I was surprised when I entered an apartment complex in Bucaramanga. Considering that Colombia is still considered a developing country, you would think that the housing here is downtrodden but that is certainly not the case throughout the country. This one that I checked out look better than a lot of the apartments I have lived before in North America!
Luxury Living in Bucaramanga
The apartments I checked out looked quite Modern and had all the basic amenities that you would need in an apartment – stove, laundry unit and fridge! While apartments in Canada/USA usually have carpet or wooden floor, I noticed that the apartments had marble/tile which is associated with luxury.
Photos: Kitchen, Bathroom, Living Room, Bedroom In Bucaramanga
Not only that but the complex was equipped with all the facilities you would need for you or your family! There was a small playground that the kids can head down for playtime or if you want, you could use the swimming pool!
Photo: Children’s Playground and Swimming Pool
As it never really gets too hot or cold in the city, most of the units do not have air conditioning or heaters! You might just need a fan in case you feel it’s too hot or just open your window.
The newer apartments tend to have a patio that you can head out when it’s nice weather. The views from the apartment I checked out were beautiful!
Beautiful view from the apartment
Bucaramanga Apartment Cost
Rent for apartments in Bucaramanga can vary from 200-400 USD per month depending on the number of rooms and whether they are in the downtown area or outside it. While you might be able to find apartments for under $200, they might not have certain amenities.
Securing An Apartment
Online prices listed for units on certain websites might be on the higher end.
Most landlords or agencies would require you to either provide a Colombian ID (Cedula) or your passport. They would also need you to provide them with proof of income. Deposits are not required.
Most agents and landlords might only speak Spanish. So you might need to use translation tools or have a friend/family member with you who speaks Spanish to help you out.
Safety in Bucaramanga
While crime rate in Bucaramanga is lower than Bogota, you still have to be a bit cautious at all times. Petty theft is common so it is important that you keep your stuff secured and with you at all times.
That being said most of the apartment complexes have security and cameras installed. Visitors might be required to provide proof of identification before being allowed into the building. Some apartments even have armed guards. I felt relatively safe around the area and did not notice anything sketchy during my short stay in the city.
Conclusion
This certainly doesn’t mean that all apartments in the city are like this however if you are looking for decent housing then Bucaramanga does have really nice places to stay that would be comparable to modern housing in European and American cities.
How has your experience been so far with housing in Bucaramanga?
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
One benefit of visiting Cartagena as a tourist is that you can go to the best restaurants in the city and still find them relatively affordable. All of the meals cost me a fraction of what they would have cost for the same experience in the United States or Canada!
Here are some restaurants which offer not only delicious food but also a great vibe –
Mar De Las Antillas Restaurant
Address: Cl. 25 #8B-26, Cartagena de Indias, Provincia de Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia Business website: https://mardelasantillas.co/
Seafood rice at Mar De Las Antillas Restaurant
Mar De Las Antillas is an aquarium themed Colombian restaurant and offers a completely unique experience. The restaurant looks very nice as soon as you enter it and their food is absolutely delicious as well. As the name translates to Antillea sea restaurant, if you end up going to this one, make sure to order sea food. I also ended up trying their coconut lemonade which was great!
Quebracho is a fine-dining Argentinian restaurant. At night time the restaurant features live music where they play a wide variety of Latin music. Even though there is limited standing space, you might see a few people dancing to salsa or bachata music! I had the opportunity to try out Tiger Prawns at this restaurant and I must say that those were the biggest prawns I have ever seen and had in my life! I would recommend you to visit this one during a night out!
San Valentin Restaurant is another Colombian Restaurant known for its meat and seafood meals. The restaurant is full of plants and has a very chic vibe, also it’s located in a very central location within the walled city. The portion size was nice and the food was great! I think my meal even had Snails which is the first time I was trying them out. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the cherry lemonade which I think was a bit too sour for my taste. My recommendation would be that you go for coconut lemonade instead.
Colombian Cuisine
Garden themed restaurant
Casual Upscale Dining
Cuzco Cocina Peruana
Address: Calle Santo Domingo #33-48, Cartagena de Indias, Provincia de Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia Business website: https://cartagena.restaurantecuzco.com/
Ceviches and Cocktails at Cuzco Cocina Peruana
If you are looking for Peruvian Cuisine then you should try out Cuzco Cocina Peruana. Cuzco Cocina offers a nice fine dining experience and is perfect to visit during the night when they have live music. Not familiar with the food menu? Try out their Ceviche, which is an authentic Peruvian dish made from fish cured in lime or lemon.
Peruvian Cuisine
Fine dining restaurant
Live musical performances
Restaurants in Cartagena are tourist friendly and do have their menu items available in English if you don’t understand Spanish. Also servers at restaurants might be able to converse with you in English.
