VOLUNTEERING IN COLOMBIA

ARE YOU THINKING OF TRAVELING TO COLOMBIA? LET US TELL YOU!

Colombia, fourth largest country in South America. Privileged by its location, between the Amazon rainforest, the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, in addition to border with another interesting country to know as Panama. Its privileged position, its biodiversity and the great climatic variety makes it a natural paradise for Volunteers. We can not fail to mention its various regions that make it more impressive and beautiful. I mention some of these spectacular regions that you can visit doing a volunteer in Colombia.

REGIONS OF COLOMBIA

The Andean Region, one of the centers of the coffee triangle, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2011. It is the most populated region of Colombia, located between the Central, Eastern and Western mountain ranges. Another attraction is the Amazon Region, which in each of its corners is home to an extensive diversity of vegetation and fauna that is well known worldwide. Its main tourist attractions go hand in hand with the majesty of its nature.

With cities like Cartagena, Santa Marta and Barranquilla, the Caribbean Region is not far behind. It shelters beautiful beaches and valleys of the rivers Magdalena and Cesar, where you will find spectacular and unique landscapes. Travelling to Colombia and being in the Colombian Caribbean is contagious with the culture of the country and its people.

You know that Colombia is an adventure and experience that you shouldn’t let them tell you about. There are many things and details that differentiate each region. Even in the same place you find very different cultures and customs, which makes Colombia an authentic place.

With so much beauty, we also encounter difficulties and poverty. In Colombia we see in its towns and coastal cities high rates of poverty and low quality of life. The lack of basic services such as health, drinking water and electricity are scarce. Not to mention the violence that has hit many Colombian people. Causing the majority of their populations to displace themselves, family members who will not return and, in the end, many situations that are difficult to forget.

We invite you to be part of this trip, through an international volunteer in Colombia. Where you will have the opportunity to know, live and feel for yourself the Colombian people, you will only hear that sin, with taste, to order and a gift to me. We are waiting for you !

PROGRAMS IN CARTAGENA

TIMES AND DATES OF COOPERATION

You can participate all year round in the following volunteer programs in Cartagena Colombia:

Productive Patios
Culture and sport
Education

Volunteer programs run from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Only for the culture and sports program does the volunteer attend classes in the afternoon, which run from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m..

Volunteers usually work approximately 6 hours a day. On weekends, the volunteers are free to get to know the country.

ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS

Depending on the location of the center where the chosen volunteer program takes place in Colombia you will stay in:

Hostel in Gestsemaní available for volunteers. (according to dates and volume), they have a kitchen to use it.

To get to some of the program venues you need a bus or taxi, but there are venues that do require you to travel by bus or taxi. The cost of transport to the project is included in the cost of the volunteer programme).

Importantly, in accommodation you share rooms with other volunteers.

REQUIREMENTS FOR VOLUNTEERING

If you want to join us, no specific training is necessary in most cases, it is only required:

Be of legal age to participate in volunteer programs with Adventure Volunteer.
Availability for various jobs.
Be a participative and committed person.
Behave a good behavior and be respectful with the people who collaborate and the community.
You must be aware of the culture and customs of the country in which you are collaborating.
Ability to work in a team.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

To participate in volunteer programs you must provide the following additional information:

One passport-size photo
Copy of passport information sheet
Criminal record sheet (police check)
Immunization record
Copy of confirmation date of return flight ticket

PROGRAM COST

Participate in one of the volunteer programs in Cartagena Colombia, from 2 weeks has a cost of € 460

WHAT’S INCLUDED ?

Airport pick-up
Bed and breakfast, depending on the type of accommodation
Transport to the project
Orientation and induction to the programme and country
24/7 support from the Adventure Volunteer team
Monitoring and evaluation of the program
Certificate of participation

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED?

Flight to Colombia
Return to the airport on the last day
Trips inside or outside the country
It is mandatory to have a Travel
Medical Insurance

ARRIVAL AT YOUR DESTINATION

Our volunteer programs in Colombia are located in Cartagena de Indias or the Caribbean Pearl as it is usually called. This city is located in the north of Colombia, on the shore of the Caribbean Sea.

When volunteering with Adventure Volunteer in Cartagena, Colombia, we will pick you up from the airport. The responsible coordinator will be waiting for you and will take you to the volunteer hostel or volunteer departments, depending on the chosen program.

You must bear in mind that in the case of international flights, the city of Cartagena de Indias has connectivity from the following destinations: New York, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale. In case you are already in Colombia and you want to go to Cartagena, at a local level you have the following departure points: Bogota, Medellin, San Andres, Bucaramanga.

You have an orientation day, during which you will be told the basic rules of the place where you are staying, in addition to informing you of the place where your accommodation is located. The responsible coordinator will also explain everything related to the volunteer project to be developed according to the time of year.

TIPS FOR TRAVELLING TO CARTAGENA DE INDIAS

These data have been very useful for our volunteers before their trip:

Documentation and visa: If you are travelling from Spain, and you are going to stay for a period not exceeding 3 months, you do not need a visa. But remember that if you are asked for a passport.

