Post: #1

After spending a decent amount of time exploring the north coast of Colombia, I wanted to drop some data about the region.

The north coast of Colombia seems to bring about a love/hate relationship with guys around here in a similar manner that Santo Domingo does. This makes some sense to me - as they are similar areas.

Personally, I found the north coast of Colombia to be a bit boring. The women were pretty decent, but the cities were dull and the beaches just not that great. Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed the area and will be going back. It's just that other cities in Colombia and other countries are better, especially for guys on vacation (not location independent).

I spent some time in Barranquilla, Santa Marta, and Cartagena. So I'll break down those cities and a few more places.

Barranquilla

Overview: I despised Barranquilla as a city. It's a shithole and there really isn't anything to do. That being said - the chicks are pretty hot if you like brown girls (keyword brown, not black). Some guys will disagree with me and that's fine, but I met a lot of nice girls in Barranquilla. I was just bored when I wasn't with a chick.

Girls: The girls in Barranquilla range from white to dark brown (no real black chicks), but they are not as attractive as women in other Colombian cities on average. Nor are they as white. From what I notice, skin tone from white to darkest in Colombia goes:

Bogota
Medellin
Cali
Barranquilla
Cartagena

However, I found the girls in Barranquilla did have some amazing bodies when naked. These chicks may have had some of the best asses I've seen in my life - even when compared with the Dominican Republic. You'll find hotter chicks (on average) in other Colombian cities, but you might have more exotic factor in Barranquilla.

Day Game: I did some day game in Barranquilla and had decent results. A lot of my approaches were just from walking around during the day. There really isn't a city center area to day game in Barranquilla. Your best bet is to hit the malls. In Barranquilla, I checked out Villa Country, Buena Vista, and Portal del Prado. You'll find hot chicks in each and every one of these malls during the week. Personally, I found Portal del Prado to have the most good looking girls. Go around 4 in the afternoon and stay until 7. You'll be able to get a fair amount of numbers.

Night Game: I thought night game sucked in Barranquilla. If you love to party, then Barranquilla isn't your place. You can still have a good night out and meet some chicks, but day game and online game are much more fruitful. Here's a quick rundown of clubs:

Discolo: By far the best night game venue in Barranquilla. The issue is it's hit or miss. If Discolo is filled, then it'll be a lot of fun. I just couldn't figure out what nights it would be filled.

Frogg: Is the next best night game spot in Barranquilla. It's decent sized and plays decent music. The issue is you'll struggle to find girls without men. I'd only go here on a weekend night when Discolo is dead or you have a chick with you.

Kapitol: Smaller venue that I'm torn on. It's a lot of groups (common in Colombia), but the party really gets going in here after midnight. Hit or miss, but you could get lucky and come away with a really hot chick from Kapitol.

Trucupey: I would never go here again - unless you're already with a girl. I didn't see many hot chicks and tables cover the dance floor. More groups of 5-8 people than I've ever seen in a club before.

Online game: You should use Tinder and Colombian Cupid. Colombian Cupid girls are inherently much more slutty than Tinder girls all along the Colombian coast. Girls in Barranquilla will come straight over to your place, especially Colombian Cupid ones. Sex on a first date is pretty common.

Date Spots: If a girl wants to meet somewhere other than your place, you should locate a bar as close to your spot as possible. This will vary depending on the part of the city you live. One spot in the middle of the city that most chicks like is Bourbon Street. You can get a half bottle of rum and mixers here for $18 USD.

Where to Stay: Any hotel or apartment between Calles 59-99 and Carreras 46-64. The more north you go - the classier Barranquilla gets. Staying closer to Portal del Prado or Villa Country mall is ideal (in my opinion).

Other items of note: there are said to be some beach clubs on the outskirts of Barranquilla that are fun on the weekends. I never checked one out, but I've heard good things. Bodi Beach Club was one of the names I remember.

Santa Marta

I spent a short amount of time in Santa Marta, but I learned a lot about the area. Overall, you won't want to go to Santa Marta for women. You'd be much better off enjoying the beach with a girl you brought along for the trip.

In Santa Marta, there are numerous areas. The city is a combination of Rodadero, Santa Marta, Taganga, and Parque Tayrona. Here's a quick breakdown of each:

Rodadero: Is a good jump off point for a quick trip in Santa Marta. You can find cheap spots on Airbnb with amazing beach views. The beach in Rodadero is nice, but it's nothing too special. On the weekends, you can run a lot of day game at Rodadero beach.

Santa Marta: You'll find the best nightlife in Santa Marta in the city itself, but the city and the beach in Santa Marta are pretty garbage. Unless you plan on spending a decent amount of time in Santa Marta, I wouldn't stay in the actual city.