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
A compilation of companies that are hiring remote workers in Colombia. Most companies will allow you to work from home anywhere within Colombia, however a few might have regional restrictions due to the nature of their business.
While a lot of the jobs on the list are English speaking remote jobs, you might be required to have Spanish speaking skills as well due to the needs of the business. Being bilingual in both languages can increase your likelihood of getting hired.
Proper is hiring Accounting Specialists! Proper provides small businesses with scalable property accounting solutions. The company is hiring remote workers in Colombia to support their accounting operations. Proper is a San Francisco-based startup and intermediate knowledge of English is required for the roles.
Slang is hiring English teachers! Slang is an education platform that offers English courses and proficiency tests. Slang professionals work with individuals at different organizations to help them improve their English proficiency. Some of the roles at Slang might be hybrid due to the nature of work.
Automation Hero is hiring Sales people! Automation Hero provides AI powered document processing platform. Using their platform, customers can utilize their data and build AI models to predict future outcomes. The remote roles involve generating more leads for the company.
Rackspace is hiring Customer Success Managers! Rackspace is a large cloud solutions provider. Apart from cloud solutions, the company also provides managed hosting, cyber-security, data and application based solutions as well. For customer success roles, it would be beneficial to have prior sales experience!
Bold Business is hiring Customer Service Reps! Bold Business is an outsourcing solutions provider. The company helps support businesses by providing them with a variety of services whether its marketing, recruitment, data management, customer service, business development and more.
Achievers is hiring Engineers! Achievers Inc. is building a platform so that companies can engage with their employees in a better way and increase employee retention rates. The company’s solutions are used by many large companies including General Motors, Panasonic, CVS, Ericsson, Samsung and more. The company has a number of frontend/backend remote roles available.
Caseware is hiring Software Developers! Caseware offers intelligent auditing, financial and analytics solutions to companies and government organizations. Bachelors in Computer Science is mentioned as one of the requirements for software development roles at this company. The company also requires background checks for all candidates.
Hinge Health is hiring Scriptwriters and Designers! Hinge Health is a virtual clinic that specifically focuses towards back and joint pain. With Hinge Health, companies can offer better pain management solutions to their employees. The company claims to have helped employees with pain reduction, depression reduction, anxiety reduction and even surgical avoidance across multiple industries!
CI&T is hiring DevOps Engineers! CI&T provides a variety of digital strategy, design and engineering solutions to its clients. The company has won multiple awards not just in Latin America but in Europe and North America as well.
OfferUp is hiring Operation Engineers! OfferUp is an online marketplace that makes it easy for people to buy and sell locally using their mobile devices. The company is trying to be an alternative to other classified or marketplace websites but not only just offers listings of items but also to make purchases through the platform as well.
GoDaddy is hiring Software Engineers! Godaddy is popularly known as the website where people register their web domains or get web hosting services from. The company has been around for a very long time and was a featured sponsor for Danica Patrick’s car during her time at NASCAR.
GlossGenius is hiring Software Development Engineers! GlossGenius is a niche software solutions provider for salon and spa businesses. The company makes it easier for businesses to do scheduling, client booking, processing payments, generating reports as well as doing inventory management.
CreateMe is hiring Designers! Createme offers clothing customization and automation solutions to companies. The company has been able to partner with well-known brands including Samsung, Topman, Vans, Warner Brothers, RayBan, Oreo and more!
Planet Labs needs sales people! Planet provides automated and scalable planet monitoring and global intelligence solutions.The company caters to a wide variety of industries from agriculture to defense. The company provides comprehensive benefits including flexible time off, onsite massage, parental leave, tuition reimbursement and more!
MediaMath is hiring Media Trading Specialists! MediaMath provides a demand-side advertising platform to advertisers. Using the advertising platform clients can manage their campaigns, media, creative, and do a bunch of other things like reporting and targeting as well.
Firework is hiring Advertising Specialists! Firework allows businesses to bring a live stream shopping experience to their customers and potentially help them increase customer engagement as well as sales. The company is very well funded and major investors include SoftBank. The company has openings in other Latin American countries as well, so if you decide to switch between LATAM countries, Firework might be flexible.
Stocktwits seeks Software Engineers! Stocktwits is a social network geared towards traders and investors. Using the company’s networking platform you can connect with other traders/investors and learn/profit from them.
LogixBoard is hiring remote Back-end Engineers! LogixBoard is a logistics software provider. Using Logixboard’s solution, companies can have better visibility on their freight and manage documents/communications as well. The company provides above market rate salaries for its employees in Colombia.
Axon is seeking Account Executives! Axon is a security product provider for defense and law enforcement agencies. The company also provides emergency medical and fire response solutions as well. For the account executive role, you are required to be bilingual in Spanish/English and travel might be required as well.
