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- Meet the Colombianas: Distinguishing Key Areas of Colombia
When reading information online about Colombia and the women here, most of the discussion seems to focus on the following areas:
- Medellin
- Bogota
- Cartagena
- Cali
- Barranquilla
- Pereira
- Manizales
- Santa Marta
- Cúcuta
- San Andrés Islands
Outside of those areas, there isn’t really much discussion at all normally.
And to be honest, out of all of these areas, Medellin, Cartagena and Bogota tend to dominate maybe 70% of the conversation.
Which is weird, because Colombia is a much bigger country than that. One of the reasons for why this might be the case is that simply Colombia never had a strong tourism sector.
It wasn’t until maybe 2008 when things started to change very slowly and more people started visiting Colombia little by little.
In large part because of the history of violence in this country and how that has kept a lot of tourists away.
Many of those tourists visiting places like Mexico or Costa Rica instead.
So I figured why not try to give a very brief introduction to the rest of Colombia for all of you?
Going forward, there will be articles after this one discussing the women in various parts of Colombia so that you all can get a broader understanding of this country and its women.
After all, not all of Colombia’s sexy women live in Medellin, right?
Though it certainly seems that way based on how many foreigners flock there instead of go anywhere else in the country.
So let’s break this down first by going into most of the different regions of Colombia.
The Guajiros
The Guajira Peninsula is the very northern tip of the Colombia right above the main cities of the Caribbean Coast like Cartagena or Barranquilla. It is also technically the northern most tip of mainland South America in general. You can visit the northern most tip of this continent by visiting Punta Gallinas.
People in this area are known as guajiros.
In this area of Colombia, you will find more desert plains and green mountains.
The more popular city in this area in a place called Riohacha.
Also, compared to the broader Caribbean Coast, this area has a heavier indigenous population overall. You will find that the women here are overall a bit more conservative than the rest of the country.
Finally, this is one of the poorer areas of Colombia.
The Costeños
I am the Guajira Peninsula from the rest of the Caribbean Coast because the two tend to be culturally different.
In Guajira, I found people to be a little more reserved and even at times suspicious of outsiders. Most people aren’t like that there but it seemed to be more common in my experience.
In short, people in the Caribbean Coast are overall more open to outsiders and much friendlier in general. Much warmer. They are known as costeños.
In this area, the demographics are much more heavily mixed between people of European, African and indigenous ancestry. You will also find a little bit of Middle Eastern culture here given the amount of people that moved here from Syria and Lebanon many decades ago.
The main cities are Barranquilla, Santa Marta and Cartagena.
And also the culture is a little more similar with other parts of the Spanish Caribbean areas of the world. It’s more distinct from the culture you find in the more interior parts of Colombia.
The Isleños
The San Andres Islands area also technically falls under the Caribbean Coast but again needs to be separated into its own thing. People from here are known as Isleños.
Most of the people you find in this area that actually live here are of European and African ancestry. You will also find a bunch of tourists as well if you visit as much of the economy is based around tourism.
People in general tend to be very friendly here overall but it’s much more based on trying to sell you something or give you a good time on the island as a tourist.
That isn’t to say you can’t make genuine friends here or meet some nice women but it’ll simply be more common for you to find someone being nice to you only to try and earn money from you somehow.
If you are looking to hookup here, I’d say it’d be easier to do so with other tourists traveling alone or maybe some of the locals too if you go to some specific bars. Check out this article I wrote as a guide to the San Andres Islands here for more information.
The Llaneros
Next, we have the Orinoco region. This area is also known as “Llanos Orientales.” In Spanish, that means Eastern Plains. While this part of Colombia has a tropical humid forest section and some wetlands, it’s more well known for its tropical savanna. Also, you can find one of the largest rivers in South America here called the Orinoco River.
Also, this part of Colombia in general is closest to some parts of Venezuela culturally as the Llanos Wetlands extends from Colombia to Venezuela.
This place also is known for its “llaneros.” This is the Colombian word for cowboy essentially. Out of all of Colombia, the people here are closest than anyone else to resembling “cowvboys” in Colombia. Similarly, there is a lot of livestock in this area.
This area tends to be one of the more conservative areas in Colombia culturally. Out of all the areas in Colombia, I believe this region would be more likely to find a faithful woman to settle down with when compared to places like Medellin or the Caribbean Coast. You will also have a harder time hooking up here than in other areas of Colombia.
When it comes to the culture, the more popular form of music in this place is called joropo.
Also, I sometimes mention how I don’t like Colombian food much on this website. Well, this is really the one area of Colombia that doesn’t deserve a bad reputation in the food department. Some of the food here is a bit tastier and includes stuff like meat, beef, bbq style food, tamales, plantains and more.
