Colombia's calling: Beaches to 競争相手 those of the Caribbean and some of the world's most alluring cities - no wonder this beguiling country is the newest South America hotspot

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深い in Tayrona 国家の Park, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, a 10ft caiman raises its knobbly snout from the river, sending ripples に向かって fishermen who are standing waist-high in the water and casting out 逮捕するs by 手渡す.

‘Isn’t that rather dangerous?’ I ask Diva, our guide. ‘Ah, the caiman would rather eat fish,’ she replies. ‘Although, just recently, I did see one snatch a dog from the riverbank.’

I ちらりと見ること at my sons ? but even these two thrill-探検者s draw a line at taking a 下落する in alligator-infested waters.

The 60 square miles that （不足などを）補う Tayrona 国家の Park are home to a menagerie of creatures, such as anteater, sloth, ocelot and the rarely sighted jaguar. There is also abundant birdlife, 含むing the Santa-Marta parakeet, sapphire-bellied hummingbird, rufous nightjar and 雪の降る，雪の多い egrets with 有望な yellow ‘Big Bird’ feet.

Colombia, almost five times bigger than the UK, sits by both the Caribbean Sea and the 太平洋の Ocean. It has white-sand beaches that can 競争相手 any Caribbean island, pristine 国家の parks and Cartagena as its 最高の，を越す trump ? arguably the most beautiful city in all of South America.

有望な sights: Kate Wickers 乗る，着手するs on a 小旅行する of Colombia. Above, a beach in Tayrona 国家の Park?

And seven years into the peace 協定 between 政府 and 議会の 軍隊s ? and 20 years on from the first 軍の 厳重取締 on 麻薬 cartels ? there’s never been a safer time to visit.

Most flights from Europe arrive in the afternoon, and a day or two in the 資本／首都 of Bogota is a good way of casting off jetlag. We stay at Hotel B.O.G, in the trendy 地区 of La Cabrera, 国境d by the restaurant 中心 of Zona Rosa where we dine on citrus-marinated ceviche at Central Cevicheria.

We tick off a visit to Museo del Oro, which 持つ／拘留するs more than 55,000 gold artefacts, take a street-art 小旅行する of La Candelaria (the oldest and most bohemian 地区), and are charmed by Colombian artist Fernando Botero’s ‘chubby’ 人物／姿／数字s at Museo Botero.

From the 資本／首都, it’s a two-hour flight north to Santa Marta and a その上の 30 miles by road to our lodgings の近くに to Tayrona 国家の Park.

Kate says that Cartagena (pictured) is 'arguably the most beautiful city in all South America'

Boardwalks and forest 追跡するs lead to beaches where edible sea grapes grow and tamarins peer from the palmtops, 令状s Kate. Above, a fruit vendor in Cartegena

Colombia, almost five times bigger than the UK, sits by both the Caribbean Sea and the 太平洋の Ocean

Finca Barlovento is an eco-friendly 宿泊する 始める，決める まっただ中に gardens of bamboo, palms and birds of 楽園. Our 控訴 has a 株d deck and pool ? the perfect 位置／汚点／見つけ出す for 秘かに調査するing kingfishers skimming by and blue crabs scurrying on the riverbanks, dodging iguana on the prowl.

マリファナ cultivation was once the biggest earner in the 地域, but, with that gone, 観光旅行，事業 is now 決定的な. 公式の／役人 後見人s of the park are the indigenous Kogi people, who are 高度に 尊敬（する）・点d and left to run it pretty much how they please.

At the start of a ten-mile 引き上げ（る）, we buy coconut juice from young Kogi men, who 削減（する） open the nuts with a swashbuckling 削除する of machete. ‘If they think that the park is too busy, they shut it just like that,’ Diva tells us, snapping her fingers. ‘The Kogi watch this eco-system carefully and decide when it needs a 残り／休憩（する）.’

Boardwalks and forest 追跡するs lead to beaches where edible sea grapes grow and tamarins peer from the palmtops.

At Cabo San Juan del Guia, a 二塁打-horseshoe bay 避難所d by a breakwater of 玉石s, we swim before feasting on red snapper, bought for a fiver from a 取調べ／厳しく尋問する on the sands.

For tubing (the gentle 追跡 of floating in a rubber （犯罪の）一味) we 長，率いる to the Don Diego River. We float past cashew trees riddled with howler monkeys and 位置／汚点／見つけ出す smaller cousins of the caiman, the Cuvier’s dwarf caiman, that blink lazily at us from the riverbank.