HugeInc is hiring recruiters! Huge Inc is a digital marketing and advertising agency. The company is a subsidiary of Interpublic Group of Companies. Since it’s a marketing company, it would be beneficial to have experience in user experience and design for remote roles at this company.
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
Colombia is coming out as one of the major destinations where US citizens are deciding to move and work remotely because of the low cost of living and the nice warm weather that the country has to offer.
There have been a growing number of US based companies which not only allow you to work from Colombia but also are able to assist you with visa and relocation if needed. This can be more beneficial and timesaving than trying to figure out things on your own.
Here are 5 US companies that allow you to work remotely from Colombia –
Evalueserve Evalueserve is headquartered in Switzerland and offers domain-specific AI solutions to its clients, whether it’s data analytics, marketing, sales enablement, strategy and planning, investment banking advisory, supply chain, intellectual property, or pricing!
Publicize Publicize is a digital PR company that helps deliver content (articles, press releases, posts, social media campaigns) for a number of global tech startups. The company will allow you to work remotely or from their offices in Colombia (Medellin). They will help you with the visa application and if you want, they also give you the option of working from Spain.
Typeform Typeform mainly caters to users/companies who are looking to build forms or do online surveys through its dynamic form generation tool. The company’s clientele includes some of the largest brands in the world – Apple, Airbnb, Uber and more! The company is able to hire not only just in Colombia but if you would like to work in the European Union, they can facilitate that as well!
Codiga Codiga is a Colorado-based software development company that offers a code quality platform for software development engineers and helps them automate the code review process. The company might be a good fit for you if you are looking to work with a startup or small company. It’s expected for the roles that can talk, read and write in English.
The company is seeking Integration specialists for following –
FTI Consulting, Inc FTI is a business advisory entity and is one of the largest consulting firms in the world. The company does have specific roles available which allow you to work in a hybrid remote environment from the United States and Colombia. You must be able to speak both Spanish and English for the roles.
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from my first trip to Cartagena! After all, the only thing I had heard before my visit was the Colombian Drug Cartels that operate in the country. However I was actually quite surprised with my visit. Here is what I actually experienced during my short stay in Cartagena –
No beggars in Cartagena! Yes there is poverty in Cartagena and you will see it when you visit the place however there wasn’t a single incident of someone coming to me and asking for money! There will be people approaching to you selling touristic services or goods however they are not going to be pushy either! There are a lot of other countries where you end up going and people will chase you for miles trying to sell things to you! But this doesn’t happen in Cartagena!
Cartagena Sign
Make sure to negotiate prices in advance If you are going to get any services like massage, make sure that the prices are negotiated in advance. Also make sure that the prices are in Pesos and not in Dollars. A lot of times, tourists think that the prices being mentioned are in Pesos but later are told that they were quoted in Dollars.
Short stay rentals have security Whether you are doing hotels or short stay rental using vacation rental company like AirBnB, all of them will have additional security at the gate to prevent authorized entry of people into your rental.
There are policemen everywhere! You will see a lot of police officers around the city whether you are walking during the daytime or night. Not of all them are armed but some of them are. Also, I noticed that there was significant military personnel on the streets during night time. In case anything goes wrong you are only a walking distance from them and can run in case you need help.
Be Careful of what’s being handed to you If some person tries to give you things, don’t try to hold it in your hand. They might try to say that the item is now sold and try to ask you for money that way. This did not happen with me but the locals mentioned that it’s a trick that happens often.
Petty crime does exist You will notice crime less within the walled city as there is a lot of police however you will need to be cautious. Make sure that you are not carrying anything too expensive with you when you are on the streets. Also once you are outside the walled city, the chances of crime increase.
Avoid free drinks It is possible that the drink being offered to you by a random stranger is laced with drugs. So you need to be extremely cautious as such incidents can happen.
Be careful of drug dealers In some areas of the city, it is possible that dealers will approach you trying to sell you drugs. It only happened once during my stay and they don’t try to pursue you if you tell them no.
Overall I felt relatively safe within the city and nothing bad happened to me. Cartagena is the country’s major tourist destination and the government has made effort to make sure that it’s safe. If you are planning to go, as long as you are a bit cautious, you should be fine!
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
If you are coming to party in Cartagena, then you must do the Party Bus Experience that the city has to offer. It’s called Chivas Rumberas (literally translates to Traditional Party Bus) and you will often see these party buses around the Walled City of Cartagena with disco lights and loud music! Just wave your hand if you are interested in hopping onto the party bus.
Price for the party bus can be around USD $10-20 per person depending on the kind of bus, how long the party bus goes on and other stuff included in the package.
Chivas Rumberas – Artistic Party Buses!
