Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia Data Sheet
I spent 4 days in Pereira recently, so I thought a mini data sheet is in order. I tried my best to get as much information during this short trip, so I can give something useful back.
The city
The city itself is not nice at all. Little bit run down, and rough around the edges. There is not much to do in the city, so I personally wouldn't recommend staying here long term. Maybe somebody who spent more time here, could see it differently.
Getting here
Easy to reach from the States by plane, especially from Florida. There are no direct flights though as far as I know. Once in Bogota or Medellin, you can either fly or take the bus. Flights take off from Olaya Herrera airport. I was in Medellin, and I choose taking a bus, just for the experience. Cost was around 20 dollars if I remember right, but this was with a company, that has small vans instead of buses, so it was in a way faster. Other companies are cheaper though. Buses leave from Terminal del Sur.
Getting around
Take taxis. They are cheap, so it is the most convenient option.
Money
You can exchange money in Éxito, that's located close to Hotel Movich. Stepping out of the hotel, go to the right on Carrera 13, then turn left on Calle 14, cross the bridge, and on the left side you'll see the supermarket. Go inside, cross all the way next to the cashiers, once you are out on the other side of the market, just turn right, and you'll see a place where you can exchange. They ask for the copy of your passport, and also take fingerprints there.
Accommodation
I stayed at Hotel Movich. The hotel is not something to brag about, not luxurious in any way, but it was clean, and located in a good spot.
https://movichhotels.com/index.html?optio...d=dcd6bcaf
I also checked out Hotel Sazagua and Hotel Visus. Both amazing properties, but a little out of the action.
I checked Airbnb to see if there are options, but decided to stay in Movich instead.
Safety
Pereira is a little bit rough. I was warned by colombian friends, not to take taxis at night (of course we did), and to watch out at night for the surroundings, because still many people carry guns in that city. Also they warned me to be careful which girl I hit on, because I could get into trouble. I didn't experience any problems, but I was more careful than say in Medellin.
Food
Typical Colombian food, not much to add here.
Things to do
Visit Cocora Valley National Park. It's one of the most amazing sites you will ever see. A private driver took us there (took us around 1 hour to get there). Once at the park, we hired a tour guide, who took us on a 3.5 hours hike up to the mountains. We paid 40.000 pesos for that, totally worth it. If you have hiking boots, and have more time (and you are not hungover like me), you can a 7 hour hike, up to 4000 meters high.
On the way back from the national park, stop by at Salento. Nice little town. Not much to do there, but it has nice buildings, you can buy coffee and other souvenirs there.
I haven't had the time to go to the termal baths, but termales de Santa Rosa are close to Pereira. Next time I will definitely go there.
The girls
Now the best part. The quality of girls is really high here. There was a graduation event in the hotel where I stayed, and there were hotties entering and leaving the building constantly. People in Pereira are not used to foreigners that much, so your value is higher than in Medellin for example.
I hooked up in my first night there in a reggaeton bar. It didn't take much effort, just a little dancing.
Clubs
Honestly I can't remember the name of any places, because we were smashed most of the time, but I can tell, that most of the bars and clubs are around Hotel Movich, within walking distance. Just start walking from Movich on Carrera 13, and you'll start seeing the bars and clubs in the area. There is a place around the neighbourhood, where they give out free shots called Pablo Escobar. I'll try to remember the name of the place and share it later. I attached a map of the area.
I'm not a fan of strip clubs and whore houses, but Las Paisitas is close on carrera 12 Bis # 9-29. The other one that's worth a visit is Flores Frescas y naturales. It's in a bad part of town. I don't remember the address, but most taxi drivers will know it. The quality of girls here was pretty high. I met there one of the most beautiful girls I have seen in years. I tried shoring her, but she was not up for it. You can have lapdances starting from 40.000 pesos and up.
Hope this datasheet helps a little to those who want to visit Pereira soon.
Enjoy….
I spent 4 days in Pereira recently, so I thought a mini data sheet is in order. I tried my best to get as much information during this short trip, so I can give something useful back.
The city
The city itself is not nice at all. Little bit run down, and rough around the edges. There is not much to do in the city, so I personally wouldn't recommend staying here long term. Maybe somebody who spent more time here, could see it differently.
Getting here
Easy to reach from the States by plane, especially from Florida. There are no direct flights though as far as I know. Once in Bogota or Medellin, you can either fly or take the bus. Flights take off from Olaya Herrera airport. I was in Medellin, and I choose taking a bus, just for the experience. Cost was around 20 dollars if I remember right, but this was with a company, that has small vans instead of buses, so it was in a way faster. Other companies are cheaper though. Buses leave from Terminal del Sur.
Getting around
Take taxis. They are cheap, so it is the most convenient option.
Money
You can exchange money in Éxito, that's located close to Hotel Movich. Stepping out of the hotel, go to the right on Carrera 13, then turn left on Calle 14, cross the bridge, and on the left side you'll see the supermarket. Go inside, cross all the way next to the cashiers, once you are out on the other side of the market, just turn right, and you'll see a place where you can exchange. They ask for the copy of your passport, and also take fingerprints there.
Accommodation
I stayed at Hotel Movich. The hotel is not something to brag about, not luxurious in any way, but it was clean, and located in a good spot.
https://movichhotels.com/index.html?optio...d=dcd6bcaf
I also checked out Hotel Sazagua and Hotel Visus. Both amazing properties, but a little out of the action.
I checked Airbnb to see if there are options, but decided to stay in Movich instead.
Safety
Pereira is a little bit rough. I was warned by colombian friends, not to take taxis at night (of course we did), and to watch out at night for the surroundings, because still many people carry guns in that city. Also they warned me to be careful which girl I hit on, because I could get into trouble. I didn't experience any problems, but I was more careful than say in Medellin.
Food
Typical Colombian food, not much to add here.
Things to do
Visit Cocora Valley National Park. It's one of the most amazing sites you will ever see. A private driver took us there (took us around 1 hour to get there). Once at the park, we hired a tour guide, who took us on a 3.5 hours hike up to the mountains. We paid 40.000 pesos for that, totally worth it. If you have hiking boots, and have more time (and you are not hungover like me), you can a 7 hour hike, up to 4000 meters high.
On the way back from the national park, stop by at Salento. Nice little town. Not much to do there, but it has nice buildings, you can buy coffee and other souvenirs there.
I haven't had the time to go to the termal baths, but termales de Santa Rosa are close to Pereira. Next time I will definitely go there.
The girls
Now the best part. The quality of girls is really high here. There was a graduation event in the hotel where I stayed, and there were hotties entering and leaving the building constantly. People in Pereira are not used to foreigners that much, so your value is higher than in Medellin for example.
I hooked up in my first night there in a reggaeton bar. It didn't take much effort, just a little dancing.
Clubs
Honestly I can't remember the name of any places, because we were smashed most of the time, but I can tell, that most of the bars and clubs are around Hotel Movich, within walking distance. Just start walking from Movich on Carrera 13, and you'll start seeing the bars and clubs in the area. There is a place around the neighbourhood, where they give out free shots called Pablo Escobar. I'll try to remember the name of the place and share it later. I attached a map of the area.
I'm not a fan of strip clubs and whore houses, but Las Paisitas is close on carrera 12 Bis # 9-29. The other one that's worth a visit is Flores Frescas y naturales. It's in a bad part of town. I don't remember the address, but most taxi drivers will know it. The quality of girls here was pretty high. I met there one of the most beautiful girls I have seen in years. I tried shoring her, but she was not up for it. You can have lapdances starting from 40.000 pesos and up.
Hope this datasheet helps a little to those who want to visit Pereira soon.
Enjoy….