Barranquilla is Colombia’s fourth-largest city, famous for its carnival and 協会s with writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez (fans should also visit his birthplace, Aracataca). We stop here on our way to Cartagena to do a 運動-by of the university Marquez 熟考する／考慮するd at, the street where he once lived and for lunch at his favourite watering 穴を開ける, Restaurante 妨げる／法廷，弁護士業 La Cueva, where we 秘かに調査する first 版s of Love In The Time Of Cho lera locked in bookshelves.

Cartagena’s 塀で囲むd town, 設立するd in 1533, is filled with 16th Century pastel-painted casas 冒険的な 巨大な 木造の doors. These are adorned with gleaming knockers of curling fish, comely mermaids and 十分な-mouthed pelicans that all nod to Cartagena’s sea- faring past when Spanish conquistadors 貿易（する）d in ill-gotten gold. We stay in one such casa, now the boutique Hotel Ananda, whose rooms fan off a central 中庭. By moonlight we wander below geranium-filled balconies to tucked-away plazas, where old men in straw hats play games of 支配s, and on past Cartagena’s 課すing Palacio de la Inquisicion (once home to those whose 残虐な 職業 was to stamp out heresy), to Plaza de San Pedro where 妨げる／法廷，弁護士業s 流出／こぼす out on to the cobbles and buskers strum at guitars.

Getsemani, just beyond the city 塀で囲むs, is a little rougher around the 辛勝する／優位s. Mojitos costing just a few 続けざまに猛撃するs are served from 一時しのぎの物，策 妨げる／法廷，弁護士業s in people’s living rooms, where grandpa sits in his 激しく揺するing 議長，司会を務める watching the telly.

< p class="imageCaption">Kate says that?a day or two in the 資本／首都 of Bogota (pictured) is a good way to start a trip to Colombia?

While in Bogota, Kate visits Museo del Oro, which 持つ／拘留するs more than 55,000 gold artefacts, 含むing the frog pictured above

Live music blares out from mural-painted streets, strung with 旗s and streamers.

In Plaza Trinidad, we watch the young rappers at work. ‘Sister, you got more sass than Cameron Diaz,’ goes 負かす／撃墜する 井戸／弁護士席 with me.

We end our trip with some downtime on the beach, 長，率いるing by speedboat to the Islas del Rosario, 30 miles from Cartagena and 指名するd for their likeness to a string of rosary beads, where moonlighting fishermen lead snorkelling excursions まっただ中に shoals of blue 強い味 and バタフライ fish.

‘Lobster for lunch? No problem!’ 約束s our guide once we are 支援する on 砕く-soft sands. ‘Hang tight here. I’ll be bac k.’

And he is, within ten minutes, swinging four large lobsters, which he cooks at his 一時しのぎの物，策 cafe.

‘Delicioso! Delicioso!’ as the 地元のs say. Because when it’s really good, say it twice.

... AND IT'S DISHING UP SOME FAB FOOD?

Pictured is ajiaco, a 伝統的な chicken soup

The creole cuisine of Colombia may not yet have reached international fame, but as food-焦点（を合わせる）d travel is on the up that may be about to change.

The best news is tha t, if you are looking to eat at Colombia’s 最高の，を越す restaurants, the price of meals is a steal compared with other Latin countries.

In Cartagena, 長，率いる to Celele for 同時代の 新たな展開s on 伝統的な dishes ? the 地元の confit 女／おっせかい屋 with sour guava and roasted 気が狂って is a 最高潮の場面. The restaurant is 現在／一般に 階級d number 19 in the ‘最高の，を越す 50 Latin American Restaurants’ (celele.com).

In Bogota, at number five on the same 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）, sits El Chato, which 申し込む／申し出s both a la carte and tasting menu 選択s. Classics 含む the suckling pig with coffee, barley figs and grape leaf (elchato.co). In more 伝統的な places, dine cheaply on 地元の favourites of bandeja paisa ? a gut buster of sausage, beans, rice, egg and arepas (corn cakes), or ajiaco, a chicken soup with 追加するd corn cobs, sour cream, potatoes and capers.

And on the Caribbean coast, try posta negra (黒人／ボイコット beef) ? a casserole made with molasses and seasoned with laurel, thyme and cloves.