Colombia

New for this edition is coverage of Yopal and San Jose del Guaviare, Caqueta, Vichada and Guainia, and on the Atlantic coast, Palomino. Also included are details of how to go star-gazing in the lunar landscapes of the Tatacoa desert, learning to wrangle cattle during the Coleo festival in Villavicencio, visiting ancient rock paintings in unexplored Guaviare, where to try the traditional fermented tipple of the original Muisca people, and visiting the rainbow river of Cano Cristales and the untouched wilds and jungles of Chiribiquete National Park.After decades of trouble, Colombia now offers one of the most exciting new travel experiences in South America. With direct flights from the US to several Colombian cities including the Caribbean hot spot of Cartagena, into Armenia in the heart of the Coffee Region as well as the principal cities across the country, accessibility is no problem. Colombia is home to a staggering 10% of all species found on the planet: pink river dolphins swim in the Amazon near Leticia, jaguar and ocelot slip between the trees in vine-tangled rainforest and birdwatchers rightly marvel in the vast savannah of Los Llanos and beyond. What's more, from vibrant cities such as Bogota, Medellin, Cali and Cartagena to emerging destinations across the country, Colombians will receive you with a smile as if you were one of their own. Still unaccustomed to international visitors, just speaking a little Spanish goes a long way. With Bradt's Colombia, relax in Bogotas fashionable restaurants, discover the colonial backwater of Mompos, a town currently undergoing something of a renaissance with its traditional silver jewellery shops and international jazz festival, and explore the UNESCO Seaflower Biosphere Reserve in the San Andres Archipelago, location of Providencia, the least visited island in all of the Caribbean. For birders, the country boasts an embarrassment of riches, nowhere more so than Los Llanos and the Sierra Nevada mountains.