We’d like to share pictures from a vacation we took only a month ago – this is absolutely unheard of! :) It usually takes us months and months to get to our personal images because there’s always something more important to work on. Well this time there are too many people who’ve been asking to see the images and so this weekend I decided to go through our loot and share some of our favorites. Let’s start at the beginning:

This April we went on a last-minute trip to Colombia. We really didn’t plan to travel anywhere far this year, but a few of our friends were going and when everything came together the temptation was just too hard to refuse :)

I’ll start with answering the most common question we get asked: Yes, Colombia is safe. After decades of civil conflict not only it is finally safe to visit, but it’s a must-visit country. Colombia is one of the most well-developed countries in Latin America and has amazingly diverse landscapes – from the gorgeous beaches of the Carribian to snowy mountains in the south. It was close to impossible to pick favorites and decide what to see during our two weeks trip, but below are some of the highlights.

Cartagena

 

Cartagena was the first city we visited and we were amazed at the history and colonial architecture we found there. Charming and old Cartagena quickly became our favorite city in Colombia. We stayed at a super cute tiny hotel within the old city walls and spent our days walking its quiet 16th century streets and plazas trying to soak in all the colors around us.

Wedding Photographers in Cartagena

 

People of Cartagena

 

The view from the roof of our hotel Casa Gloria during twilight:

Roofs of Cartagena

 

We came upon this church while searching the streets for a place to eat one night. There was a wedding ceremony going on inside and of course I had to snap a shot of it :)

Wedding Ceremony in Cartagena

 

Old City of Cartagena

 

Colombia’s food is amazing! I think we liked everything we tried there :) From delicious breads and buns for breakfast to amazing seafood for dinner, and tropical fruits sold on the streets as snacks in between – we just couldn’t stop eating.

La Cevicheria in Cartagena

 

Cartagena at night

 

We took a short day-trip from Cartagena to get to the famous mud baths of Volcan de Lodo El Totumo. The crater of the volcano is filled with warm mud with the thick consistency of sour cream. We spent most of our time laughing and trying our best to sink further then buoyancy would allow :)

Wedding Photographers in mud

 

A few more Cartagena scenes:

Colorful streets of Cartagena

 

Pigeons on the plaza in Cartagena

 

Church in Cartagena

 

Street vendors in Cartagena

 

Colonial architecture of Cartagena

 

Sofitel Hotel in Cartagena

 

Colorful doors of Cartagena

 

Sofitel Hotel in Cartagena at night

 

Walking on city wall in Cartagena

 

After this we spent a few days camping in Park Tayrona – one of Colombia’s most popular national parks. This scenic park is located right on the Carribean coast and has gorgeous uncrowded beaches frequented mostly by locals. There are no roads in the park so all the visitors have to hike for a couple of hours to get to the beaches and campgrounds. It was definitely worth it!

Beaches of Park Tayrona

 

In Tayrona there was the option of renting a hammock for the night:

Sleeping accommodations of Park Tayrona

 

As romantic and tempting as sleeping in the hammock on the beach sounded, most of us wisely decided to stay in tents.

Camping in Park Tayrona

 

While traveling, we always try to visit the local markets – not the souvenir markets intended for tourists, but the markets where locals buy their food. Plaza de Mercado de Paloquemao in the capital city of Bogota was the real deal wholesale market with livestock and produce. We spent a couple of hours wondering the labyrinth of its rows, enjoying all the colors and smells of an incredible variety of locals fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

Bogota food market

 

Colombia vegetables

 

Fish market in Bogota

 

Streets of Bogota

 

Colonial architecture of Colombia

 

We absolutely loved Colombia and cannot wait to come back to explore it further! I can’t recommend visiting this beautiful country enough.

We are now in the middle of our busy season – there are going to be three weddings and an engagement session shoot within next five days, but we’ll do our best to keep the blog updated with all of the recent events! Hope you had a great holiday weekend!

--------------------------

About Choco Studio: This is the blog of award-winning San Francisco wedding photographers Mike and Nat. We appreciate you visiting our blog and invite you to view more galleries and connect with us!

CONTACT US                        VIEW PORTFOLIO                         FIND US ON FACEBOOK

11 Responses to “Traveling to Colombia!”
  1. Rachel Tatem says:

    Looks like it was a great trip

  2. Stefan says:

    Gorgeous!

  3. Michelle says:

    Did you enjoyed your stay? hope you did is such a beautiful country!

  4. Vladimir says:

    Awesomeness

  5. Megan says:

    My bridesmaid Michelle Dumit is from Bogota, Colombia. My sister and I went to Colombia for Michelle’s wedding in 2009. We were blown away by the beauty displayed in this country. You did a very good job at capturing that beauty!

  6. Valentina says:

    So colorful! Love pix from the market ;)

  7. Sasha Vasilyuk says:

    Yay, finally got to see these! Thanks for posting

  8. Yolanda says:

    Looks absolutely beautiful! Would love to visit one day!

  9. Angie says:

    Love all the colours !

  10. Mike Peyzner says:

    Thanks for all the comments, everyone! We did enjoy our stay, Michelle, Cartagena in particular is a city that I believe everyone would love. Cobblestone streets, outdoor cafes and restaurants, surrounded by a beautiful waterfront – it’s gorgeous.

    We definitely left a lot of the country for exploring next time (it’s huge!) and it’s certainly a worthwhile destination.

  11. Sveta Nikitina-Kim says:

    I love the pictures of children, people, flowers – there’s so much life in them. Incredible coutry seen with your incredible eyes. Thank you for sharing and making us part of your journey.

  12.  
Leave a Reply

CAPTCHA Image
Refresh Image
*


Page 1 of 11
','

'); } ?>