South America
Colombia
About
It may not be on your disc golf radar but as more courses emerge in this country of contrasts, there's a lot to like about Colombia as an exciting and budget-friendly travel destination.
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Why Visit?
Colombia is the gateway to South America and offers much to the adventurous traveller - from the country's rich culture to its stunning scenery. Hard currency goes a long way in a country that's long been devoid of tourists turned off by its notorious drug cartels and crime. But as tourism has steadily increased since the mid noughties, so too has the range of activities and adventures available for visitors. Whether you're in Colombia for a holiday, to learn Spanish or on a South American odyssey, disc golf will take you off the gringo trail.
The Colombian coast has two oceans. The white sand beaches, jungle and colonial cities like Cartagena are a popular tourist trail along the hot and humid Caribbean from Venezuela to Panama. Then the wetter Pacific Coast or Chocó region with less tourists has popular surf breaks, whale watching and adventure tourism through its remote national parks. From the mountainous Andes to the Amazonia teaming with wildlife through to the big cities like Bogota and Medellin - Colombia gives you all of South America's allure and more.
Things to Do
The capital Bogota is a busy sprawling city that gives you the chance to hike through a Cloud Forest in search of colourful toucans or marvel at all the gold relics in the Museo del Oro. It’s here in Colombia’s beating heart of the nation's capital that you’ll also find the most disc golf courses. Bogota is a city to sample the coffee and acclimatise. Take a graffiti tour of the city or explore Bogota’s Botanical Gardens that’s near the Simon Bolivar Parque which has three disc golf courses to choose from. Take day trips north of Bogota into historic salt mines. There's the Nemocon Salt Mine with colourful lights, tunnels and reflective brine pools and a mile below the earth’s surface is the Cathedral of Salt at Zipaquira. Medellin - known as the City of Eternal Spring with its great climate year round has six Metrocables to ride. These gondolas offer stunning views and mass transit to link the city’s steepest neighbourhoods. Colombia’s cocaine history has become a tourist attraction. The Medellin Cartel’s former leader Pablo Escobar with all his excesses and well documented lifestyle is on show in the city. Escobar’s dilapidated Hacienda Napoles, has since been turned into a theme park, complete with hippos, since he was gunned down in 1993. There is also a Pablo Escobar Museum, an unofficial tribute to the rise and fall of the notorious drug lord. Not far from Medellin is Guatapé, an Adean resort town with colourful houses and famous for the rock that most visiting make a pilgrimage to climb its 740 zig-zagging steps.
One of South America’s oldest colonial cities, Cartagena, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular place to visit on the Caribbean Coast. It's sticky and hot in Cartagena but wandering the streets you’ll see the colourful colonial mansions and enjoy this open air museum. North of Cartagena, there’s a mud volcano, El Totumo, you can walk down into to soak in naturally heated mud for a pore cleansing bath then rinse yourself off in an idyllic lagoon.
Santa Marta is an attractive coastal town to base yourself in for a trip to the famous Tayrona National Park and its gorgeous white sand beaches or head into the jungle on the Lost City Trek. There’s also scuba diving and snorkelling trips out of Santa Marta where you’ll be treated to freshly caught tuna for lunch. Cali is the global capital of salsa dancing. Explore it's historic centre with its colourful colonial architecture or hike up Cerro de las Tres Cruces for great views over the city.
As one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, especially for its bird species, Colombia is one of the best places to explore the wildlife. Take an Amazon River trip amid dense rainforest and see the pink river dolphins or spot a sloth.
Where to Play
This is a country that discovered Ultimate Frisbee not that long ago and is now one of the world’s powerhouses in the sport, so disc golf may follow. Colombia's considered to be the best country in South America to play disc golf with more courses and leagues than anywhere else on the continent. The Paul McBeth Foundation put two nine hole courses into Medellin because it already had a strong Ultimate Frisbee community. There’s a 10 hole course at AeroParque Juan Pablo II and north of the city is the longer and harder Enka Disc Golf Course.
In the capital Bogota, there are a few disc golf options. Fundadores disc golf, is the country’s top course and gets good reviews for being beautiful and with plenty of shot options. Across the city in the Simon Bolivar park are three courses nearby but they don’t have teepads or baskets, just objects.
In Santa Marta, on the coast, is the Universidad del Magdalena. It has a nine basket, 18 hole course UniMagdalena Disc Golf that includes an interesting tee pad on a dock. Also in Santa Marta is an 18 hole obstacle course, but could soon have baskets, Puerto Mosquito. It’s set on a beautiful golf course and currently has a record of knocking down 17 mangoes in one drive.
