Las montañas de Antioquia (Photo: Andres Duarte via Flickr)

Having entered a period of prolonged peace and stability, increasing numbers of travellers are starting to realise just how special and diverse Colombia is: Cartagena, the beautiful walled colonial city on the Caribbean coast; Tayrona, the National Park with huge boulders and rainforest tumbling right onto the beach; Tatacoa Desert and its clear night skies; Medellín and its post-Escobar cultural renaissance; the Amazon rainforest, Andean mountains, cosmopolitan cities…The list could go on, but at some point, you must go and experience it for yourself. The delicate prose of Gabriel Garcia Marquez reveals the country’s soul, while music and dance like Vallenato, salsa and cumbia reveal the Colombian heart’s rhythm. Cast away all dated assessments and allow your senses to reinterpret the true Colombia.