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Im leaving accommodation and car hire a bit late in the day, but I am traveling to Colombia for 3 weeks, for Christmas and new year, starting in Bogotá for a couple of days, then flying to Cartagena for new year.
From here, after the NYE celebrations, we are looking to hire a car in Cartagena, and make our way over to Santa marta, then travel to Medellín via Bucaramanga etc, stopping off for a night here and there.
Does anyone have any experience of car hire in Colombia, or any of these regions, any recommendations would be appreciated. I am looking online at options, but just thought someone might have first hand knowledge, as Colombia has become quite popular with posters over recent years.
I did look under car hire in the forum, but there was nothing relating to Colombia.
We did a private car transfer from Cartagena to Santa Marta, which wasn’t expensive.
Thanks, the reason I am keen on a hire car, is it gives us flexibility, as we also want to visit many places, like Ciudad Perdida, and Minca after Santa marta, then the same various stop offs on our way up to Medellin.
I would also advise getting a transfer to Santa Marta then hiring a car there.
I have hired cars down in the south of the country, and it was pretty straight forward with the standard rental agencies and even local ones.
Just try not to go off the beaten track too much as the condition of the roads can deteriorate quickly, and with the effort this entails vs cost you may as well of just hired a driver with a van/used the local transfer services.
Private car or puerta-puerta are good options. The more you pay, the nearer to your pickup and dropoff locations they’ll go. Private driver will be happy to wait whilst you go visiting other areas as you basically pay for their time for the day,
Heading inland from the coast by car can be risky, most of my family out there won’t do it any more. Often roads are blocked in protest for days with no alternative route.
Also note that over Christmas period there will be a very high chance you get stopped by police on most routes. They will try and find a reason to fine you to bump up their xmas take-home pay. This has been pretty consistent over the many xmas visits I’ve done along the coast.
Don’t let this all put you off the trip, but just so you can be prepared.Thank you all for your advice, & recommendations,
My wife has swayed towards private transfers, and Ubers for shorter journeys. @elguiri – are there any companies that you know of or can recommend in your experience,
I will start looking at options.I have used https://www.localiza.com/colombia/es-co in the past and it was very good.
I have used https://www.localiza.com/colombia/es-co in the past and it was very good.
Thank you.
From Cartagena to Santa Marta it’s about a 4 hour trip if you’re lucky. You might want to consider overnighting in Barranquilla: For Xmas they put up loads of lights and decorations around the city. During the day they have redone the area by the river (Gran Malecon) and it’s worth going around (a statue of Shakira is also there). There is also the Carnival Museum, which is worth visiting and Hotel El Prado is nice to stay at. Once xmas celebrations have finished, the preparations for the Carnival begin (and the music blares from every shop/house/donkey cart). There will be dance practices going on most nights which if you ask about is worth watching.
Between Cartagena and Barranquilla there is the Sombrero Volteado, which is a sort of museum of the culture and cafe. Worth stretching legs here and grabbing a coffee and bunuelo.
From Cartagena to Santa Marta it’s about a 4 hour trip if you’re lucky. You might want to consider overnighting in Barranquilla: For Xmas they put up loads of lights and decorations around the city. During the day they have redone the area by the river (Gran Malecon) and it’s worth going around (a statue of Shakira is also there). There is also the Carnival Museum, which is worth visiting and Hotel El Prado is nice to stay at. Once xmas celebrations have finished, the preparations for the Carnival begin (and the music blares from every shop/house/donkey cart). There will be dance practices going on most nights which if you ask about is worth watching.
Between Cartagena and Barranquilla there is the Sombrero Volteado, which is a sort of museum of the culture and cafe. Worth stretching legs here and grabbing a coffee and bunuelo.
Thank you for the recommendations, much appreciated.
Prob way too late but as a Colombian myself, I find renting amazing. Do things at your own pace. Localiza as mentioned is the one and at £20-30 per day is brill. Follow the normal “dont leave items in car/dont drive at night” travelling etiquettes. Try and book via search engines but check as localiza may have a local offer for a discount.
I will just add … be careful with google map travel times. Almost multiply by 2 (so a short 2hrs drive could be 4hrs in practice). Also, have water and some snacks and always a full tank before going on any long drive. I had plenty of adventures in Colombia (roads cut from land falls, rain making roads a river, etc.) It was never dangerous but just be ready and adapt.
@Zapato1060 @yonas – Thank you for your tips, I was keen to use a hire car, but my wife was not, and prefers to use private transfer companies, looks like she is going to win.
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