An Insider's Travel Guide to Bogota, Colombia

Colombia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, and Bogota is its bustling high-altitude capital that's quickly becoming one of the most lively cities in Latin America. 

First-time visitors must take in the sweeping views from the city’s central mountain, Monserrate, and enjoy Bogota's nightlife, but there's much more to discover — if you know where to look. Whether your clients are interested in fashion or food, history or nature, Bogota is sure to surprise and delight. 

(Pro tip: For a taste of Bogota before or after a trip, send your clients a bouquet of fair-trade Colombian grown flowers from BloomsyBox and bean-to-bar chocolate by Cacao Disidente.)

The Best Time to Visit Bogota

Temperatures are comfortable all year-round, with rainy seasons in spring and autumn.

Where to Stay in Bogota

Hab Hotel in the bohemian Chapinero Alto neighborhood is the most stylish new boutique hotel in the city, designed and operated by husband-and-wife team Nicolas Vergara and Ana Maria Calle. Both have design backgrounds, evident in the way they have transformed three elegant brick mansions from 1910 into 57 cozy modern guestrooms with a private garden and decorative touches by local artists.

Instead of a lobby, guests check in at the bar and the convivial atmosphere attracts a fun crowd of creatives. Hab Cafe is open all day and is much better than your standard hotel restaurant, using produce sourced from the hotel's own organic farm just outside the city. Farm tours are offered a few times per month, and guests can enjoy yuca waffles with wild rhubarb and wild gooseberry jam paired with superfood smoothies to start the day.

If time in the spa is a priority for your clients, Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina is an excellent choice. There are two small Four Seasons hotels in Bogota with fewer than 70 rooms each, and at Casa Medina, guests can try the Colombian green coffee wrap, a leisurely two-hour treatment beginning with an invigorating coffee-and-cacao scrub followed by a wrap and body oil massage (all using locally made products).

What to Eat in Bogota

One of the best restaurants in the world is in Chapinero Alto, within walking distance of Hab Hotel. Pioneering chef Leonor Espinosa has been mining the depths of Colombian cuisine for 15 years at Leo, reviving ancient ingredients and indigenous foodways with modern imagination. Leo serves eight- and 13-course tasting menus with ingredients most have never tasted before, from fermented cassava starch and culona ants (aka “big-bottomed ants”) to a calf's foot jelly dessert reminiscent of butterscotch that is chock full of collagen.

The world-renowned restaurant moved to its current location in June 2021, with a new second floor La Sala de Laura, a more casual bar setting putting Leonor’s daughter Laura Hernandez Espinosa's talents on full display. Here, shorter tasting menus are served and dishes are a little less avant-garde. Hernandez Espinosa has released a line of five distilled spirits inspired by the various ecosystems of Colombia, from the Andean foothills to the mountains and desert, all delightful to sip on their own or mixed in cocktails.

What to See and Do in Bogota

Discover Traditional Herbal Medicine
La Candelaria is the historic heart of Bogota, home to cultural institutions such as the Museo Botero and Museo del Oro. Within walking distance is a true hidden gem, an apothecary dedicated to the magical healing powers of Colombia's indigenous plants. 

Colombian-American Mateo de Valenzuela opened Del Condor two years ago, resurrecting indigenous Colombian herbal medicine to heal and educate visitors about Colombian culture. Sip an Amazonian chai tea, made with yerba mate, powdered coca leaves, yarumo ash, ginger and cacao, while learning about the Condor and Eagle prophecy, before tasting delicacies including roasted cacao beans and sacha inchi seeds, sourced from small producers in Indigenous communities.

The apothecary is located in Mateo's childhood home, which was originally built in the 1720s, and it's open to the public Wednesday through Sunday.

Exclusive Shopping Experiences
Clients looking for the epitome of Colombian craftsmanship can make private appointments at showrooms for home goods, fashion and jewelry. Verdi Design specializes in rugs and curtains made from natural plant fibers such as "fique" (jute) and banana leaves woven with alpaca and copper, silver or gold-plated threads, reinventing Colombian tradition with luxury design. 

They also make a line of modern mochilas, hand-knitted bucket bags that take up to 10 days to create.

Fashionistas can enjoy trying on jewelry in a private home along with a curated shopping experience with El Dorado Edit upstairs, where the team will pull wardrobe options based on sizes and style preferences. Paula Mendoza's statement ear cuffs and bubble necklaces have been spotted on celebrities such as Beyonce and Sarah Jessica Parker. 

Take a Coffee Cupping Class
Coffee is one of Colombia's most precious exports, but up until 2003, it was illegal for Colombians to roast their own fresh green coffee beans at origin. Luis Fernando Velez helped change that, and has pioneered Colombian coffee culture since he opened his first cafe in 1997, building the best farm-to-cup coffee supply chain in the world for Amor Perfecto. 

Book a cupping class for coffee connoisseurs, and clients can taste through various single-estate coffees from Colombia's family-owned farms. Amor Perfecto's own Diego Campos became the first Colombian to win the World Barista Championship in 2021

Book a Private Tour
Bogotivo bloggers Joey Bonura and Giovanni Hernandez offer a variety of tours in English and Spanish throughout the city, from walking food tours to hiking Chicaque Natural Park and discovering secret waterfalls. Any of their tours can be privatized for your clients — simply message them @bogotivo on Instagram to inquire.