Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [66]
Montaña Accesorios (Map; 530 6103; www.montanaaccesorios.com; Carrera 13A No 79-46; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat) Small Colombia-based outfitter selling its own fleece jackets, backpacks and jackets.
For information on bikes, Click here.
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GETTING THERE & AWAY
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Air
Bogotá’s airport, Aeropuerto El Dorado (Map; 425 1000, 413 9053; www.elnuevodorado.com; Av El Dorado), which handles all domestic and international flights, is 13km northwest of the center and has two terminals. The principal one (El Dorado) is a kilometer west of Puente Aéreo ( 413 9511; Av El Dorado), principally used for some of Avianca’s international and domestic flights.
At El Dorado, you’ll find money-exchange services at the arrivals gate; when entering the departures hall, head to the left end to reach arrivals. Rates are generally a bit worse than at banks in the city center. ATMs and internet access points are only found upstairs in the departures hall – up the stairs from the check-in counter (accessible to all).
Most airline offices in Bogotá are in the north; some have more than one office. Here are some locations:
Air Canada (Map; 296 6353; World Trade Center, Calle 100 No 8A-49, torre B, piso 8)
Air France/KLM (Map; 650 6000, 326 6030; Carrera 9A No 99-07, torre 1, piso 5)
Aires (Map; 321 3649; www.aires.com.co, in Spanish; Carrera 11 No 76-11, local 103)
Aerolineas Argentinas (Map; 313 2854; Calle 76 No 11-17, piso 5)
Aeropostal (Map; 342 6077; www.aeropostal.com; Calle 73 No 9-42, piso 1)
AeroRepública (Map; 342 7221, 320 9090; Centro Internacional, Carrera 10 No 27-51, local 165) One of many offices.
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AIR DEPARTURE TAX
Everyone leaving Colombia by air must pay a departure tax – US$33 if you stayed under 30 days, US$65 if over 30 days. It’s sometimes included in your ticket. Either way, you’ll need to get (and hold onto) a receipt at the separate counter in the departures hall before checking in at the airport. It’s payable in US dollars or Colombian pesos.
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Air Plus Comet (Map; 319 0860; www.aircomet.com; Calle 76 No 11-17, piso 5)
American Airlines (Map; 439 7777; Atlantis Plaza, Carrera 81 No 13-05)
Avianca (Map; 342 6077; Carrera 10 No 26-53)
Avianca (Map; 256 5810; www.avianca.com; Centro Comercial Andino, Carrera 11, No 81-17)
Continental (Map; 800 944 02 19; Hotel Tequendama International, Carrera 10A No 26-35)
Copa (Map; 650 2622; Citibank Bldg, Carrera 9A No 99-02, local 108)
Cubana de Aviación (Map; 610 5800; www.solysonviajes.com; Carrera 18 No 79A-30)
Delta (Map; 547 5964, 376 0033; www.delta.com; Carrera 7 No 99-11)
Iberia (Map; 610 5066; Carrera 19A No 85-11)
Lan Chile (Map; 651 3970; www.lan.com; World Trade Center, Calle 100 No 8A-49, torre B)
Mexicana (Map; 215 2626; www.mexicana.com; Carrera 15 No 112-36, oficina 108)
Satena (Map; 423 8530; www.satena.com; Aeropuerto El Dorado)
TACA/LACSA (Map; 414 8560; Calle 113 No 7-21, local 123)
There are also plenty of domestic flights to destinations all over the country. Some of the major routes are given on Click here.
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Bus
The bus terminal (La Terminal; Map; 423 3600; www.terminaldetransporte.gov.co; Diagonal 23 No 69-60, off Av de La Constitución), about 5km west of the city center in the squeaky-clean planned neighborhood of La Salitre, is housed in a huge, arched red-brick building divided into five módulos (units). South-bound buses leave at the west end from No 1 (color-coded yellow), west-bound from No 2 (blue), north/east-bound from No 3 (red). Colectivo vans leave for some nearby towns like Villavicencio from No 4, while all arrivals come into No 5 (at the station’s eastern end).
There are plenty of food options, ATMs, left