See the latest covid information related to Colombia Here.
Hi and Welcome,
In this Traveling Colombia article I take a look at BnB Colombia tours, so you can see if this is a good option for you, If you are planning a visit to Colombia ( and why shouldn’t you be?)
Disclaimer: This site has an affiliation with BnB Tours. Before becoming affiliated with BnB I needed to know something about the company too. In a nutshell I don’t promote what I wouldn’t use.
Traveling Colombia
Only about a 3 hour flight time from the USA to the Colombian cities of Cartagena and Barranquilla and less than 4 hours to Bogota, Medellin or Cali, Colombia is within easy reach for American and Central American visitors. If your from Canada (sick of the cold?), it is only a couple of more hours if you fly direct to any of those cities above.
Covid restrictions are changing all the time, so check with Colombian Immigration or your travel agent before booking.
Why Colombia is Different.
Unlike many countries in South America, Colombia is not included in none of the major tour companies itinerary’s, (that I know of ), compared to the South of the continent.
Often South American tours are arranged in a way that you may take a tour of Peru, then it will often include visits to Argentina, Chile or Brazil, all in the one package.
Colombia’s past also makes people hesitant, but that was 2 decades ago, time has moved on. You can view more in this post Here.
Hidden Gems
Colombia is loaded with hidden gems for the visitor. Most are easily accessible, provided you have planned well before hand, Colombia will give you that unique experience.
Usually language is a barrier for many people who want to visit Colombia, because not many Colombians speak English.
However, BnB Colombia tours is one company specializing in boutique tours to many parts of the country with multilingual drivers or guides for all their tours.
Note:- If it is a transfer or day trip assume the the driver speaks Spanish only.
As well, BnB Colombia Tours can help you plan your trip before you leave home, using local knowledge to get you the best prices on accommodation.
They also offer a personalized service such as airport pickups to take you to your hotel. You will be met at the airport by a happy person holding a sign with your name.
| Company Name | BnB Colombia Tours |
| Owner/ Founder | Bruce Rodrigo Mclean |
| Based | Periera Colombia. In the heart of the coffee zone. |
| Types of Tours | 48+ Multi Day Package Tours. 387 Customized Multi Day Packaged Tours created. 126 Tour Start Locations. Operates 365 days a year. To See all tour options GO HERE |
| Other Benefits | Providing Multi lingual drivers and guides for all tours. |
| References used for this article | Independent Travel Sites, Google Searches, as well as conversations with the owner. |
Visit Exotic Places or Pristine Beaches or Visit Both
Along the Caribbean Coast there are dozens of interesting places for the traveler to Hike, Dive, Swim, explore historical sites or just kick back and enjoy the surrounds.
Crystal water, white sand, palm trees and enjoy a few drinks.
BnB tours has tours to the Amazon, Caribbean, Coffee Zones, the Andes, Medellin, Whale watching tours, Jungles, Beaches as well as historical sites and Bicycle tours around some cities.
They even offer tours to some places where Spanish is not spoken, as those areas were bypassed by the Conquistadors all those years ago.
Part of the attraction of using BnB tours as your Colombian tour operator is they can mix tours for you, or even create one specific one for you.
Is Colombia Safe to Visit.
This age old question arises any time someone mentions Colombia. It is answered well here. If you come here, come to enjoy the amazing experience the country offers, the people, the places, its wildlife and history, there is something here for everyone.
Don’t be a Flash Harry, don’t become involved in illegal activity, or walk dark alleys alone at night and you should be fine.
BnB Colombia Tours tailor all their packages with your safety in mind and offer good advice for anyone worried about safety. I am from a small town in Australia and I feel no less safe here than if I were in Sydney.
I have only had one minor issue which had nothing to do with a Colombian. I mentioned it in this post.
From my perspective, BnB Colombia Tours have done their best to have all possible bases covered when designing their tours to make your experience an unforgettable one.
All packages are for small groups which are of a more personalized nature, rather than being one of 50 or 60 in a bus.
Rating a company can be hard sometimes. But from my observations and conversations, BnB Colombia Tours rates very highly for going over above in their efforts to help people visiting Colombia.
You can make your own observations HERE
Pros and Cons of BnB Colombia Tours
Pros.
- Based in the heart of the Colombian Coffee Region
- Multiple transport options from Bogota, Cartagena and Santa Marta to various areas of interest for a visitor
- Personalized multilingual service
- Pick ups and Transfers from Hotel to Airport or vice versa.
- Much more efficient than other transport options. With BnB Colombia you can get from A to B in one vehicle instead of two or three changeovers for a single trip.
- City to City Transfers
- Small group tours
- Comfortable air conditioned vehicles
- Multi day tours with multilingual guides or drivers
- Half and full day tours including guided bike tours and walking tours in Cartagena
- Extensive knowledge of the areas visited
- If required, help with booking accommodation
- Licensed by Colombian authorities.
Cons
- Only conducting small group tours might be seen as a con for some people.
- Costs seem a little more expensive than other travel options. Actually, when you look closely at the pricing, you are only paying one cost, instead of two or three with other options.
- For example. Taxi to bus terminal, bus to destination, taxi from destination to your accommodation.
Comments from Customers of BnB Colombia Tours.
Not every traveler leaves a review on travel websites, ( I know I don’t ), the last review I found for BnB Colombia Tours was in February 2020 just before the Covid shutdown. So I have included a couple of other entries I found from 2019.
Either way it confirms my rating that this is a very good company to have as your travel partner when visiting Colombia.
We wanted to spend two weeks in Colombia touring Bogota, Medellin, and Cartagena. After reviewing several sites, and offers from various companies, we selected Bruce McLean as our tour organizer. We made a wise choice. Bruce organized a series of tours, all of which were perfect in every detail. We were not the easiest people to deal with, because we wanted certain things on certain dates, etc. Bruce offered to arrange everything, but we wanted to make our own flight and hotel arrangements. Bruce asked to review our choices, and made some astute and wise recommendations to change some of the hotels. He was absolutely correct in every case. We strongly recommend tours organized by Bruce. He has access to the best guides (like Erika in Medellin, as mentioned by another reviewer).
Date of experience: February 2020.
Cheryce W. writes. So Informative:
I loved Bogota. We only had a 6 hour layover and this fitted perfectly. Our guide was full of facts and made it so interesting!
Date of experience: September 2019
Dean wrote:
Great experience. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Great value. Our kids loved it too, highly recommended!!! Date of Experience: October 2019.
Viajes Al Mundo wrote a Review about: Wax Palms and Salento and Coffee Full Day Tour
Going to Cocora is just great! Because it´s cheap, it´s beautiful. With the most beautiful mountains in Colombia and fun activities to enjoy. You can walk to the river or ride a horse : ) If you like to enjoy the beautiful of nature or just take a break, this is the best option for you° : ). Date of experience: October 2019
BnB Colombia Tours looks to be the go to tour company if your planning a trip to Colombia. I hope I have answered some of your questions. Feel free to comment or ask any questions in the comments below.
Happy travels and stay frosty,
Michael.
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Thank you for sharing your experience. i like that we can use bnb. And there sure are some hidden gems. I am a photographer and I frequently get to my inbox some awesome pictures of wildlife from Colombia. And also from other countries in South America. The safety point is also important. Thanks for sharing your own experience.
Traveling abroad would be simplified if you could have a arrangements made and cared for by a tour company. Thank you for your insight into the best ones to use. It would be great to make to most of your time while traveling and see the places that make Columbia the special place that it is.