Taganga: The backpacker part of Santa Marta. Taganga has an ok beach and some interesting nightlife. You'll find some low lives here and some grimey backpackers. You can make Taganga work and have a good time, but I prefer Rodadero.

Parque Tayrona: Probably the best beaches in all of Colombia, and a must visit if you head to the north coast. You can get to the park in a number of ways (bus, taxi, hike, boat). You can also camp in the park, stay in a hammock, or rent a way overpriced bungalow. Unless you want to hike and backpack, I'd recommend taking day trips o Tayrona. You can take a boat from Rodadero (and the other areas I assume) for around $20-30 USD and get dropped off and picked up at some of the nicest beaches in the park.

The women in Santa Marta may be the ugliest in all of Colombia, but they're still better than Peru. There are not too many girls on Tinder in Santa Marta, but there's a decent amount on Colombia Cupid. The girls will come straight to the apartment. If you're staying in Rodadero, you can also invite the chicks to meet you on the beach.

I never went out in Santa Marta - so I have no intel on nightlife.

Cartagena

I won't hate on Cartagena like some do, but it is touristy and overpriced. That being said - the colonial city and buildings are probably the best I've seen. When compared with Zona Colonial, the old city in Cartagena is 100X better. Even if you don't spend much time in Cartagena, it's cool to see the cold city.

You can stay in three areas in Cartagena and you'll be set: the old city, Boca Grande, and Getsemani. There are plenty of hotels and Airbnbs available all over Cartagena. If you choose Boca Grande, you'll want to stay as close to the old city as you can. Just makes logistics easier.

The girls in Cartagena are interesting. You'll find a lot of pros, but you can definitely still find normal girls in the city. Plus, some of the girls in Cartagena have such a milky complexion you'll want to try one. Even with the incredibly exotic complexion, I'd say Cartagena boasts the least attractive women of all Colombian big cities.

The beaches in Boca Grande are fine for frolicking around after a hangover, but if you want a nice beach while in Cartagena, you'll have to leave the city. Playa Blanca (Baru) and Rosario Islands are both quite nice. Don't go to any other beaches close to Cartagena the hustlers will try to sell you tours to. They are garbage.

Other Beach Tips

You can ride jet skis in the ocean on the coast, and it's cheap. 45,000 pesos for 15 minutes in Cartagena and 70,000 pesos for 15 minutes in Santa Marta. Highly recommended!

The best surfing on the north coast of Colombia can be found in a little beach town called Palomino.

North Coast Overall

There are better places in Colombia. There are places with better beaches. With that being said - the coast of Colombia is pretty cool and I enjoyed my time there. You'll have a lot of value if you're a white dude and the girls are pretty fun. Make your base Barranquilla and take trips to other cities and beach areas.

Post: #2

The best overall value in Colombia nowadays is Barranquilla.
For men 18 to 32, or with little Spanish..Bogota. For older men or who speak some Spanish.. Barranquilla It is just an hour and a half way from Santa Marta and Cartagena, and the economic outlook of the city and crime statistics, are better than in Cali.

Post: #3

Did you have more success with local girls in these cities or Colombian girls on vacation?

Post: #4

And I would say, that Barranquilla is the one night stand or first date lay capital of Colombia. Don't even need alcohol, where in Bogota it helps a lot.

Post: #5

(01-11-2016 06:16 PM)Dantes Wrote:  Did you have more success with local girls in these cities or Colombian girls on vacation?

Strictly locals for me. I had more success with girls traveling through in Bogota.

Post: #6

(01-11-2016 06:23 PM)chochemonger1 Wrote:  And I would say, that Barranquilla is the one night stand or first date lay capital of Colombia. Don't even need alcohol, where in Bogota it helps a lot.

Agreed 100%. Girls in Barranquilla don't need any alcohol for sex to happen.

Post: #7

Great info MP, +1 from me.

Any comments on safety and crime in Barranquilla and Cartagena? How do they compare to Bogota and Medellin, for example? My understanding at the moment is that Cali is the most dangerous city in Colombia, with Bogota and Medellin the safest. The other major cities (like Barranquilla) seem to be rated somewhere in the middle. Fair comment?

Post: #8

(01-11-2016 08:13 PM)potential1 Wrote:  Great info MP, +1 from me.

Any comments on safety and crime in Barranquilla and Cartagena? How do they compare to Bogota and Medellin, for example? My understanding at the moment is that Cali is the most dangerous city in Colombia, with Bogota and Medellin the safest. The other major cities (like Barranquilla) seem to be rated somewhere in the middle. Fair comment?

Barranquilla seemed the safest to me, of all the large cities in Colombia. But I never ventured into the south or the center, and there is no reason to.

Post: #9

Nice write up. Thanks.

Post: #10

(01-11-2016 08:28 PM)chochemonger1 Wrote:  

(01-11-2016 08:13 PM)potential1 Wrote:  Great info MP, +1 from me.

