Colombia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 497

5 BOGOTÁ FESTIVALS

Colombia's capital has no shortage of festivals. The year begins with the Bogotá Feria
Taurina (bullfighting festival; Jan-Feb), with matadors from Spain and Mexico flown in
for the occasion, while Semana Santa (Holy Week; March or April) brings processions,
re-enactments and religious pomp. Every other year around Holy Week the city also hosts
the Ibero-American Theater Festival , one of the continent's biggest festivals of theatre,
a fortnight of international performing art and street processions. Perhaps the highlight of
the annual calendar is Rock al Parque (Rock in the Park; June/July; W rockalparque.com.co),
South America's biggest rock music festival, which lasts three days, before the Festival de
Verano (summer festival; Aug) to commemorate Bogotá's founding and Salsa al Parque
(Salsa in the Park; Aug) heats things up. September heralds the Festival de Jazz at the Teatro
Libre , followed by the Festival de Cine (film festival; Oct), which includes open-air screenings.
Soon after that, the city begins gearing up for a truly South American Christmas .

Museo de Arte Moderno
he Museo de Arte Moderno (C 24, at
Cra 6; Tues-Sat 10am-6pm & Sun
noon-5pm; COP$4000; W www
.mambogota.com) has the largest
collection of contemporary Colombian art
in the country, running the gamut from
photography and painting to sculpture
and graffiti. Frequently changing exhibits
tend to focus on Latin American artists,
such as the psychedelic works of Jairo
Maldonado. There's also a bookshop and
a cinemateca that projects art films on
weekends between 3 and 5pm.

destinations north (No.3; red), south (No. 1; yellow), east
and west of the city and international departures (No. 2;
blue). A taxi to the centre costs about COP$12,000. You
can also get into town by hailing any buseta from Cra 10
between C 17 and 26, marked “Terminal” (COP$1500).
Destinations from No. 1 (yellow) Cali (hourly; 8-10hr);
Medellín (hourly; 8-9hr); Pasto (8 daily; 18-20hr); Pereira
(hourly; 7-9hr); Popayán (7 daily; 12-16hr); San Agustin
(11 daily; 9-10hr).
Destinations from No. 2 (blue) Domestic: Cali (hourly;
10hr); Cartagena (14 daily; 12-19hr); Manizales (10 daily;
18hr); Medellín (hourly; 8-9hr); Popayán (7 daily;
12-16hr); Santa Marta (11 daily; 16-18hr). International:
Buenos Aires (Tues & Sun; 6 days); Caracas (Thurs; 32hr);
Lima (Tues & Sun; 2.5 days); Quito (Tues & Sun; 28hr);
Santiago (Tues & Sun; 5 days).
Destinations from No. 3 (red) Cartagena (14 daily;
12-19hr); Cúcuta (several daily; 15-16hr); Manizales
(10 daily; 8-9hr); San Gil (3 daily; 6-7hr); Santa Marta
(11 daily; 16-18hr); Villa de Leyva (4 daily; 4hr).

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Most international flights land at El Dorado
International Airport ( W www.elnuevodorado.com), 14km
northwest of the city centre, currently being rebuilt, though
some domestic flights use the Puente Aéreo terminal, 1km
from the international one. A taxi downtown costs around
COP$20,000; buy a ticket at one of the authorized stands
and make sure the taxi meter is turned on. Bus rides into
town cost COP$1500 and can take about an hour (do not
attempt if you have a lot of luggage). The airport is served
by the following domestic airlines: Avianca, Copa, EasyFly,
LAN and Satena.
Destinations There are multiple flights daily to Bucaramanga
(1hr); Cali (1hr); Cartagena (1hr 20min); Leticia (1hr 50min);
Manizales (50min); Medellín (40min); Pasto (1hr 30min);
Pereira (50min); Popayán (1hr 15min); San Andres (2hr);
Santa Marta (1hr 30min). International routes include:
Buenos Aires (6hr); Caracas (2hr); Frankfurt (10hr); Guayaquil
(1hr 50min); Lima (3hr); Santiago (6hr); São Paulo (5hr).
By bus The huge long-distance bus terminal, Terminal
de Transporte (Diagonal 23 No. 69-60, off Av de la Consti-
tución; T 1 423 3600, W terminaldetransporte.gov.co), is
around 5km southwest of the city centre. It's divided into
five hubs, three of them colour-coded, roughly serving

INFORMATION
Tourist information Bogotá's tourist bureau produces
city maps complete with Transmilenio bus routes. The
most useful Puntos de Información Turística are at the
airport, bus station and the southwest corner of Plaza
Bolívar at Cra 8 No. 10-65 (Mon-Sat 8am-6pm, Sun
10am-4pm; T 1 283 7115).
National park information For up-to-date safety
information on Colombia's 51 national parks and protected
areas, visit the ecotourism of ce of Unidad de Parques
Nacionales at Cra 10 No. 20-34 (Mon-Fri 8am-5.30pm;
T 1 353 2400, W parquesnacionales.gov.co).
Publications Pick up a copy of Plan B ( W planb.com.co)
- a monthly what's-on publication. On Fri, Bogotá's
leading newspaper, El Tiempo , publishes Qué Hacer , a
weekend entertainment guide. The monthly free English-
language The City Paper ( W thecitypaperbogota.com) is
also a useful resource.