The Paisas
When talking of “paisas,” people usually refer to Colombians that come from Medellin.
However, a paisa can also be someone from a region of Colombia known as Eje Cafetero. This part of Colombia includes cities like Pereira, Armenia, Manizales, etc.
Now there are some differences between the two and a lot of similarities.
First, the women in both Medellin and the Eje Cafetero tend to be whiter overall when compared to the rest of the country. Also, most people agree that they are some of the sexiest women in all of Colombia.
However, there are some differences. Women in Medellin tend to be more cosmopolitan, have higher education levels and are going to be a little more difficult than women in Eje Cafetero region. One of the reasons for why they are a little more difficult is because Medellin has been hit hard by sex tourism for over a decade.
Also, Medellin has a lot more prostitutes overall and that can be a negative to see when taking time in Medellin versus cities like Pereira or Manizales.
Now when it comes to serious relationships, women in both areas tend to not be the most conservative or reliable to be faithful. However, if I had to choose, I’d rather trust a typical woman from Manizales than Medellin for finding a faithful woman.
The Amazónicos
Finally, you have the Amazonian region of Colombia. As the name suggests, it’s where you will find the Amazon Rainforest in Colombia. It actually makes up a massive part of Colombia’s territory at near 35%. Compared to the rest of Colombia, it’s not as well populated but does have numerous protected areas for indigenous groups living here. The Colombians living here can be more broadly referred to as amazónicos.
It also has a few areas you can visit like Leticia. However, the tourism industry is not as strong in the Amazonian region in general and it is much less touristy.
In some areas, it can be outright dangerous with criminal groups running large in some parts.
Overall, you won’t be meeting too many women in this part of Colombia as it is a much less populated area with much less tourism infrastructure and a lot more people living in rural towns or villages.
On top of all of that, I found suspicion of outsiders and xenophobia to be stronger in this part of Colombia than anywhere else.
Finally, the women here are not the most attractive physically compared to women from other areas of Colombia that we will mention. They are arguably some of the least attractive you will find.
But it’s a nice area overall. Just not ideal for meeting beautiful women. Visit Leticia for the sights and keep it at that in my opinion.
The Santandereanos
The women here are from a part of Colombia called the Andean region of Santander and also a place called Norte de Santander.
There’s more of a mix of women here between white and brown for the most part. Compared to places like Cali, it doesn’t have as many black women. So mostly white or brown.
Another thing to note is that you will also see a lot more Venezuelans in this part of Colombia. Other parts of Colombia that have plenty of Venezuelan women are the Caribbean Coast, Medellin and Bogota. They tend to have more brown skin but there are racial differences among Venezuelan women also obviously.
Now there also differences between women from Santander and Norte del Santander.
In Santander, women here also tend to be a little bit less feminine than in other parts of Colombia. All of this is especially true in Bucaramanga. The main downside to women in Bucaramanga is that separations from marriages is a bit higher here and also women here are a little bit less feminine and more focused on career. However, you can find feminine women here overall and also infidelity never seemed as bad here as other parts of Colombia like Medellin.
Then you have Norte del Santander. Especially in the city of Cúcuta, infidelity is a bigger issue there. Also, when speaking of Venezuelan women, you will find more of them here than in Santander and Bucaramanga. Between the two Colombian departments, women in Santander are a little more focused on family and conservative all around. But women in Cúcuta are arguably better looking in general and also a little bit easier to sleep with since women in Bucaramanga are bit more conservative.
Having said that, family values seem to be stronger outside of the main two cities mentioned and in some of the less urban areas in both departments. And casual hookups are harder to find in general once you go outside the bigger cities in this area of Colombia in general.
The Vallunos
Colombians that are known as “vallunos” come from Andean and pacific region of Valle del Cauca. One of the most important cities in this region is Cali.
Which, if you know anything about Colombia, is quite an important city culturally. It is well known for its salsa music and is becoming an increasingly popular destination over time.
The women in this part of Colombia tend to have more African ancestry than the rest of the country. There is also a certain percentage of people that have more indigenous ancestry too in this part of Colombia.
At any rate, the women here also are quite attractive overall with very great curves and bodies in general. Plastic surgery is a little bit higher here also compared to the rest of the country but often it is not needed since most of the women have very naturally nice bodies.
Furthermore, women here also tend to be some of the easiest in the country to sleep with along with women from Pereira or Manizales.
When it comes to finding a traditional woman of conservative values and who can be faithful, it will be more difficult to do so in Cali. Outside of Cali and in the rest of this region, you can find more conservative and family focused women. This is true for almost anywhere in the world as you move from urban areas to less urban areas as values become more conservative usually like anywhere else.
