how can I get to Manizales?

el flaco says on Jun 23, 2006, 00:46:

Go to Pereira airport then bus. Bus from Medellin is easy, Bogota a lot longer (I went by air). I assume that from Brazil you have to go to Bogota however go to Medellin if there is a choice.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

dugchia says on Jun 23, 2006, 07:13:

getting to manizales i am driving to periera on the 30th..manizales is only an hour from there.i live outside of bogota,if you want your welcome to share the ride.email dugchia at yahoo.com

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Atrevido says on Jun 23, 2006, 17:12:

I don't believe the airport in Manezales is really closed with any great frequency. I travelled there by air from Bogota various times and never had a problem. Bogota its self has plenty of closings due to rain/fog but usually it's a delay of an hour or two.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Colombiche says on Jun 25, 2006, 20:33:

You can take a plane The airport will close a couple of times a week due to bad weather, but it quickly gets up and running again. That was an exageration when they told that is it closed most of the time.

Don't be shy, buy that ticket, La Nubia awaits you with open arms.

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

0 funny, 0 helpful.

josergar says on Jun 25, 2006, 23:45:

from the airport to Manizales Thanks for your answers.
La Nubia airport, is far from the city center?
How long is a ride? Is the road safe?
Please, could you tell me what things must I do/see when in Manizales? I've seen photos from the cathedral.

Regards.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

webjacks says on Jun 26, 2006, 02:59:

Things to do in and around Manizales Josergar, the airport is probably only about half an hour from downtown Manizales and the road is fine. You shouldn't have any problems. As for things to do in Manizales...

There are a couple of nice parks in the area:
Bosque Popular, El Recinto del Pensamiento, Parque Nacional Nevados del Ruíz and Los Yarumos come to mind right away. El Reciento and Los Yarumos offer tours/hikes with explanations of local plants and animals. In 2004 I went on a hike in Los Yarumos where we rappelled down three small waterfalls. They have an ice skating rink there now. I was there in Feb/Mar of this year. We took a day trip/tour to Nevados del Ruíz in 2004. The trip included a stop at a hotel with hot springs. Bosque Popular is a nice place to visit on the weekends. El Recinto has a mariposaria there too, if you like butterflies.

Chipre is also a nice place to visit on the weekends, it has a nice view of the surrounding area. There are a lot of small stands/stalls selling obleas, ice cream, and other small treats. They also have a colonial monument/statue there.

Cable Plaza and Parque Caldas were nice shopping centers, with a lot of people. Cable Plaza has a movie theather there.

www.cableplaza.com.co/Cable_Plaza

There are lots of bars/restaurants near Cable Plaza. It’s a nice/popular area to hang out during the evenings.

Plaza Bolívar is a nice place too, especially if you like people watching. The Cathedral is there and it’s just a short walk up from Parque Caldas, right downtown. There is a gold museum inbetween Parque Caldas and Plaza Bolívar also.

You might also check out Los Termales del Otoño, it is just outside of Manizales (probably about half an hour out by car). I'm sure there are quiet a number of nice fincas you can visit too.

They also have a professional soccer team there, Once Caldas. The stadium is called Palo Grande. It's just a short walk down from Cable Plaza.

www.oncecaldas.com.co

If you are interested in seeing more photos from the area, I have posted a some from my trips to my personal web site:

www.webjacks.us/htmls/colombia.html

I hope this helps...

0 funny, 0 helpful.

josergar says on Jun 26, 2006, 05:05:

thanks all for the information.

Thanks, webjacks. That's plenty of information.
I've seen your personal web site. I like the photos. It looks a bit different that I expected. Some friends of mine told me about "zona rosa" in Manizales, with a lot of foreign tourists, lots of shops, center malls and the like. I suppose that area looks a bit different from the pictures you show.

And for Parque Nevados, Los Termales, etc,...I suppose there's no problem about going in a private car...no guerrilla?... are there military checks on these roads?

I think I would like to take a look at near cities too...Pereira, and even Cali. Sorry to ask this again, but is there no problem at all travelling by car?

0 funny, 0 helpful.

webjacks says on Jun 26, 2006, 08:29:

La Zona Rosa Actually, la Zona Rosa is the area near Cable Plaza. I have several pictures from that area in my web site. The center malls would probably be Parque Caldas and Cable Plaza. I'm not sure how many foreigners you will see. I saw maybe a handful of them while I was there.

As for driving to places like Parque Nevados, Los Termales, I don't think you'll have any problems. I would guess you'll be traveling with someone from the area? They should be able to advise you. I went to most places by bus or car and never had any worries.

I saw two places where soldiers were stationed. There were three standing at the entrance of Los Termales del Otoño outside of Manizales. They were very friendly, I stopped and spoke with them for a bit (they even posed for pictures). The others were by a tunnel on a road about an hour away from Manizales near a small town (can't remember the name of the town... though it started with an S). We drove about half the distance between Manizales and Pereira then took a right turn and went about another half an hour. I was told there were soldiers in the area because it was just before elections and they were expecting trouble. They had sand bags stacked up in little forts at both ends of the tunnel.

As for surrounding towns and cities, there are a couple of nice places. I went to La Enea (where the airport is located next to Manizales), Villa María also a small town next to Manizales, Chinchina (about half an hour away). We spent a weekend in Santa Rosa and that was very nice. We went to the termales there and then to a discoteque in Dosquebrados (next to Pereira). We got back to the hotel (Hotel Santa Rosa) around 6:00 am. I was happy to learn that check-out there was 3:00 pm. My friends seemed to think there are better clubs in Pereira than Manizales (they are from Manizales). If you have the chance, I would recommend a trip to Parque del Café. It is near Armenia and not too far of a drive from Manizales. It's another nice destination for a day trip. Pereira also has a nice little zoo just across the street from the airport.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

josergar says on Jun 27, 2006, 02:50:

thanks, webjacks Yes, I'll be traveling with some good friends of mine. They are locals, of course.
I want to trust them, but one of them told me a story that sometimes worries me. When she was in Manizales, she decided to take a trip with his boyfriend to Buenaventura, at the outsides of Cali and Buga, on the coast. They got lost (there were no signals at all on the road). Later, they found a guerrilla block!!
There was a man with military pants and guns. He asked them some questions, and, fortunately, after a few explanations, the man let them continue their way. She and his boyfriend are colombians. They told me..."we think we had an angel keeping guard of us at that time".
So, that's why I'm a bit afraid of travelling by car. Even if I trust them. It would be not the same for me than for them, because I'm foreigner and, though I speak fluent Spanish, my accent is not colombian at all, and I could get kidnapped in a situation like that.

I would like to go to Colombia and spend a nice time with them in Manizales. But I don't want to miss other things. I would like to go to Pereira, Cali, Parque del café,...all that places you've mentioned before, and that I've only seen in photos until now. But I want to keep safe too.

Regards.

0 funny, 0 helpful.