Bogota is one of the best places in the world for buying emeralds, as Colombia has some of the most productive emerald mines anywhere.

You can get some amazing deals on emeralds in Bogota, especially since the Colombian peso is still rather undervalued versus many currencies.

Some store recommendations for buying emeralds in Bogota:

Esmerald Trade Center
Address: Av. Jimenez No 5 – 43, Bogota, Colombia
To buy emeralds at the Esmerald Trade Center in Bogota, tell a taxi to take you there and have it wait for you while you shop. The center is located in the heart of Bogota and you will find a lot of different stores where you can buy very nice emeralds.

Sterling Joyeros
Address: Centro Andino, Unicentro, and Santa Ana shopping malls
Sterling Joyeros has three stores in Bogota. They are known for their good quality and competitive prices for emeralds.

Arlop
Address: Cra 15 with Calle 88, Bogota, Colombia

Arlop has good prices for emeralds in Bogota and very reliable quality.

Pineda Hermanos
Telephone: 2577128
Pineda Hermanos is a good place for buying emeralds in Bogota. They do not have a store for the public, as they are wholesalers that deal in emeralds and diamonds. Call them if you are interested in the wholesale buying of emeralds in Bogota.

When buying emeralds, take a good quality emerald with you to compare colour. Only view the stone in daylight as indoor light can be intentionally deceiving.

You will know quality when you see it. The stone should have clear stunning colour at any angle.

There are a lot of new boutique hotels opening all the time in Cartagena.

It’s sometimes hard to keep track of which are the best of the boutique hotels in the city.

However, a few of the boutique hotels in Cartagena stand out above the rest for their quality and service.

Below is my list of the best boutique hotels in Cartagena.

Casa El Carretero

The best time to visit Colombia is mid-January to March as well as mid-July to August.

The weather is pleasant during these months, which makes it a nice time to explore the sights and do outdoor activities.

Many of Colombia’s festivals also take place at this time, so it’s a good way to get an introduction to Colombian culture.

Tourist crowds are relatively low during this period as well, which is an added bonus.

From late December to mid-January and from mid-June to mid-July are peak tourist times.

These times of year are best avoided if you don’t like crowds and high prices.

Because it is equatorial, the weather in Colombia doesn’t vary much with the seasons.

This means that it shouldn’t be too much of a deciding factor in when you time your visit to Colombia.

Some of the best beaches in Colombia are on the country’s Carribbean coast.

The absolute best beaches in Colombia are in Santa Marta.

Santa Marta is located on the Carribean coast of Colombia.

The beaches in Santa Marta have mostly domestic tourists, so there aren’t any touts or vendors there.

Cartagena has some nice beaches as well.

Cartagena has many foreign tourists (mainly Americans), which unfortunately means that there are a lot of touts and vendors on the beaches.

Better beaches are located in the Rosario Islands near Cartagena.

The water is clear and while the sand areas are small, they are usually protected from touts and vendors.