Vaccinations: They are not obligatory, at the moment you don’t have to get any special vaccinations.

Security: Cartagena is a safe city, we always recommend to move around the Walled City, Bocagrande, Castillogrande, getsemaní and Laguito. But you should avoid going to remote areas.

CLIMATE

You want to get lost in the streets and corners of a colonial city and feel that they are in two places at once, then you should go to Cartagena de Indias. I don’t go around anymore and I’ll tell you the best time to travel and volunteer in Colombia.

One of the best times is from December to April, you will find temperatures between 28ºC and 31ºC.

May to November is considered the rainy season, but the temperatures are the same, but the nights are cooler.

CURRENCY

The official currency in Colombia is the Colombian Peso (COP). In order to exchange currencies, you will find it in almost all tourist places (Bocagrande, Ciudad Amurallada). 1 € is around 3600 Colombian pesos.

You can also change before coming to your bank or withdraw money by credit card at the airport in Cartagena.

FLIGHTS

If you use search engines like Google flights or Skyscanner, the flight can be cheaper, you can find airlines and combinations that make the flight cheaper.

TOURIST SITES

WALLED CITY

A unique and fascinating place, which you can travel with family, friends, couple and alone. If there are, you can not miss this historic gift. It is an interesting destination, not only because of its walls but also because it is a place that witnessed great historical moments such as: prowess of independence, confrontation and looting.

When you are inside you will be surprised by all the things you can see, here I leave some of the places you can visit within the Walled City:

La Plaza de la Aduana: You can see different historical buildings, such as the one the founder of the city Don Pedro de Heredia lived in. You can also see the statue of Christopher Columbus in the central part of the square and the House of the Marquis of the Royal Prize.
Palace of the Inquisition: it is a place where they expose instruments that used to torture people that they considered a danger or integrated, it was very common in that time.

Churches: You can visit the convent of San Pedro Claver, the church La Trinidad, Santo Toribio, La Ermita del Cabrero.

GETSEMANÍ NEIGHBORHOOD

All you have to do is go through the clock entrance and you come across this wonderful neighbourhood, full of life and colour. A place where you will find a variety of inexpensive hostels and restaurants with a good atmosphere. It is a safe neighborhood, its humble and hardworking people, many small businesses you realize that nothing happens there. It’s a neighborhood that you fall in love with. The perfect place to soak up the life of the Cartagena people, to taste and live the true essence of Cartagena.

THE BEACHES

Depending on the area in which you drive, you can go to some of these beaches such as El Laguito and Castillogrande that are possibly the most visited in the city.

ROSARY ISLANDS

Place where you can find truly beautiful beaches, quiet and with the possibility of many activities during the day. In Baru you can find one of the most beautiful and in Isla Grande one of the quietest. To get to these beaches you can hire a tourist package, ranging from pasadia to packages of several days. They usually include transportation (round trip), meals, accommodation in case you go for several days and tour to other islands.

YOU MAY BE WONDERING WHERE CAN I EAT TYPICAL CARTAGENA FOOD?

Within the walled city you can approach the restaurant El Portón de San Sebastián and Az-zahr are very visited. However, you can find many other places that offer typical Colombian and economic food. There will also be Italian and fast food restaurants.

If we go to Gethsemane you will find cheaper food and places. Here you can find menus of the house for about 4 euros. Locals or restaurants are more modest, but that’s a way to interact and share with the local people of the city.

A good typical dish usually includes salad and soup and you can not miss the meat or fish with coconut rice, potatoes and beans or lentils. In addition to the delicious juices

Be sure to try the great natural fruit juices and meat skewers from the street stalls outside the walls. In the beach area you can choose between expensive restaurants or grilled fish from the beach bars. I advise you this last option.

WHERE CAN I PARTY?

I’ve already told you how beautiful this city is, but there are a few places to go out. The two places we can say safe to go out at night are the places within the walled city and Gethsemane.

You like salsa so Café del Mar, Café Havana is for you. For a slightly different night La Movida is an exclusive place, that is more expensive.

A place with more atmosphere in the week that is Tu Candela, the music is varied and is one of the few places that opens until late weekdays. There’s also Mister Babilla, it’s a good place to go in group, the atmosphere and the very nice people. You will listen to local music such as vallenatos, salsa, reguetón and of course the champet.

HOW TO BOOK?

From the moment you fill out the registration form for a program in Colombia your place is reserved for 7 days.
To confirm your place definitively, you must pay a deposit of 150€ before 7 days, once the deposit is paid, your place will be guaranteed and you will be formally part of the Adventure Volunteer family.
As soon as you pay the program deposit, we will send you an email to confirm that your place is safe. After that, you will receive another email with more additional information on the website, to explain absolutely everything you need to know to prepare your trip correctly. The rest of the payment is made one month before your incorporation to the project.

Colombia