups. All of our tours are
accompanied by experienced and multilingual (English, German, Dutch,
Spanish) tour guides that will be able to provide lots of
information about Colombia during the trip. As your guides we do not
just want to travel with you, but also respond to the wishes of the
group and give you all kinds of advice. Above all we ensure that we
only travel in regions where there is no danger.
By
traveling with DE UNA Colombia Tours you also automatically support
a local project.
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How
is the security situation in Colombia at the moment?
In
matters of security Colombia has a bad reputation. Indeed, the
headlines in the newspapers often enough provide bad news. However,
the security situation has improved considerably in the last few
years. Even though violence still occurs, it is only a problem in
certain regions and parts of the cities. If you avoid these areas,
then a trip to Colombia is not more dangerous than to other Latin
American countries. After their first visit to Colombia, most
travelers are surprised at the normality of everyday life in this
country. In addition, the people, their customs and their respect
before travelers will give you a sense of security.
The
places visited on our tours are safe and we constantly observe any
changes to the security situation in the entire country. You will
need to take precautions against pickpockets in the big cities, like
in any country in the developing world. For more information please
also read our page about “Security”.
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Do
I need a visa for Colombia?
Citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the
UK, most other Western European countries (except Ireland), Japan,
and most countries in Central and South America do not need a visa
to enter Colombia. If you enter the country as a tourist by plane
without a visa, a round trip ticket is required. These requirements
are subject to change at short notice, so we recommend verifying the
entry requirement again before your trip. At passport control at the
airport and at Colombia’s land border you will be asked about the
purpose and intended duration of stay in the country. Accordingly,
you normally receive a tourist entry permit in the form of a
passport stamp for 30, 60 or 90 days. Should it become necessary,
this permit can be extended for up to 180 days total stay per
calendar year (6 months). Please ensure that you receive a permit
for 60 days immediately upon entry, should you have booked a trip
that lasts longer than 30 days. You can thus avoid the cost, time
and inconvenience of having to extend the permit later.
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How
can I pay in Colombia?
Legal tender in Colombia is the Colombian Peso (abbreviated COP or
$). Foreign currency, including US-Dollar, is not accepted,
especially outside of the big cities. The simplest way to obtain
cash is by using an international banking card in the Maestro/Cirrus
or Visa Plus networks. In most cities you will not have problems
using the ATM machines with these cards. Usually you can withdraw up
to 1.500.000 Peso (around 500 Euro or 625 US-Dollar) per day, with
each single transaction not exceeding 500.000 Peso (please also
inquire at your home bank about possible lower limits). Most costs
are already included in the prices of our tours, so these amounts
are sufficient to cover personal expenses. In case of necessity, you
can also withdraw larger amounts with a credit card by showing your
passport in bank branches (e.g. in Banco de Occidente or Bancolombia),
where Visa and MasterCard are most widely accepted. Please note,
however, that this method is time-consuming and only possible in
large cities. You can pay hassle-free by credit card in the bigger
shopping centers, hotels and restaurants of higher categories. Other
possibilities are traveler’s checks or the exchange of cash in banks
and currency exchange offices (US-Dollar or Euro).
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When is the best
time for traveling to Colombia?
Colombia is close to the equator, so the temperature changes little
throughout the year. Instead, the climate varies by altitude from
the hot lowlands to the snow-covered peaks of the Andes. Despite
this general pattern, Colombia knows a rainy season (called invierno
or “winter”) and a dry season (called verano or “summer”). The
timing of these seasons varies from region to region throughout the
country. In general, the months of October and April see the most
precipitation, while December, January and February are the driest
periods. We have taken this into account in our yearly calendar of
guided tours.
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Which vaccinations do I need for Colombia?
We
recommend obtaining this information directly at your family
physician. It is possible that you already have some of the
vaccinations recommended for Colombia, and sometimes these
immunizations provide long-term protection. A vaccination against
Yellow Fever is indispensable if your travel plans include one of
the following destinations: Tayrona National Park, Ciudad Perdida
(the Lost City) or Leticia/Amazon Basin. According to government
regulations you will have to provide evidence of vaccination 10 days
before traveling to these areas.
