It should not come as a shock that Cartagena is my favorite city in Colombia. It is a charming and colorful city that is a photographer’s dream! I can’t help but snap hundreds of pics whenever I am in this adorable colonial city.
This trip, however, was a bit different. I was there for work. I was participating in one of ISA’s familiarization programs. Basically they took us around the major cities of Colombia and showed us all the study abroad options for students. While you cannot study in Cartagena through ISA, you can study in nearby Baranquilla (where Shakira and Sophia Vergara are from btw) and take lots of day and weekend trips to Cartagena.
As a whole, Colombia is an amazing study abroad options for students. It is affordable, friendly, and offers several world-class universities that teach a larger percentage of their classes and majors in English. I was there to learn more about Universidad del Norte’s engineering program (yes, engineering students can and should study abroad!). Colombia is also a great place for students interested in service learning or entering the Peace Corps after graduation.
While I certainly don’t regret studying abroad in Italy, if I had to do it all over again, I would have also done Colombia!
But I digress, you started reading this for Cartagena! Below is my updated Cartagena map guide, complete with food and dining recommendations as well as my favorite photo spots. Enjoy!