For decades sidestepped by most American travelers, Colombia is now a country on the cusp. Following years of violence, it is now “a beacon of stability in Latin America that’s peacefully shedding the nightmares of its past for a greater future,” says Big Five Tours & Expeditions’ president Ashish Sanghrajka. I recently had the good fortune to explore the capital of Bogotá and Cartagena’s sixteenth-century Old City with Sanghrajka and Big Five just as the Colombian government adopted an accord that ended a 52-year conflict with the country’s rebel forces. When you go: Expect your fears to be allayed and to quickly fall in love with Colombia’s people, culture, and natural splendor. But first: Check out a few of my favorite finds in Bogotá and Cartagena in “If You Go to Colombia, You’ll Long to Go Back,” written for The Virtuoso Life blog, along with my new Colombia photo gallery.

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