Malaria is only a concern in the department of Chocó in the
northwest of the country and in the Amazon Basin. Still, for the
destinations on the Pacific Coast in Chocó that we offer, you
normally won’t need a prophylaxis against Malaria. For trips to
Leticia and other destinations in the Amazon Basis, taking
medications for prophylaxis against Malaria is a personal decision
that you should only take after consulting your physician or a
clinic specialized in tropical medicine.
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What should I
bring for a trip to Colombia?
The
contents of your baggage are a personal decision, but also depend on
the type of tour or package that you have booked. Under “General
Information” you also find a section about the climate. There, we
explain how the temperature depends on the altitude. Please read
this page first for more information about this topic.
You
should always carry the following equipment with you if you have
booked a tour with a DE UNA tour guide:
·
Sturdy shoes
·
Extra pair of shoes to change
·
Rain jacket
·
Sun
hat, cap or other type of headdress
·
Sunscreen
·
Insect repellent
·
Small backpack for day trips
·
Flashlight (torch)
It
is important to keep in mind that you can obtain practically all
goods in Colombia. We therefore advise against taking too much
luggage. Should you forget something at home, you will most likely
be able to by it here in Colombia. In addition, we always recommend
to travel with a backpack instead of a suitcase, especially for
tours with a DE UNA guide. Sometimes we visit places on these tours
where traveling with a big suitcase is very uncomfortable. Some of
our tours also have a special equipment list. Please consult the
pages of these tours for more detailed information.
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How
can I stay in touch with family and friends?
In
this regard, the situation in Colombia is much more advanced than
many people believe. There are stores throughout the country where
you can make international telephone calls, and the calls are not
overly expensive, either (30 to 50 Euro-Cent per minute on average).
Internet access is also available almost everywhere, even in small
villages. Except during the trekking tour to Ciudad Perdida (the
Lost City) and our mountain tours, you will always have the
opportunity to stay in touch with family and friends.
Air mail letters and postcards that are sent with the state-run
Colombian postal service (previously called Adpostal/Correos de
Colombia, now known as Servicios Postales Nacionales), cost 4.800
Pesos (around 1,60 Euro) within the Americas and 5.300 Pesos (around
1,75 Euro) to the rest of the world. International mail usually
takes between 4 to 8 weeks to reach its destination.
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Is
knowledge of Spanish necessary to travel in Colombia?
This is not strictly necessary, but basic knowledge of Spanish helps
to ensure a smoother and better experience in the country, since it
enhances your possibilities. A few words are already enough to start
a simple conversation in a bus or to order your meal in a
restaurant. Please keep in mind that knowledge of foreign languages
– including English – is not widespread in Colombia, and that
existing language abilities are often rudimentary at best. It is
possible even in luxury hotels and restaurants that no one speaks
English or any other language besides Spanish. Our guided tours are
always accompanied by multilingual tour guides, but it is still
worth the effort to speak and understand at least a little Spanish.
The schedule of each tour always includes free time without a guide,
and in addition, some knowledge of Spanish will enable you to get in
contact with the local population.
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How
can I book my trip?
If
you have decided on a guided tour or a package, simply fill in the
contact form on our website. You can either use the link on the page
of the tour description or our general contact form. You can also
directly send us an
e-mail
with your wishes and questions. As
soon as possible we will reply with all necessary information.
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How
can I pay for my tour?
Once we have confirmed your reservation we kindly ask you to pay a
deposit so that we can start the preparations for your trip. The
amount of the deposit varies with the trip, the number of persons
and your advance booking period, and is between 25% and the full
cost of the tour.
We
offer you various methods to make these payments. Payments from
outside the Euro-Zone are made with international wire transfers
directly to our bank account at Bancolombia in Colombia. In addition, we retain
an account in the Netherlands for free bank transfers from this
country. From other countries in the Euro-Zone, you can also make
bank transfers for the same conditions as domestic payments.
It is also possible to pay by
credit card over the internet but we charge an additional 6% due to
high cost to receive credit card payments.
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Which additional costs will I have to pay?
