A ball that unleashes passions
As elsewhere 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 for the "Cafeteros", the nickname of the national team. On match nights, televisions blare from the sidewalks, giving everyone the chance to follow and experience the match live. From bankers toarepa vendors, everyone dons the national team's tricolor jersey, and flags bloom everywhere along roadsides and balconies. The matches are commented on on the radio, and you'll see cars whirring to the sound of the commentators' roars. Commercials scroll across the corners of the screen, even during the match, as over 30 million spectators have their eyes riveted to the game, avidly following the incessant stream of inarticulate words from 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 Medellín bar, after the national team defender scored an own goal that led to his country's elimination from the 1994 World Cup in the USA, is a case in point...
But fortunately, the Colombian team's results have sometimes sparked scenes of jubilation across the country. At the World Cup, the Colombians' best performance was a quarter-final appearance in Brazil in 2014. The top scorer was Colombian James Rodríguez with 6 goals, despite the Cafeteros' elimination by the host nation. After reaching the last 8 four years later in Russia, the Colombians unfortunately failed to qualify for the 2022 edition in Qatar. On the South American continent, the team has won the Copa America once, in 2001. More recently, they reached the semi-finals in 2016 and in 2021, at the last edition held in Brazil. A cruel disappointment for Tri, who lost out to the Argentinians in a penalty shoot-out, before beating Peru to take3rd place on the podium.
In its history, Colombia has produced some great footballers, such as the whimsical goalkeeper René Higuita, attacking midfielder Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama, best known in France (where he won the Coupe de France with Montpellier HSC in 1990), and perhaps the greatest Colombian player, striker Radamel Falcao, who played for Atlético Madrid and Monaco, ex-Real Madrid and Bayern Munich midfielder James Rodríguez, and goalkeeper David Ospina, the record holder for the French national team (121 appearances in spring 2022).
Legendary cyclists
Along with soccer, it's 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 veritable national icon, has won the Giro d'Italia in 2021. He was preceded in the 1980s by "Lucho" Herrera (best climber in the 3 major Tours: Tour of Spain, Giro and Tour de France) and Fabio Parra (3rd in the 1988 Tour de France). In the 2000s, other champions came to the fore: 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 and 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 medallist at Tokyo 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 set in a clay-filled block a few meters from the thrower. When the disc hits its target, it explodes the mechas (plastic pieces with powder) 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, involves throwing the pucks into the open mouths of (fake) frogs!
Relaxation and water sports
Fans of sunbathing and water sports will be enchanted by Colombia's beaches. We recommend the wild beaches of Parque nacional Tayrona and Guajira, San Andrés and Providencia, Barú and the Rosario archipelago or Capurganá. The Pacific beaches are also magnificent, but rarely sunny.
Sailing and kitesurfing are practised both on the sea and inland. The Calima lago is the windiest in the country, offering excellent conditions that attract champions from all over the world between August and September. On the Caribbean coast, you can ride at La Boquilla near Cartagena, at Santa Verónica near Barranquilla, or on the superb beaches of Cabo de la Vela, in La Guajira, and on the island of San Andrés.
Surfing. Colombia also has some excellent surfing 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, at El Almejal beach in El Valle, for example, or the spots at Cabo Corrientes and Guachalito beach near Nuquí.
Sport fishing is also renowned in Nuquí and Bahia Solano, or in the vast rivers of the Llanos.
Beautiful dives in perspective
Colombia has access to both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. So you'll find plenty of dream spots for snorkeling and scuba diving. Diving in Colombia is an experience in itself. Access to the sites themselves involves visiting national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, deserted beaches and tropical forests, indigenous communities and villages still living to the rhythm of their age-old customs. In short, this is an activity not to be missed!
In the Caribbean, don't miss the San Andrés and Providencia archipelagos facing Nicaragua. A protected archipelago (biosphere reserve) and above all a small underwater paradise. Around the island of San Andrés, you'll have to dive to discover the coral reefs and the Aquario, with its countless colourful fish. The nearby islands of Providence and Santa Catalina are even richer in seabed, with the third largest coral reef in the world and some forty renowned dive sites. Then head for Barú and the coral parks of Rosario and San Bernardo. You can also take your flippers out around Santa Marta and into the waters of Parque nacional Tayrona or the Gulf of Morrosquillo, to observe coral, sponges, sharks and groupers.
On the Pacific coast, you can spot white-tip or black-tip sharks at Nuquí, and stroll aroundIsla de Malpelo, a wildlife sanctuary and one of the ten best places in the world to see different species of shark: hammerhead, white-tip, whale, Galapagos, and a particular deep-water species, the solrayo, or "sunbeam" shark, also known as the fierce shark or "monster". Not to mention an infinite number of fish of all sizes and colors. Finally, if you're looking for turtles, head forIsla Gorgona, while giant rays can be seen at Bahía Solano.
On land too, something to do
Trekking and hiking. Colombia has three cordilleras, with a wide variety of landscapes: high altitude forests and lakes, páramos, glaciers... The national parks offer incredible trekking options. From simple strolls to demanding multi-day treks, there's something to do in every region of the country. One of the most popular is the Cuidad Perdida trek, which takes 4 days to wind its way through the Indian villages of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in the Andes. Other highlights include the Santa Isabel or Tolima summits, or the Salento - Murillo crossing of the Parque nacional natural Los Nevados, the demanding Parc nacional natural El Cocuy, or the Parque nacional Puracé, near Popayán, with its condor-flying volcano. In short, warm up!
Climbing and extreme sports. Colombians love extreme sports! And it's often an original way to discover the country and its terrain. Climbing is possible in a number of spots. These include the routes of the Piedra del Peñol, also known as the Peñón de Guatapé, an enormous 220-metre monolith emerging from nowhere, but also and above all 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 go paragliding (in Roldanillo, Buenavista, and towards Medellín or San Gil) or kayaking, rafting or canyoning (towards San Gil, San Agustín or Medellín).
Horseback riding. Horseback riding is easy in Colombia. In San Agustín, in particular, you can take a horseback excursion lasting several days with a guide, down canyons, across rivers, past sugarcane plantations and coffee fields, stopping off at archaeological parks.