Chivas Rumberas is for everyone! It doesn’t matter if you are alone, in a group, young (18+) or old! You will see people from different demographics on the bus. While there are a lot of people from Latin America, you will end up seeing people from North America and Europe to experience the Colombian party experience!
Sightseeing on Cartagena’s Party Bus!
Alcohol is available on the bus! If you pay a bit more, you can have alcohol on the bus. You will be handed a bottle of alcohol and cups to fill in your drink. Ice is available as well. You have the option to bring in your own alcohol or buy it when the bus stops on it’s routes.
A single alcohol bottle might be enough for 2-3 lightweight people! It’s really a lot of alcohol. A lot of people prefer to get alcohol on the stops which can be cheaper.
Colombian Lager
Party on the bus! That is the main thing about Chiva Rumbera! There will be music and the party gets rolling! It’s absolute hours of fun and does get crazy on the bus! Music genre can depend on the party bus but it’s usually Latin Music (Latin Pop, Salsa, Bachata, Reggaeton) and a little bit of English Music as well.
Party on the Bus!
Make new friends While on the Party Bus, you actually end up interacting with a lot of people and it can be an opportunity to make new friends! The Party Buses have a host who does a quick orientation of all the people on the bus!
Take pictures at popular Cartagena’s popular attractions Depending on the Party Bus that you have signed up for, the buses will cover a number of popular locations within Cartagena. The buses stop on multiple places during the ride, and you have ample opportunity to take pictures.
Cartagena Sign
An opportunity to tryout Cartagena’s street food! As the bus goes through different parts of the city, you can also end up grabbing a meal through the street vendors. Try out something new that you haven’t had before, you might be surprised 🙂
Cartagena street vendor
After party at a night club! The last destination for the Party Buses is going to be one of the popular nightclubs in the City. There won’t be a cover charge as it’s included in the package. Parties at the nightclub usually ends up around 3-4 am.
Taboo night club
Whether you have been on a party bus before or not, it’s absolutely worth signing up for! There are tons of party buses throughout the city and they are packed on the weekdays as well! Just like Vegas, they have a saying – “What happens in Cartagena, Stays in Cartagena!”.
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
When I arrived at the apartment building in the Old Town of Cartagena, I was thinking that I had made a mistake getting that unit. The building looked quite old and the floor looked a bit dirty.
I had gotten the place using Airbnb for my short term stay and it had really good ratings, so I was a bit disappointed as the entrance looked a bit different than what I expected. The layout of the pathway for the apartments also reminded me like I was in a dorm.
Apartment Entrance
However once I entered my unit I was quite pleased. The unit wasn’t too big but was clean and looked nice! There were 2 bedrooms each with a closet and television.
There was air conditioning installed as well to cool the whole unit. I had been told that usually houses in Colombia don’t have air conditioning as the temperature usually hovers around room temperature but this day was a bit hot so it was good to have air conditioning. The unit also had a small living area and dining area sufficient for a family of four or a group of friends.
Bedroom, Living Area and Dining
There was enough space in the bathroom however I felt the kitchen was quite tiny. It was only possible for one person to fit in. Luckily, I was going to be eating out all the time so it wasn’t much of a concern with limited space in the Kitchen.
Bathroom and Kitchen
Even though Cartagena has tried to preserve the architecture and it’s old buildings, you will not have any issues finding modern housing in the city. It might look a bit dated from the outside but you can expect luxury inside.
Rent in Cartagena can vary but you can expect anywhere between 400 USD to 1000 USD per month depending on the area, number of rooms, and amenities. Apartments in the city center can cost more as it attracts tourists.
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
When headed to Duitama, decided to take a detour and head to Lanceros del Pantano de Vargas (Vargas Swamp Lancers) which I noticed had received rave reviews on Google.
And let me tell you this sculptural complex is a beast and not only that but turns out it is the largest monument in Colombia. The monument was built as a memorial for the Battle of Vargas Swamp.
You have to use stairs to get to the monument and you will notice some men wearing old military uniforms with whom you can take pictures with and they might even give you a quick tour of the place.
Lanceros del Pantano de Vargas (Vargas Swamp Lancers)
Not only that but the place has a few shops of interest and hotels nearby as well as offers beautiful scenic views. There also appeared to be a bar that appeared to be popular among the locals.
Bar near Vargas Swamp Lancers Monument
It’s a very nice and quite place, and you might enjoy walking/cycling on the roadway around the area! Also I noticed a lot of dogs on the roof of a number of houses, not sure if that’s a Colombian thing or just applied to this region.
Tom Mehra, an Ottawa-based Software Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, shares insights on local food spots and top attractions in Canada and the US. He’s also a former resident of the US, UK, and India, and in 2023, his blog was nominated for an Ottawa Award by Faces Magazine. He is also a cat sitter.