The Tolimenses and Opitas
Colombians that are known as “tolimenses” are from Tolima. Also, Colombians specifically from Huila are also called opitas.
Now there are a lot of similarities between the two areas but also some slight differences.
First, the similarities. In both areas, women tend to be of mixed ancestry between European and indigenous with a lot more European ancestry overall. You have some people here with a lot more indigenous ancestry but it’s not very much.
Overall, this part of Colombia is much more conservative generally speaking and much more family focused. It isn’t well touched by tourism when compared to places like Bogota or Medellin.
In short, if you had to find a more faithful and traditional woman in Colombia, this is one of the golden gems of the country for that purpose. But here’s one minor difference – women from Tolima in my experience are a little bit easier to sleep with and a little more casual than women from Huila.
But you can find easy enough a good girl to settle down with in either part of the country. And the women here are quite attractive overall.
The Serranos and Pastusos
The Colombians that are known as “serranos” are from the Colombian department of Nariño that borders Ecuador. People from Nariño are also often called pastuso but the term pastuso is more appropriate more broadly speaking for people from an area called “Nudo de los Pastos.” This would then include people from the city and province of Pasto and some of the areas nearby that speak a similar Spanish, including the Colombian department of Putumayo and the south of Cauca.
So as you see her, the two terms apply to very similar groups of people but there are slight differences. From what I understand as a foreigner, for example, you wouldn’t call someone from Putumayo a “Serrano.” But someone from the department of Nariño could be referred to as a pastuso or a serrano. So there are subtle differences here.
Anyway, in this part of Colombia, you are going to see a lot more cultural influence from Ecuador than you would in the rest of the country. Similar to how you see quite a bit of Spanish Caribbean culture on the Caribbean Coast and some Venezuelan influence in places like Cúcuta. That’s just an example of how geography influences the cultures of these places.
Now women in this part of Colombia are also quite conservative – arguably some of the more conservative ones you will find here in Colombia. From personal experience, I would argue that women from either Nariño or the Amazonian region are some of the most conservative ones you will find in Colombia.
Demographically, the women here in Nariño are mostly of European or mixed origin and there’s a decent amount of people of African or indigenous ancestry also. When talking about pastusos in Putumayo, it’s a similar demographic with people of mostly European or mixed origin. And you also got a decent amount of people of indigenous or some African origin there also.
Additionally, the women here are not as attractive physically than in other parts of the country like Tolima, the Eje Cafetero, the Caribbean Coast, etc.
But when comparing Nariño to Putumayo, I’d say that women are more attractive in Nariño but there are only subtle differences between the two.
Finally, there is the stereotype that pastusos are dumb. You might hear this when you go here. In my experience, women here are not dumb or any less intelligent than women elsewhere in Colombia. From what I understand as a foreigner, I believe this stereotype mostly comes from the accent that is associated with pastusos and how they talk. I don’t find them any harder to understand then Colombians in Barranquilla for example. But regardless, this is something you might come across.
Still, if you ever go here, I’d recommend Pasto as the main place to find a good woman. There are cute women there without doubt. You also have cities like Ipiales.
The Cachacos and the Rolos
Very commonly, Colombians that are born in the Colombian capital of Bogota are called rolos or cachacos.
However, those two words are actually technically different. So let’s explain that first before talking about the women that are from Bogota in general.
First, rolo means someone that is from Bogota. Now technically speaking, someone who is a “cachaco” is someone that is simply well-dressed, friendly, gracious, etc. However, in practice, both words technically refer to someone from Bogota. But there is a different technically between the two words.
Having said all of that, there are also people out there that claim the difference between a rolo and a cachaco is that a rolo might have been born in Bogota but their parents were not. In this case, a cachaco would be someone that was born in Bogota, including their parents also.
Regardless, both words indicate that the person is from Bogota anyway. So what is a typical woman from Bogota like?
Demographically, they tend to be much whiter than most of the country from what I have seen. They are more cosmopolitan, colder and not as personal or warm with others, etc. They also tend to be more focused on their studies and career in general.
Now they are also a bit easier to sleep with in general but not the easiest in the country when compared to Cali, Pereira, etc. On top of that, infidelity is a mixed bag here. There is plenty of infidelity in this city but there’s also enough women out here that do not cheat. I feel confident that you could find someone faithful enough in this city. But overall they tend to be less traditional and feminine than women in other parts of Colombia.
Either way, the women in Bogota are not too bad but not the best in the country either. Depends on what you are looking for though of course.
