A ball that unleashes passions
Like everywhere on the continent, soccer is obviously the great popular sport. A game that can bring the country to a standstill at the kick-off of an important match of the "Cafeteros", the nickname of the national team. It must be said that on game nights, televisions are blaring on the sidewalks to give everyone the opportunity to follow and experience the game live. From the banker to thearepas merchant, everyone puts on the tricolor jersey of the national team and the flags bloom everywhere along the roads and balconies. The matches are commented on the radio, you will see cars roaring to the sound of the commentators' screams. Commercials flash in the corners of the screen, even during the game, as more than 30 million spectators are glued to the game, eagerly following the incessant stream of inarticulate words of the famous sports commentators. The stadiums are sometimes the scene of violence between the fans, the hinchas
. And the murder of Andrés Escobar in a bar in Medellin, after the national team's defender scored an own goal that led to the elimination of his country from the 1994 World Cup in the United States...But fortunately, the results of the Colombian team have sometimes triggered scenes of jubilation throughout the country. In the World Cup, the best performance of the Colombians is a quarterfinal in 2014 in Brazil. A competition where the top scorer was the Colombian James Rodriguez with 6 goals, despite the elimination of the Cafeteros by the host country. After a round of 16 four years later in Russia, the Colombians unfortunately did not qualify for the 2022 edition in Qatar. On the South American continent, the team has won the Copa America once in 2001. Recently, it reached the semi-finals in 2016 and in 2021, in the last edition played in Brazil. A cruel disappointment for the Tri, which lost to the Argentinians after the penalty shootout, before beating Peru to reach thethird
step of the podium. In its history, Colombia has produced great soccer players, such as the fantastic goalkeeper Rene Higuita, the attacking midfielder Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama, the best known in France (where he won the French Cup with Montpellier HSC in 1990), and perhaps the greatest Colombian player, the striker Radamel Falcao, who has played for Atletico Madrid and Monaco, the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich midfielder James Rodriguez, and the goalkeeper David Ospina, who has a record of 121 appearances for the French national team in the spring of 2022.Legendary cyclists
It is, along with soccer, the Colombian sport par excellence. The Tour de France is a highly watched event, especially when a certain Egan Bernal dons the yellow jersey and becomes the first Latin American rider to win the race in 2019. And, at 22, the youngest since... 1909! Since then, the prodigy, who has become a true national icon, has won the Giro d'Italia, the famous Giro, in 2021. Before him, in the 1980s, "Lucho" Herrera (best climber in the three major Tours: Tour of Spain, Giro and Tour de France) and Fabio Parra (3rd in the 1988 Tour de France) distinguished themselves. In the 2000's, other champions imposed themselves: Santiago Botero, Ivan Parra, Mauricio Soler, Mauricio Ardila... And more recently, Nairo Quintana (2nd in the Tour de France 2013 and 2015,3rd in 2016; winner of the Giro in 2014 and the Tour of Spain in 2016), Rigoberto Urán, Esteban Chavez or Miguel Ángel López have shone on the roads. And the young Santiago Buitrago seems to be the next generation. Colombia is also a world power in BMX, with multiple world champion Mariana Pajón, Olympic champion in 2012 and 2016 and bronze medalist in Tokyo in 2021.
Tejo, an extremely popular traditional game
This traditional Colombian game, which looks a bit like our petanque, has been considered a national sport since 2000! It consists of throwing the tejo (shuffleboard in Spanish) into the bocín, a metal circle that is in a block filled with clay, a few meters away from the thrower. When the disc hits its target, it explodes the mechas (plastic pieces with powder) that are in the bocín. Very common in the countryside to accompany a round of beer oraguardiente, this game is coming back into fashion in the city, and has even become an entertaining tourist attraction. Its variant, the Rana (frog) game, consists of throwing the pucks into the open mouths of (fake) frogs!
Relaxation and water sports
Those who love sunbathing and water sports will be enchanted by the Colombian beaches. We recommend the wild beaches of Parque Nacional Tayrona and La Guajira, San Andrés and Providencia, Barú and the Rosario archipelago or Capurganá. The beaches of the Pacific are also beautiful, but rarely sunny.