This depends largely on the trip you booked. For tours with a tour
guide from DE UNA most costs are already included in the tour price
and you only have to pay for meals and personal expenses in Colombia
(some tours also include meals; please read the detailed tour
description for more information). In addition, all tours, packages,
flights and hotel accommodation sold through DE UNA include all
taxes and fees. Please note that high season for tourists in
Colombia is in July/August and December/January, while the remainder
of the year is considered low season. During high season the prices
for flights and hotels rise considerably, which we take into account
in our price quotes.
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Can
I cancel my trip?
Yes, this is possible subject to certain conditions. If a tour or
package is already booked, confirmed and paid, we can accept
cancellations only under exceptional circumstances. In this case we
charge a cancellation fee of 15% of the total price. The
cancellation penalty for flights and/or hotels that have been booked
through us is subject to the conditions of the flight ticket/hotel.
If these conditions foresee a cancellation fee, it will be charged
in addition to the 15% mentioned above. See also our
Terms &
Conditions.
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Can
DE UNA Colombia Tours also book tickets for my international flight?
DE
UNA Colombia Tours can also organize your international flights from
most countries.
It is always good to check also your local travel agency as they
might have special prices but our international flight fares are
very low especially when you don't want to arrive/leave in/from
Bogotá. If you have
booked a tour or package through us, please remember to inform us of
the dates and times of your international flight, so that we can
arrange the relevant airport transfers.
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Can
I obtain international travel (health) insurance through DE UNA
Colombia Tours?
No,
this is not a product that we offer. It is vital that you arrange
your own international travel (health) insurance before departure in
your home country.
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How
is the quality of meals, transport and accommodation?
During tours with a DE UNA guide we usually do not include meals in
the total price, since our experience tells us that the question of
meals is difficult to resolve to the satisfaction of everyone in a
tour group. In some cases, however, meals are included (please read
the detailed tour description for more information), for example
during the trekking to the Ciudad Perdida (the Lost City).
Colombian food is good, inexpensive and generally quite varied. In
the morning, people eat a breakfast that ranges from simple
scrambled eggs with bread/arepa (flat corn bread) to a complete meal
with soup and a main course. For lunch (almuerzo), Colombians eat a
complete meal with soup, main course, drink and sometimes dessert.
In addition, snacks are quite popular in Colombia. You will find
small restaurants, cafes, und many street vendors that sell snacks
ranging from the well-known hamburgers and hot dogs to local
specialties. As mentioned previously, it is possible to east quite
inexpensively in Colombia. You will not need more than 5 or 10 Euros
per day if you order the menu of the day (comida corriente). Of
course, in restaurants of higher categories, the prices can rival
those in Europe or North America.
During tours with a guide from DE UNA, we use mostly public
transport. According to our experience and our company’s philosophy,
public transport is the ideal way to experience the real Colombia
and to get in touch with its people. Private chartered transport is
sometimes indispensable, however, to reach some remote destinations.
The longest or most complicated routes are generally covered by
plane. During the course of a tour it is further possible that we
use a multitude of transport modes, including busses, chivas
(typical Colombian busses on a truck basis), boats, etc. Of course,
we can also accommodate your wishes concerning the choice of mode of
transport.
Normally we stay in hotels of an intermediate category without
special features. All hotels have comfortable beds, rooms with
private bathrooms, are clean and strategically located. The price
quotes contained on our website apply for accommodation in double or
triple rooms. Should you wish single rooms, please let us know as
soon as possible. Furthermore, the accommodation depends on the
destination. For example, during the trekking to the Ciudad Perdida
(the Lost City) and in the Tayrona National Park, we sleep in
hammocks, while staying in tents during the mountain tours in the
Cocuy and Los Nevados National Parks, and during the tour through
the coffee zone (Zona Cafetera), we stay on a typical coffee finca
for two nights. The tour to the Caribbean Coast (Costa Caribe) is
a tour with a touch more luxury, so it includes hotels of a higher
category. All in all, however, the same principle applies here as
with the modes of transport: everything can be adjusted to your
wishes.
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Can
DE UNA Colombia Tours keep me up to date concerning tour offers and
other activities?
On
request we will gladly include you in our e-mail list. You will then
automatically receive all the news, offers and information from DE
UNA Colombia Tours.
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