PBH / Colombia / Start Forums▼ (active) Travelguide Cheap hostels Pictures

travel with kids to colombia how safe is it?

HI. EVERYBODY. I WILL LIKE TO HAVE SUGGESTIONS OF HOW TO SPEND A VACATION WITH CHILDREN AROUND BOGOTA?
we love open spaces and what to be far from noisy places. somebody mention sochagota, boyaca y el eje cafetero. how much is there to do in this placeS?

By colombianroots on Jun 8, 2005, 00:47 in Friendly Talkzone.

Erik says on Jun 8, 2005, 04:49:

DE UNA Colombia Tours Hola,

Together with my socio (Thomas) I have a travel organization in Bogotá organizing trips and tours in all Colombia. Maybe a nice idea to take a look at our website: www.deunacolombia.com
Besides the tours we offer on this website you can make your own tour by telling us what you want to see in how many time. We know a lot about Colombia and we often work with families.
But it's not only selling tours, we are also a good source of information about what to do and what not, about safety or how to travel with children if you want to go on your own. We'll be happy to help you or answer your questions,

Erik

0 funny, 0 helpful.

Gator says on Jun 8, 2005, 05:43:

Might I... suggest:

In Bogotá: a trip to the Museo Del Oro, take the train ride to Zipaquirá (visit the salt mines) or Nemocón about 2 hours each way.
Villa de Leyva in Departmento de Boyaca. Monserate via funicular/ cable car. Museo de los Niños de Bogotá (children's museum) Tour the La Candelaria neighborhood (Old Colonial area)

Visit Coffee Country near Armenia – 40 minute flight from Bogotá longer by bus(this is where the Coffee Park( Parque Nacional del Cafe) is located-lots of Disney type stuff for the kids.) When you say Sochagota do you mean the hotel by the same name in Paipa, Boyaca? This area is famous for its hot springs.

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

0 funny, 0 helpful.

ColomBuenazo says on Jun 8, 2005, 06:29:

Enjoy Colombia !!! Article form www.elespectador.com on what to do with kids during their vacation:

¿Llegan las vacaciones de mitad de año y todavía no sabe qué hacer con sus niños? Buen Viaje tiene los mejores destinos para pasar unos días de descanso en familia y en donde, sin ninguna duda, sus niños la pasarán de maravilla y usted también. Turismo ecológico, parques de diversiones, museos y hasta cruceros son algunos planes que acabarán con la eterna preocupación de qué poner a hacer a sus hijos en los días sin clases.

Bogotá abraza a los niños

En Bogotá hay espacios para todo. Para el arte, la cultura, el deporte y la diversión. La oferta de atractivos para los niños es amplia: para la recreación están el parque Simón Bolívar, uno de los más grandes de Sudamérica. Existen amplios espacios verdes, lagos, pistas para trotar, juegos infantiles, lugares para ciclopaseos. Maloka es uno de los lugares más llamativos para los menores, ya que posee juegos, muchos de ellos futuristas, un cine domo donde sentado en la butaca se tiene la sensación de formar parte de la película porque la pantalla en forma de domo llega hasta el techo. Cerca de Maloka se encuentra Salitre Mágico, gran centro de atracciones infantiles con carruseles, rueda moscovita y montaña rusa. Tampoco se puede dejar de ir a Mundo Aventura y Camelot. Ambos son parques de diversiones con diferentes atractivos como la barca de Marco Polo, barco pirata, carritos chocones, karts, teatros de cine, restaurantes y heladerías. En Bogotá hay decenas de exposiciones itinerantes y permanentes en el Museo Nacional, el Museo del Oro y el Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá, y ni qué hablar del Museo de los Niños, un buen plan para ellos.

