1. Biodiversity : After Brazil, Colombia is the most bio diverse country in the world. It is home to more than 1.800 birds, 55.000 species of orchids, 16% of the butterflies in the world and 10% of the mammals.

2. Colombians : known for their kindness and hospitality they will make you feel at home from the moment they meet you. Needless to say, Colombian women are known for being the most beautiful in the world.

3. Salsa : one of the hallmarks of the country and a mandatory dance for locals as it is part of the popular culture and many leisure moments are spent on salsa dancing. If you learn salsa in Colombia, you will dance it forever.

4. Multi-ethnicity : there are 84 indigenous tribes in Colombia and its population is a mixture of Europeans, Indigenous and Africans.

On the 20th of July, Colombians will celebrate their independence from the Spanish. It it’s a National Holiday, people don’t work, there are military parades in the major cities, political leaders made their speeches and every home hoist their flag. It is a day celebrated with great enthusiasm by its citizens. The local people play soccer games, they do face-painting, play Colombian and folk music, prepare local food like: arepas, empanadas, tamales, and picada, and dance on the streets.

205 years ago, in 1810, in present day Colombia then the Viceroyalty of New Granada, a Spanish colonial jurisdiction consisting of modern Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela, the war for independence started. This was a part of the Spanish American wars of that time, motivated by the invasion of Napoleon in Spain. What happened on the 20th of July that year in Santa Fe de Bogota( funny enough, it all started with the flower vase of well-known Spanish merchant Joaquín Gonzalez) resulted eventually in the creation of the Republic of Colombia. Simón Bolívar was leading the forces and in 1819 became the new president of ´The United Provinces of New Granada”. It was then, 9 years after the official day, that the final steps in expulsing Spanish dominion were pursued, creating the independent republic of ´Great Colombia´.

Highly celebrate this event no matter where you are and use the excuse to dance with your Colombian friends!

Photo: Felipe Sierra

Any time of the year seems suitable to eat, drink and celebrate when it comes to Colombians. This cheerful people have a combination of Spanish, African and Indian inherited traditions that they have preserved and are celebrated nowadays in the forms of fairs, carnivals, parades and anything you can imagine!

This is a basic list of events that you shouldn´t miss when travelling to Colombia:

1. The Barranquilla Carnival: Throughout a blend of colours and an explosion of talent and expression of the Caribbean culture this 4 day long Carnival its gaining popularity among the world. The Unesco has declared it a World Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

2. Easter: As in all Catholic countries these are big religious festivities that would impress anyone no matter you religious condition. This tradition, inherited buy the Spaniards are renowned in Pamplona, Popayán and Mompox.

3. Bambuco Festival: A folk festival which integrates dance and music and was originally an homage to Saint John The Baptist and afterwards acclaimed La Jura, a demonstration of respect and obedience to the King of Spain.

Get ready for some authentic piebald partying in the New Year, because from the 2nd until the 6th of January in Pasto, in the province Nariño of Colombia, a city at 2500m above sea level, a great carnival is celebrated. The ´Blacks and Whites Carnival´ is one of the oldest festivals of South America, dating back to times of slavery during Spanish rule.

In those days, the slaves were allowed to celebrate on the 5th of January, and the masters would paint their faces black to show approval. In turn, the next day the slaves would paint their faces white. Actually this was the incorporation of much older celebrations from the Pasto and Quillacinga Indians to honour their moon goddess and plead protection for their crops.

Now it lasts for 5 days, with many elements from Spanish festivities and also from African feasts. Still the tradition is maintained, and people smear, dust and paint each other with chalk, flour etc; anything that can make people white or black. Everyone is a target, so best put some old clothes on because surely you will end as a complete mess. And of course don´t forget a mask; it is carnival after all!