Any comments on safety and crime in Barranquilla and Cartagena? How do they compare to Bogota and Medellin, for example? My understanding at the moment is that Cali is the most dangerous city in Colombia, with Bogota and Medellin the safest. The other major cities (like Barranquilla) seem to be rated somewhere in the middle. Fair comment?

Barranquilla seemed the safest to me, of all the large cities in Colombia. But I never ventured into the south or the center, and there is no reason to.

I felt safe pretty much everywhere I went in Barranquilla - day and night. I didn't go south of Portal del Prado.

Post: #11

Nice data sheet, I agree with pretty much everything, is anyone on the coast now? I'm flying to Barranquilla tomorrow night and will be on the coast for a week or so.

Post: #12

Awesome sheet MP. Keep killin it in Colombia.

Post: #13

Props for this sheet. Headed back to Barranquilla in a few weeks so I appreciate the night game list since I haven't been to those places.

Post: #14

(01-11-2016 09:20 PM)MasculineProfiles Wrote:  

(01-11-2016 08:28 PM)chochemonger1 Wrote:  

(01-11-2016 08:13 PM)potential1 Wrote:  Great info MP, +1 from me.

Any comments on safety and crime in Barranquilla and Cartagena? How do they compare to Bogota and Medellin, for example? My understanding at the moment is that Cali is the most dangerous city in Colombia, with Bogota and Medellin the safest. The other major cities (like Barranquilla) seem to be rated somewhere in the middle. Fair comment?

Barranquilla seemed the safest to me, of all the large cities in Colombia. But I never ventured into the south or the center, and there is no reason to.

I felt safe pretty much everywhere I went in Barranquilla - day and night. I didn't go south of Portal del Prado.

TroubleMaker and I ventured into the deep south of the city one night.

Stick to the North part of the city, plenty going on there.

Post: #15

My experience in Barranquilla was that it's pretty much all safe in the daytime and Calle 72 and up are safe day and night. Once you get south of that, you need to be more careful at night, especially in the lower numbered carreras. Portal Del Prado is really more in Centro, so you probably wouldn't want to walk too far away from the crowded areas after 6 pm.

Post: #16

I finished up my trip to the coast a few days ago, I ended up there for longer than I thought I would, a total of twelve days. I visited the exact same cites as MP did, I was planning on hitting up Valledupar and Riohacha but it just didn't happen. For the first few days I was up there with a buddy of mine from back home and we were boozing heavily during his two week trip, after he left I detoxed for thee days (over a weekend) in a grimey hotel in Barranquilla but had a local chica with me who I met at the carnaval last year. Then I flew up one of my regulars from Cali and we spent a week traveling around, it was a good trip but as MP mentioned in his OP, the Caribbean coast isn't all that great. Here's some additional info:

-Barranquilla: I stayed in the same shit hole hotel in Quilla that I always do, Hotel Marseille on calle 44 con 44, its a few blocks from Portal Del Prado, cost 35.000

-There was some pre-carnaval parties going on in the weeks before the carnaval, which begins soon. On the way home from Portal Del Prado one night, I stopped at Plaza de la Paz (which is right beside it) on Friday night and it was packed, at least a couple of thousand people, the show was televised all over the country. Unfortunately I was too worn out to party or chase women that weekend, so I bought half dozen reefers from the chicken delivery guy and chilled.

-I have been to other party areas before such as calle 21 and "la ocho", 21 wasn't too bad but calle 8 was very rough, I had an Irish ginger and a blond gringo with me so we stood out. One thing I definitely noticed was the absence of police down there, this was during carnaval and we didn't see any cops which is unnerving as its known to be one of the most dangerous party areas in the city. We hit up one bar then got the fuck but on the way back, the taxi decides to take a short cut down some side streets and a few guys pelted the cars with rocks, the taxi stops and I ask him what the fuck he's doing and he says "I have a knife", I said fuck that and told him to go, which he did. The fuckers with the rocks were running after us, who knows what the hell could have happened there. You're far better off in the north of Quilla.

Post: #17

Santa Marta:
I've been to SM a bunch of times and have only stayed in the downtown and Taganga. I usually stay close to the beach and Parque de los Novios, that's basically where all of the action is: between calle 22 and 10 and carrera 1 (the beach) and carrera 6. There's a few okay restaurants and bars across the street from the boardwalk but I prefer the nicer places a couple of blocks away around Parque de los Novios, from there walk past calle 17 and 18 on carrera 3 and you'll find some small but treny and nice cafes and restaurants. Basically everything that you'll want to see in SM is with a five minute walk of where your hotel should be.