The Cundiboyacenses or Boyacos
These are folks that you can find living in the interior of the country within the Altiplano Cundiboyacense. Geographically, this is a place within the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes. In Colombia, this would be within the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá.
Demographically, both Cundinamarca and Boyacá have heavier whiter looking Colombians with plenty of mestizos (people of mixed origin between European and indigenous ancestry). You have some people of African ancestry but not very much overall.
Now in Boyacá, you have more Venezuelan immigrants here overall (though not as much in other parts like Cúcuta). You won’t find as much Venezuelan women in Cundinamarca.
Culturally, both places tend to have similar. Though women in Cundinamarca are a little more liberal and easier to sleep with overall in my experience. Women in Boyacá tend to be a little more conservative.
But you could find easy enough a nice woman to settle down with in either Colombian department. It’s just that the women in Cundinamarca are a bit more similar to the women in Bogota. This makes sense given that the two are right next to each other.
But they are different since Bogota is much more urban and liberal overall.
The Pacificos and Chocoanos
These are two different terms that also overlap like other terms seen in this article. First, the term chocoano refers to Colombians from Chocó.
Now you also have pacificos. These are folks that are specifically from one of the Colombian departments that have coastal access to the Pacific Ocean. This includes Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Cauca y Nariño.
Now in this article, we have already covered women from Valle del Cauca, Cauca and Nariño. Out of those three areas, Valle del Cauca tends to have some of the easiest and also sexiest women. But it also has a lot more infidelity and harder to find a more traditional woman. If you go here, Cali would be the best city as said before.
Cauca would be the best choice for finding a beautiful and traditional woman. While it is easier to find one in either Cauca or Nariño, the women in Cauca are more beautiful and also Cauca is a nicer place to live in than Nariño in my opinion. So if you ever go to Cauca, I’d recommend going to Popayán. For Nariño, Pasto or Ipiales is best.
Now having covered all of that and explaining what pacificos are, let’s focus on Chocó and the women from there very briefly. We will compare women from Chocó to Valle del Cauca given some of the similarities I have seen.
Demographically, women here tend to be of more African ancestry with more women of indigenous ancestry than what you see in Valle del Cauca. You have a few white and mestizo women here also but not much.
Different to Valle del Cauca, women here are not going to be as unfaithful women usually. Relatively speaking, they are a bit more faithful than the women in Valle del Cauca.
Main reason being is that the hookup culture is not as strong as what you see in Valle del Cauca and this area is a little bit less urban in general. For example, Quibdó is the capital city but only has a little over 100,000 people living there. That’s quite small relatively speaking.
Overall, this place is a bit more conservative but I have heard plenty of stories of infidelity in this part of Colombia also. So the issue of infidelity is not perfect but much better than Valle del Cauca and overall more conservative.
Additionally, the women here are of similar appearance to Valle del Cauca so it really is the best department to compare it to. Similar to Valle del Cauca, the women here are also quite attractive and a little bit similar in appearance. The main difference is that the women in Valle del Cauca are just a little bit more attractive and dress better also.
Final Thoughts
Of course, this list doesn’t cover every single area of Colombia. After all, there are differences of course between some of the Colombian departments in the same area listed above. For example, I grouped all of “llaneros” together, including people from the Colombian departments of Vichada and Meta.
Even though there are large cultural similarities between the two, they are different in their own ways.
And of course, there are differences between individual towns or cities and also differences between individual people.
For example, Pereira and Medellin are both different in many ways despite the people in both cities being paisas technically.
Of course, this article also could have gone into even more detail on each area specifically. After all, the culture of each of these areas is quite fascinating in many ways and could be described in more than just a few paragraphs each.
But I wanted to keep this article as short as possible and to provide a basic introduction to the different main cultural regions of Colombia. There will be soon enough an article written on this website for each specific cultural region described here with much more detail offered.
Finally, some of the terms in this article tend to overlap when talking about people of certain areas in Colombia. And despite having lived here so far for more than 10 years, I am still a foreigner to Colombia given I was born in the US. So I won’t say I am an expert on all the specific terminology used here or all the areas mentioned
But I wrote down everything from the best of my knowledge and also with the help of some Colombian friends that live in certain areas like Chocó or Putumayo for example.
So take the information in this article lightly as merely a brief introduction to the main cultural regions of Colombia and keep an eye out for my more well-detailed articles on each of these regions
If a certain area happens to capture more of your interest, you might learn a thing or two and might even enjoy a part of Colombia with its culture and women that most foreigners don’t.
And if you have any insight or questions or your own, let me know in the comment section below or write me an email.
Thanks for reading and take care!
Hasta luego parceros,
Seth
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