Sailing and kitesurfing can be practiced on the sea as well as inland. The Calima lagoon is the windiest of the country and offers beautiful conditions that attract champions from all over the world between August and September. On the Caribbean coast, you can go kitesurfing in La Boquilla near Cartagena, in Santa Verónica near Barranquilla, or on the beautiful beaches of Cabo de la Vela, in La Guajira, and on the island of San Andrés.
Surfing. In Colombia, there are also very good surf spots. The coast has some excellent ones, such as Pradomar beach in Puerto Colombia or Costeño beach, near Guachaca, but on the Pacific coast, there are far fewer people on the waves, such as at El Almejal beach in El Valle, or the spots at Cabo Corrientes and Guachalito beach near Nuquí.
Sport fishing is also famous, in Nuquí and Bahia Solano, or in the vast rivers of the Llanos.
Beautiful dives in perspective
In Colombia, we have access to the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. So you can find many dream spots to enjoy snorkeling or diving with tanks. Diving in Colombia is an experience of its own. The access to the sites implies in itself the visit of national natural parks, sanctuaries of fauna and flora, deserted beaches and tropical forests, indigenous communities and villages still living to the rhythm of their millenary customs. In short, this is an activity that cannot be missed!
In the Caribbean, you should not miss the archipelago of San Andrés and Providencia, these islands that face Nicaragua. A protected archipelago (biosphere reserve) and especially a small underwater paradise. Around the island of San Andrés, you will have to dive to discover the coral reefs and the Aquario with countless fish of all colors. The islands of Providence and Santa Catalina, nearby, are even richer in marine life, with the third largest coral reef in the world and about forty famous diving sites. Then head for Barú and the coral parks of Rosario and San Bernardo. We will also walk our flippers around Santa Marta and in the waters of the Parque nacional Tayrona or in the Gulf of Morrosquillo, to observe corals, sponges, sharks and other groupers
On the Pacific coast, you can observe white tip or black tip sharks in Nuquí, walk aroundIsla de Malpelo, a wildlife sanctuary and one of the ten best places in the world to see different species of sharks: hammerhead, white tip, whale, galapagos, and a particular species of the deep, the solrayo shark, "sunbeam", also known as fierce shark or "monster". Not to mention an infinite number of fish of all sizes and colors. Finally, if you want to see turtles, you can go toIsla Gorgona, while giant rays can be seen in Bahía Solano.
On land too, something to do
Trekking and hiking. Colombia has three mountain ranges, with a great diversity of landscapes: high altitude forests and lakes, páramos, glaciers... The national parks offer incredible trekking options. From the simple walk to the long and demanding trek of several days, there is something to do in all regions of the country. One of the most popular treks in the country is the Cuidad Perdida trek, which winds its way through the Indian villages of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in the Andes Mountains in 4 days. We can also mention in a non-exhaustive way: the summits of Santa Isabel or Tolima, or the Salento - Murillo crossing of the Parque nacional natural Los Nevados, the demanding Parque nacional natural El Cocuy, or the Parque nacional Puracé, near Popayán, and its volcano flown over by condors. In short, warm up!
Climbing and extreme sports. Colombians love extreme sports! And it is often an original way to discover the country and its relief. You can go climbing in many spots. We can mention the routes of the Piedra del Peñol, also called the Peñón de Guatapé, a huge monolith of 220 meters coming out of nowhere, but also and especially the mythical cliffs of Suesca, the cradle of Colombian climbing, or the spots of La Mesa de Los Santos next to the Parque nacional del Chicamocha..
Thrill seekers can also take off in paragliding (in Roldanillo, Buenavista, and towards Medellín or San Gil) or go down rivers in kayak, rafting or canyoning (towards San Gil, San Agustín or Medellín).
Horseback riding. Horseback riding is easy to do in Colombia. In San Agustin, for example, you can take a horseback riding tour of several days with a guide, during which you will descend into canyons, cross rivers, pass by sugar cane plantations, coffee fields, and stop at archaeological parks.