I stayed at two hotels in SM this trip, Hotel Jardin Paisa (120.000/2 people) and Hotel Park (150.000/2 people), the latter is worth the extra money. Also, one block from Hotel Park is one of my favourite strip clubs in all of Colombia: BANANAS! The best club to go to, which is more of a bar than a club is La Puerta on calle 19, mixed crowd of gringos, locals and vacationing Colombians. There's two malls in SM, Buenavista is the bigger and nicer one but there was less people there both times I've been than the other one, Ocean Mall.

Taganga: I like the place but only for a couple of days at a time, I go diving there (http://www.oceanoscuba.com.co/) and usually just relax, it is an international dive spot and attracts quite a few backpackers. I stayed at Svahn's (170.000) which had a nice room but the outside street was very rough, I liked the next place I stayed at much more, Cactus cabanas (110.000), which are only a 500m walk from the centre of the town but its way nicer and the cabins have AC. I have previously stayed at the Ballena Azul (150.000), which is very nice and has an excellent location right on the beach. Lots of partying going on there at night with gringos stumbling around drunk strung out on booger sugar, its also the only place I've ever been offered acid in Colombia.

Post: #18

Cartagena: I haven't ventured out too much in the city even after having been there a bunch of times, as usual, I stayed at Hotel Centenario, book by phone if you can because they charge 110.000/2 people but they'll do cheaper if you call ahead. The hotel is near a bunch of hostels, its a decent little area, lots of restaurants and a few clubs. Its also a five minute walk to the entrance of the Old City, that's a nice place to chill at night for a bit. I really like Parque Centenario, its nice and full of animals, I saw squirrels, monkeys, iguanas and a bunch of different birds there, I also once saw a pair of greasy vultures trying to pick at a living sloth who had fallen to the ground. At night there's a bunch of whores hanging out in and around the park, they're fucking nasty. Also, Cartagena is the only city in Colombia where cops have come up to me a searched me for drugs, so if you're gonna do them, do them in your room! Remember to carry some form of ID at all times, you don't want those fuckers shaking you down, and they will.

Playa Blana (Baru I had been to the beach before but only for two hours as part of the multiple stop island hopping boat tour that the hawkers sell in the city. This time I went by bus, they built a bridge to the island a couple of years ago, this was much better as the trip is less than an hour from the old city, it cost 50.000 and can be arranged through the hotel reception. The beach gets very busy, probably a couple of thousand people there when I went on the main beach (I don't know if there's more, never explored). The tour includes lunch and a "happy hour" where you can drink as much diluted booze as you want. Lots of guys selling cold beer (4000), oysters, trinkets, etc along the beach, I went snorkeling but it wasn't very good, the beach is nice, the sand is whit-ish and the water Caribbean turquoise blue.

So that's about it for intel on the Caribbean coast, if you haven't been then 7-10 days should be enough, I stayed up there way too long but had a good time overall.

Post: #19

Quote:The women in Santa Marta may be the ugliest in all of Colombia, but they're still better than Peru.

That quote made me laugh because it is so true. It's all relative. Thankfully the food, coffee, mountains, and foreign tourists of Peru can keep a man busy while there.

Additionally, while I had fun in Barranquilla, it's not a place I'd ever go back to. Great sheet, +1 for the intel.

Post: #20

Begay about a ranking for the easiest?

Sounds like the cost would be my spit because of the brown and black girls with booty.

Post: #21

Hi Guys,

Ive been trying to research Columbia as this is our next destination and I used the Columbia master thread but im still a little confused. My friends and I are looking to be next to the beach, but from what it sounds like the beaches in Columbia arent that great, primarily for day gaming. Maybe I should rephrase: We're used to Copacabana and Ipanema beaches from Rio which has night life, and locals to pick up (although Rio is getting worse and worse with hookers and its losing its mystique) and we were looking for something similar in Columbia. From what I gather, the best place for women is Medallin but there aren't any beaches there. Whereas Santa Mara and Cartegena have the beaches but a multitude of other cons. What would you guys suggest? We want to stay near a beach (one of our buddies actually is the main reason, the other 3 don't care) but I feel like staying near the beach will come with some serious sacrifices, primarily gaming the locals while there.

Im gonna continue to browse through the Master Thread but any info/insight is much appreciated. We are planning on going in mid August

Post: #22

You won't find anything like Rio in Colombia, Santa Marta/Taganga is ok for a couple of days though. Since you'll be there in August, try to hit up the Feria de Flores in Medellin and then a few days on the coast.

Post: #23

(04-08-2016 10:10 PM)scotian Wrote:  You won't find anything like Rio in Colombia, Santa Marta/Taganga is ok for a couple of days though. Since you'll be there in August, try to hit up the Feria de Flores in Medellin and then a few days on the coast.

Gotcha. I'll pass the info along to my friends. Sounds like we may just have to visit multiple places for a few days.

Appreciate the info!