Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [268]
Several international rental car companies, such as Avis (www.avis.com), Hertz (www.hertz.com) or Budget (www.budget.com), operate in Colombia. But why would you bother? Taxis are a cheap, stress-free way to get around the cities, and intercity bus transport is frequent, cheap and comfortable. Expect to pay around COP$120,000 to COP$150,000 per day, plus gasoline. You’ll get better deals, as always, by booking online. Carefully check clauses pertaining to insurance and liability before you sign a rental contract. Pay close attention to any theft clause as it may load a large percentage of any loss on to the hirer.
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Motorcycles
Some cities, especially in the north, use motorcycle-taxis, which are a quick way of getting around if you’re on your own. These, however, are not the safest method of transport and are even illegal in some places, including Cartagena (though no one seems to stop them). There may be options of renting a motorcycle, especially in resort-type areas such as San Andrés Click here.
Helmet laws are enforced.
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Tricycle Moto-Taxi
Chinese-made tuk-tuks are becoming increasingly popular in smaller tourist towns. Moto-taxis seat three and have a covered roof, plus a tarp that can be lowered around the sides in case of rain. You’ll see these in Santa Fe de Antioquia, the Desierto de la Tatacoa, and many of the small towns on the Pacific coast Click here.
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HITCHHIKING
Hitchhiking in Colombia is uncommon and difficult. Given the complex internal situation, drivers don’t want to take risks and simply don’t stop on the road. As intercity buses are fast, efficient and relatively cheap, it’s not worth wasting time on hitching and taking a potentially serious risk.
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LOCAL TRANSPORTATION
Taxis are cheap and reliable, and for most travelers will be their principal means of urban transport.
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Bus
Almost every urban centre of more than 100,000 inhabitants has a bus service, as do many smaller towns. The standard, speed and efficiency of local buses vary from place to place, but on the whole they are slow and crowded. City buses have a flat fare, so the distance of the ride makes no difference. You get on by the front door and pay the driver or his assistant. You never get a ticket.
In some cities or on some streets there are bus stops (paraderos or paradas), while in most others you just wave down the bus. To let the driver know that you intend to get off you simply say, or shout, ‘por aquí, por favor’ (here, please), ‘en la esquina, por favor’ (at the corner, please) or ‘el paradero, por favor’ (at the coming bus stop, please).
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BUSSING ABOUT, CHIVA-STYLE
The chiva is a Disneyland-style vehicle that was Colombia’s principal means of road transport several decades ago. Also called bus de escalera (which roughly translated means ‘bus of stairs,’ referring to the stairs along the side) in some regions, the chiva is a piece of popular art on wheels. The body is made almost entirely of wood and has wooden benches rather than seats, with each bench accessible from the outside. The body of the bus is painted with colorful decorative patterns, each different, with a main painting on the back. There are homebred artists who specialize in painting chivas. Ceramic miniatures of chivas are found in just about every Colombian handicraft shop.
Today, chivas have almost disappeared from main roads, but they still play an important role on back roads between small towns and villages. There are still a few thousand of them and they are most common in Antioquia, Huila, Nariño and on the Caribbean coast. Chivas take both passengers and any kind of cargo, animals included. If the interior is already completely packed, the roof is used for everything and everybody that doesn’t fit inside. Chivas usually gather around markets, from where they depart for their journeys along bumpy roads. They are rare guests at bus terminals.