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Overview Cities Programs Points of Interest
Discover Latin America's Best-Kept Secret
With the second most bio-diverse country in the world, studying abroad in Colombia gives you the chance to explore a wide range of spectacular landscapes. From where the Taroa Sand Dunes meet the azure Caribbean in Guajira to where the Amazonian rainforest hits the Andes and the Putumayo River, you'll find miles and miles of unspoiled wilderness waiting for you to enjoy. Take a dip in the Laguna Negra, a blackwater lake in Guaviare, and hike through the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains to find the Ciudad Perdida, the ruins of an ancient city older than Machu Pichu. Visit the lush Cocora Valley to see the tallest palm trees in the world or make your way to the Caño Cristales, a river that turns red, yellow, green, blue, and black from July to November. When you study abroad in Colombia, you'll see why it's rapidly becoming a popular destination for adventure tourists and nature aficionados. Spend a sunny afternoon whale watching off the Pacific coast, as Colombia's humpback visitors breach out of the sea. Go sailing in Santa Marta or scuba diving off San Andres Island in Colombia's Caribbean waters. Swim with the sting rays, horseback ride on the beach, go white water rafting in San Gil or surfing in Punta Sur. Climb the 26-foot tall waterfall El Chorro on ropes and rappel your way back down. Enjoy a relaxing soak in the hot springs near Nuquí. However you like to experience nature, it's possible in Colombia.
Cities of Colombia
A thriving economic center of about 8 million people, Bogotá sits at the helm of Colombia's revival and transformation.
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Temperate Plateau
If you think Europe has a monopoly on art, think again. Colombia is just one example of Latin America's long-standing contributions to the art world. Go on a Bogotá graffiti tour through La Candelaria, Bogota's historical center, and drink in some of the most vibrant, thought-provoking street art in the world. Feast your eyes on Fernando Botero's voluptuous sculptures at his dedicated museum in Bogotá or get familiar with some of Colombia's contemporary painters, sculptors, and mixed media artists at your local gallery. More passionate about reading than visual art? Visit the sites that inspired Nobel Prize-winning Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Aracataca, Cartagena, Mompox, Cienaga, and the Magdalena River. Stop by the Silva Poetry House to learn more about José Asunción Silva, 19th century Colombian poet and one of the founders of Spanish-American Modernism in literature. Familiarize yourself with some of Latin America's best authors in one of Bogota's many bookstores or at the annual International Book Fair of Bogotá in the spring. Savor some of the world's finest coffee in any of Colombia's cafes or on the grounds of the plantation where the beans were produced. Share an order of salchipapa—potato wedges topped with pan-fried beef sausages—from a street cart with friends. Whether in a restaurant or at your homestay, enjoy traditional Colombian cuisine like arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), bistec a caballo (steak with tomato and onion sauce and a fried egg), and ajiaco (a classic Bogotá dish of chicken, potato, and herb soup). Visit an open-air market to pick up some of South America's lesser known tropical fruits you can't find back home, harvested from the jungles.
In the cosmopolitan hub for Latin American business and emerging markets, Bogotá serves as the background for a dynamic semester program at the Universidad de la Sabana. You'll study right alongside local Colombian students, but you don't have to speak Spanish! The wide range of English-language courses means you can delve into Negotiation & International Trade or Digital Marketing, while also learning Spanish specifically for Business.
International Relations & Communication
Experience first-hand a country actively going through the peace and reconciliation process, after a long history of civil conflict. Take advantage of state of the art recording studios for television and radio. Reach an understanding of Colombian political history and relations with the rest of the world from an insider's perspective. The wide range of English-language courses means you can delve into International Relations or Journalism with ease, while also improving your Spanish inside and outside the classroom.
Intensive Spanish Language
Designed for students at all levels of Spanish proficiency, you'll improve and refine your Spanish language skills both inside and outside the classroom. In this intensive language program, you'll immerse into local language and culture alongside other international students. Language courses focus on oral comprehension and expression, listening comprehension, and grammar components appropriate to your language level. Immersive yourself in the unexpected and off the beaten path culture of Colombia while learning Spanish from those who speak with the most 'neutral' accent of all Spanish speakers.
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If you're looking for cultural activities that keep you in the city, Colombia has plenty of options to choose from. Share in the local love of music at the Jazz in the Park and Rock in the Park Festivals in Bogotá, where musicians from around the world come to play every year. Attend the International Ballet and Tango Festivals to marvel at the beauty of dance. Have yourself some messy fun at the Sutamarchán Tomato Fight, the Colombian take on the longtime Spanish tradition. Tap into Colombia's love of a good fiesta at the Baranquilla Carnival, the second largest carnival festival in the world, where the city's Caribbean influences come out in full color. Take your pick of bicycles, roller skates, or roller blades during Bogotá's weekly Ciclovia Sundays, when the city shuts down vehicle traffic to give pedestrians, bikers, and skaters the streets. Dare to go somewhere different. Choose Colombia for your South American study abroad adventure and find out how exciting, memorable, and life-changing international education can be. Improve your Spanish language skills in and out of the classroom, increase your knowledge of Latin American studies at the source, and enjoy the unparalleled hospitality of the Colombian people.
Colombia Points of Interest
Rock in the Park Who isn't up for a free music festival? Bogotá hosts the annual 3-day rock music festival Rock al Parque every August at Simón Bolívar Park, Bogotá's largest greenspace and entertainment complex, located in the heart of the city.
Ciclovia Sundays Every Sunday and public holiday, Bogotá closes its normally crowded roads to drivers, turning them into pedestrian highways. Residents take over the streets with their dogs, bikes, and roller blades. Rent a bike and join them to see Bogotá in a whole new way! The city boasts the largest network of bike routes in Latin America: 250 miles.
Andres Carne de Res One of the most famous steakhouses in Colombia stands just fifteen minutes away from your campus. Stop there for a delicious dinner on a weeknight and come back on the weekend to see the steakhouse transform into a night club.
Drink Coffee Like a Local You can't live in Colombia without getting your coffee fix. Try out coffee shops like Azahar or Amor Perfecto, local cafes famous for their coffee. Bring your school work to the bakery Masa, and enjoy an almond croissant and coffee while you study.