Electricity
Colombia uses 110V 60HzHz and uses the North American style plug. Japanese plugs also work.
Money
The Colombian currency is the Peso (COP). All notes are of the same size, but different colours. Denominations are as follows: Bills are of one thousand, two thousand, five thousand, ten thousand, twenty thousand, and fifty thousand pesos. Coins come in ten, twenty, fifty, one hundred, two hundred and five hundred pesos. All the coins have different colours and sizes.
If you want to exchange money, it is best to go to a recognized Bureau of Change, or a bank. You may find them in the shopping malls. Here is a list of the main banks you can find in the country:
Here is a list of the main banks you may find in the country:
- ABN – AMRO Bank
- Banco de Bogotá
- Banco de Crédito
- Banco de la República
- Banco Santander
- Banco Sudameris
- Bancolombia
- Citibank Colombia
For information on exchange rates please go to:
http://www.oanda.com
Post Services
There are two types of post office: the state postal service (Adpostal) and the private (i.e. Avianca, Servientrega, FedEx). There are also door-to-door delivery services and international couriers like DHL. There are usually post offices in supermarkets and some shopping centres. There are no post boxes in the street. Please make sure you use the complete address and always write a return address.
On the average, postal fees for 2006 are:
Door-to-door: COP 2,000
National regular mail: COP 3,300
National registered mail: COP 5,500
International post
Regular snail mail (up to 20grs) to the Americas: COP 4,800
Regular snail mail to the rest of the world: COP 5,300
Registered Post to the Americas: COP 10,000
Registered Post to the rest of the world: COP 10,500
Express Mail (up to 500grs) to the Americas: COP 58,700
Express Mail to the rest of the world: COP 115,000
Seasons
Colombia has tropical weather, with two seasons: wet and dry. Temperatures range between 0ºC and 40ºC, depending on the altitude. Relative humidity can be over 50% on average, regardless of the weather.
Time
GMT -5. There is no light-saving time, and the hour is the same all throughout the country.
Water
In the main cities, water is potable and safe for human consumption. However, we recommend all foreigners to be careful with water and raw products (fruits and vegetables), because they can cause stomach problems at the beginning.