Mucha naturaleza en el Eje Cafetero

El Eje Cafetero se ha convertido en uno de los principales destinos turísticos de Colombia. Su tranquilidad, su belleza y su biodiversidad lo hacen bastante atractivo, sobre todo para aquellas personas amantes de la ecoaventura. Para los niños es un destino ideal, porque existen en esta zona del país diferentes parques temáticos que los acercan a la naturaleza. Uno de los más visitados por los turistas es el Parque Nacional del Café destinado a la preservación del patrimonio cultural e histórico del café en Colombia, a la promoción de actividades culturales, recreativas, ecológicas y al impulso del ecoturismo en la región. Es un lugar lleno de atracciones rodeado por el esplendor del paisaje quindiano. Panaca también es, hoy por hoy, destino obligado de quienes visitan la zona cafetera. En medio de un ambiente natural, este parque se encuentra ubicado en el Municipio de Quimbaya. Un lugar privilegiado que le permite al visitante disfrutar de una gran variedad de actividades en las diferentes estaciones, que están distribuidas a lo largo de un sendero de 2,8 kilómetros, rodeado por bellos jardines y diversos cultivos.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

diddi_0113 says on Jun 8, 2005, 13:43:

travel with kids to colombia how safe is it? actually el eje cafetero is beautiful i have been there a couple of times and i am traveling again at the end of june there is alot to do there they have great tourist places like "el parque del cefe" wich is located in montenegro about 20min away from armenia there is also "panaca" there are farms you can rent with horses and there is also parks with pools like "las piramides" great places i have been to all of them and it's also a safe place don't let people or rumors spoil your vacation people tend to exagerate..
have fun..

0 funny, 0 helpful.

kernow62 says on Jun 8, 2005, 14:56:

Parque Salitre Màgico

Parque Jaime Duque

Maloka

all in Bogotá and area.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

adrimm (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 8, 2005, 18:57:

Parque Jaime Duque & childhood enjoyments I went there when I was about 13 and I remember liking the human civilization display, but thinking it was a bit dirty. At the time it was nice but a bit of a let down for a theme park (probably becuase my head was always filled with images of Disneyland vacations thayt my classmates took).

In Bogota, I saw the Gold Museum when I was 8. I remember being more impressed with the security measures of the musuem than the gold, but the image of the main room filled with it's figurines and artifacts has stuck with me since and now I understand their value much better. I recall really enjoying horseback riding in Colombia, seeing tropical fruit trees, and riding (sans seatbelts!) in the back of someone's pickup truck in the small village my mother was born in. I also fondly remember savouring numerous amazing sweets and deserts, as well as seeing all the vendors and packed stalls like the San Andresitos. No place at home has stalls, or anything like the merchandise-density I saw in Bogota and in Colombia.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

adrimm (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 8, 2005, 19:18:

Safety & Valuable lessons too I guess that the adults I travelled with were alway careful of where we went. We did go to the south, but it was always in a car. I remember seeing gamines. The worst thing that happened to me in Bogota was that once when we were getting off of the rear doors of a buseta (I was about 8 yrs old), it drove off after my cousin and mother had stepped down, while I was still standing in the stairwell. Since that time however, we have mostly taken taxis to get around in Bogota. Good thing they are affordable.

The other thing that my childhood visits to Colombia taught me was the level of disparity that exists in the world. Suddenly being poor wasn't not having a VCR, but living in a carboard and plywood shack and not having shoes. It was a profound lesson to have in childhood.

0 funny, 0 helpful.

colombianroots says on Jun 8, 2005, 22:48:

visiting colombia with kids. THANKS A LOT FOR YOUR INPUTS. I AM NOT SURE ABOUT SOCHAGOTA. I GUESS IS THE NAME OF THE HOTEL OR A NAME OF A LAKE. WE WILL LOVE TO RENT A COTTAGE CLOSE TOA LAKE IN BOYACA. HOW ABOUT LA LAGUANA THE TOTA? HOW MUCH HOTELS ARE AROUND?
MY KIDS SPEAK SOME SPANISH BUT NOT AS FLUENT AS I WOULD LIKE. IS ANY CHANCE OF SPECIAL PROGRAM FOR THEM?.
MY RELATIVES ARE FEELING PARANOID WITH MY VISIT AND I REALLY APRECIATE THIS SITE WHERE PEOPLE HELP ALL OF US PLANING TO VISIT TO SEE A BETTER COLOMBIA. YOU ALL ENOURAGE ME TO FEEL LESS SCARE. WE WILL BE IN COLOMBIA BETWEEN JULY AND SEPT. LOVE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH PEOPLE VISITING AND TOURING LIKE US.NO EXACTLY FOR THE PARTY BUT FOR THE GREAT CULTURAL EXPERIENCE FOR MY FAMILY.

0 funny, 0 helpful.