Cocaine, Narcos, war, coffee. More likely than not these are the main things that come to foreigner’s minds when they think of Colombia. I can’t even tell you the number of people who said to me “you’re not going to Colombia right?” when I told them I was traveling to South America.

Sure, Colombia is still recovering from the civil war which brought the country into headlines worldwide for all the negative reasons, but it has also really emerged from its troubled past. What if I told you that Colombia is a traveler’s delight. Full of beaches, mountains, deserts – all for an affordable cost. Not to mention, the friendliest people I’ve met anywhere in the world! When it comes down to it, Colombia was my favorite country in South America and I’m already itching to go back.