Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [260]
Municipal and regional tourism offices vary greatly in quality throughout the country. Most cater principally to domestic Colombian tourists, and few speak English. They usually have at least a few brochures on the local region. In some of the more touristed places you’ll find specially trained tourist police who offer both information and aid in case you run into troubles.
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TRAVELING WITH CHILDREN
As with most Latin Americans, Colombians adore children. Due to a high rate of population growth, children make up a significant proportion of the population, and they are omnipresent. Few foreigners travel with children in Colombia, but if you do plan on taking along your offspring, they will find plenty of local companions.
Basic supplies are usually no problem in the cities. There are quite a few shops devoted to kids’ clothes, shoes and toys; Pepeganga (www.pepeganga.com) in particular is recommended. You can also buy disposable diapers and baby food in supermarkets and pharmacies. Pick up a copy of Lonely Planet’s Traveling with Children for general tips.
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VISAS
Nationals of some countries, including most of Western Europe, the Americas, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, don’t need a visa to enter Colombia.
All visitors get an entry stamp in their passport upon arrival. Most travelers receive 60 days. It’s worth asking for 90, but we only know of a handful of people who’ve had this granted. Double-check your stamp immediately; errors are sometimes made.
If traveling overland, make sure you get an entry stamp or you’ll have troubles later. Overstaying your welcome can result in heavy fines, and in some cases can result in being barred entry in the future. Similarly, make sure you get your departure stamp or there will be trouble the next time around.
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Visa Extensions
Tourist visas can generally be extended for 30 days up to a total of six months, and every 30 days you have to head back to DAS for a visa extension. The regulation used to be up to six months per twelve-month period (forcing you to leave the country for six months), but at the time of research the regulation had been changed to six months per calendar year, making it theoretically possible to spend twelve months (1 July to 30 June of the following year) in the country without leaving. You should double-check this with DAS (Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad; www.das.gov.co) if you are planning a lengthy stay, as what has changed once may change again.
To apply for a 30-day extension, you’ll be asked to submit photocopies of all the used pages of your passport, show an onward ticket (or at least an unpaid flight reservation), and pay COP$60,600 into the DAS bank account (which sometimes changes). DAS may also take a full set of fingerprints. DAS can provide you with a photocopied list of the application requirements; expect the process to take an entire morning or afternoon. It can be done at any DAS office in Colombia, which are present in all the main cities and some smaller towns.
You’ll usually (but not always) get the extension on the spot – sometimes they’ll take your fingerprints, send them to Bogotá for a background check and tell you to come back in a week.
All other visas, including student, work and marriage visas, are processed exclusively in Bogotá through DAS.
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VOLUNTEERING
Volunteering is a practice that is still in its infancy in Colombia.
Globalteers ( 44-07771502816; www.globalteers.com; 54 Woodchester, Yate, Bristol, BS37 8TX, UK) Offers voluntourism positions of one to 12 weeks in Medellín working with street kids. Expect to pay around US$830 per week.
Fellowship for Reconciliation ( 1-510-763-1403; www.forcolombia.org; 369 15th St, Oakland, CA 94612, USA) Employs principally US-citizen volunteers for 12- to 18-month periods of service near combat regions in Urabá and also in Bogotá. Applicants