Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HEALTH
Vaccinations
against hepatitis A, hepatitis B
and typhoid are strongly recommended
and rabies should also be considered;
consult a travel health clinic weeks in
advance. Vaccinations against
yellow fever
are necessary if visiting coastal national
parks; some countries, such as Australia
and Brazil, will not let you into the country
without a yellow fever certificate if you're
travelling directly from Colombia.
Insect-borne diseases such as
malaria
and
dengue fever
are present, particularly in
the Amazonas, Chocó, Antioquia,
Córdoba, Bolívar, Putomayo and Atlántico
departments - bring plenty of mosquito
repellent (50 percent DEET, unavailable in
Colombia) and cover up with long sleeves
and trousers.
Altitude sickness
(
soroche
)
may affect travellers at altitudes over
2500m, including those flying directly to
Bogotá - take time to acclimatize before
continuing your journey, drink plenty of
water and avoid alcohol.
Colombia offers some of the best
healthcare in South America; all major
cities have
hospitals
, while in rural areas
healthcare is more difficult to come by. In
the case of serious health issues, you may
be transferred to a larger hospital with
more specialized doctors and facilities.
5
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
January 1
New Year's Day (
Año Nuevo
)
January 6
Epiphany (
Día de los Reyes
Magos
)
March 21
St Joseph's Day (Father's Day)
March or April
Easter (
Semana Santa
)
May 1
Labour Day (
Día del Trabajo
)
May
Ascension Day (the Monday six
weeks and a day after Easter Sunday)
May/June
Corpus Christi (the Monday
nine weeks and a day after Easter Sunday)
June 29
Saint Peter and Saint Paul (
San
Pedro y San Pablo
)
July 20
Independence Day
August 7
Battle of Boyacá
August 15
Assumption of the Virgin Mary
(
Asunción de la Virgen
)
October 12
Columbus Day (
Día de la
Raza
)
November 1
All Saints' Day (
Día de Todos
los Santos
)
November 11
Independence of
Cartagena
December 8
Immaculate Conception
(
Inmaculada Concepción
)
December 25
Christmas Day (
Navidad
)
information available at tourist offices
is often rudimentary. Almost every
town has a tourist office, although their
staff often don't speak English, and
hostels are often much more useful for
gathering information.
In Colombia, the annually updated
(Spanish only)
Guía de Rutas
, sold at
INFORMATION AND MAPS
Despite the significant rise in tourism to
Colombia in recent years, the practical
PLAN COLOMBIA
On August 7, 2010,
Juan Manuel Santos
was inaugurated as the fortieth president of
Colombia, following a failed attempt by former President
Álvaro Uribe
to run for an
unprecedented third term in of
ce. Uribe was first elected in 2002 on a platform of law and
order and turned to the US for help in dealing with the country's perpetual cycle of violence
by tipping the military balance in their favour. Under
Plan Colombia
, the US has committed
around US$7 billion in foreign aid, most of it to the military, to root out illegal drug tra
cking
and the guerrilla protectors that allow it to blossom. Largely intended to eradicate the growing
of
coca
, Plan Colombia funded crop spraying on a large scale. Since the early 2000s coca
production has declined dramatically - with the security situation improving as well - and
Peru has now surpassed Colombia in coca production. However, coca farming has also
adapted, for example by being planted in smaller areas, and the people who suffer the most
from Plan Colombia have often been the impoverished farmers whose food crops have been
sprayed alongside the coca plants and who have received no compensation from the
Colombian government. Under Uribe drug-related crime declined and Santos has vowed to
continue his predecessor's hardline
security
policies.
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