How to Get Around Colombia

Getting Around

Flying is usually the answer for anything long. Three parallel Andean cordilleras run the length of the country, so roads follow passes rather than lines and a journey of 300 kilometres can take eight to ten hours. Avianca and several budget carriers connect Bogotá with every major city, and flying is standard even for trips that look short on a map.

Long-distance buses are extensive and comfortable on the main routes, and genuinely slow for the same reason. If you are driving, dial 767 from a mobile for the Highway Police information line and current road closures.

In Bogotá, the TransMilenio bus rapid transit system and app-based ride-hailing are the standard way to move. Do not hail a taxi on the street — use an app or a car arranged by your hotel. El Dorado airport admits only authorised taxis, which solves the problem for you on arrival.

Smaller colonial towns such as Barichara are usually reached by shared van or private transfer from the nearest larger city rather than by direct public transport.

Several departments and border strips carry strong travel advisories — read Stay Safe before planning a route off the main circuits.

Verified against Global Affairs Canada, September 2026.

Why everyone flies

Near the Ecuadorian border the Andes split into three parallel cordilleras that run north-east almost to the Caribbean, and the cities sit in the valleys and on the plateaus between them. Roads therefore follow passes: a 300-kilometre journey can take eight to ten hours, and a flight that looks absurd on a map is often both faster and cheaper. Avianca and several budget carriers connect Bogotá with every major city.

TransMilenio, and how to pay for it

Bogotá's bus rapid transit is larger than most visitors expect. TRANSMILENIO S.A., the system's managing entity, operates 114.4 kilometres of trunk busway across 11 trunk corridors, with 143 stations and 9 portals — the portals being the big end-of-line interchanges where the feeder routes come in. Alongside it the TransMiZonal component runs 7,321 zonal buses over 2,110 kilometres of coverage, which is the part that reaches the neighbourhoods the trunk lines miss.

The practical number: the system has 3,500 access points and 4,915 external top-up points, plus 40 places where a card can be personalised. You are rarely far from somewhere to put money on a card, which matters because you cannot pay a fare in cash at the gate.

It exists instead of a metro for a documented reason. Studies by the Japan International Cooperation Agency concluded that a metro was not the most convenient option in the short term, and Bogotá's Council approved the busway project through agreement 04 of 1999. The city had been trying to solve the same problem for a decade: proposals under three previous mayors produced limited results, and by the end of the twentieth century there was no real public transport alternative to the private car.

Long-distance buses and the road line

Coaches are extensive and comfortable on the major routes, and slow for the terrain rather than for want of quality. Before a long drive, dial 767 from your mobile for the Colombian Highway Police information line, which gives current road closures (Spanish only). Check local media too, and allow for the possibility that a route closes while you are on it.

Taxis: use an app

Do not hail a taxi on the street. Book through a hotel or use a ride-hailing app; El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá allows only authorised taxis to pick up, so the arrival is handled. If you have no alternative to hailing, avoid cars without licence plates, never get in when there is already a passenger, and send the plate number and the driver's name to someone before you set off. The reason for all of that is on Stay Safe.

Reaching the small towns

Places like Barichara are reached by shared van or private transfer from the nearest city rather than by a direct service, so they are a half-day rather than an hour. Build the transfer into the plan instead of treating it as the gap between two plans.

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Sources & verification Covers the sourced claims on this page.

Checked against Global Affairs Canada — Dialling 767 from a mobile phone reaches the Colombian Highway Police information line for advice on current road closures, Express kidnappings and assaults often occur in unlicensed taxis; taxis should not be hailed on the street, only reputable companies or ride-sharing apps used, taxis without licence plates avoided, a taxi never entered if it already has a passenger, and the plate number and driver name noted and communicated to family or friends; El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá allows only authorised taxis, Driving at night should be avoided, secondary roads avoided as they are often targeted by criminals, hitchhikers not picked up, doors locked and windows closed at all times, belongings placed under the seat, a mobile phone carried, and cars parked in guarded car parks in cities, Dialling 767 from a mobile phone reaches the Colombian Highway Police information line for advice on current road closures, and local media should be consulted, Taxis should not be hailed on the street and only reputable companies or ride-sharing apps used; El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá allows only authorised taxis, and if a taxi must be hailed, those without licence plates should be avoided, a taxi never entered when it already has a passenger, and the plate number and driver name noted and communicated immediately, Express kidnappings and assaults often occur in unlicensed taxis, and El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá allows only authorised taxis, Dialling 767 from a mobile reaches the Colombian Highway Police information line for current road closures, and secondary roads should be avoided as they are often targeted by criminals, Dialling 767 from a mobile phone reaches the Colombian Highway Police information line for advice on current road closures, and local media should be consulted, Taxis should not be hailed on the street and only reputable companies or ride-sharing apps used; El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá allows only authorised taxis, and if a taxi must be hailed, those without licence plates should be avoided, a taxi never entered when it already has a passenger, and the plate number and driver name noted and communicated immediately (September 2026).
Checked against TRANSMILENIO S.A. — TRANSMILENIO S.A. is the managing entity of the system, responsible for coordinating its actors and for planning, managing and controlling the provision of the urban mass passenger transport service, The system currently has 114.4 kilometres of trunk busway in operation, 11 trunk corridors in operation, 143 stations, 9 portals, 13 maintenance yards and 53 garage yards, The TransMiZonal component has 7,321 zonal buses and 2,110 kilometres of coverage, with 31 maintenance yards, The system infrastructure includes 3,500 access points, 40 card personalisation points and 4,915 external top-up points, Studies by the Japan International Cooperation Agency determined that a metro was not the most convenient option for Bogotá in the short term, Bogotá's Council approved the project creating the system through agreement 04 of 1999, Proposals to solve Bogotá's public transport problem under the mayors Pastrana, Castro and the first Mockus administration produced limited results, and by the end of the twentieth century there was no real urban public transport system serving as an alternative to the private car, TRANSMILENIO S.A. is the managing entity of the system, responsible for coordinating its actors and for planning, managing and controlling the provision of the urban mass passenger transport service, The system currently has 114.4 kilometres of trunk busway in operation, 11 trunk corridors in operation, 143 stations, 9 portals, 13 maintenance yards and 53 garage yards, The TransMiZonal component has 7,321 zonal buses and 2,110 kilometres of coverage, with 31 maintenance yards, The system infrastructure includes 3,500 access points, 40 card personalisation points and 4,915 external top-up points, Studies by the Japan International Cooperation Agency determined that a metro was not the most convenient option for Bogotá in the short term, Bogotá's Council approved the project creating the system through agreement 04 of 1999, Proposals to solve Bogotá's public transport problem under the mayors Pastrana, Castro and the first Mockus administration produced limited results, and by the end of the twentieth century there was no real urban public transport system serving as an alternative to the private car (September 2026).