Valledupar Services

Tourism Office

You can pick up information from the Coordinadora de Turismo, Agustina Álvarez López, on the fourth floor of the Gobernación del Cesar (Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-noon, 3-5 p.m. Calle 16 and Carrera 13, Tel: 5-574-3860, Web: www.valledupar.gob.co). Maps of the city are very difficult to come by. For tourist card or visa extensions, the Extranjería office of DAS is where you have to go (Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-noon, 2-6 p.m. Carrera 11A 15-42, Tel: 5-574-2833). However, you will receive only 30 days more, effective from the day of renewal.

Money

Many of Valledupar’s banks have branches throughout the city. Below are just the principal locations of a few banks. Bancolombia—Carrera 9, near Calle 16—Changes American Express travelers cheques; ATM: MasterCard, Visa, Cirrus, American Express. Banco Popular—Calle 16 8-20—ATM: ATH, Visa, Plus, MasterCard, Cirrus. Banco de Bogotá—Calle 16 7-46—ATM: ATH, Visa, Plus, MasterCard, Cirrus. Most casas de cambio deal only in bank check cashing, but not travellers cheques. One exception is Cambios y Negocios, which exchanges cash dollars and bolívares fuertes (Monday-Saturday 8 a.m.-noon, 2-6 p.m. Calle 16 17-67). Giros y Finanzas is the Western Union agent (Diagonal 16 17-67, inside Supertiendas Olímpica).

Keeping in Touch

Edetel is your telecommunications stop: local and national calls, $0.10 per minute; international from $0.25 per minute; internet, $0.75 per hour (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-noon, 2-6 p.m. Saturday 9 a.m.-noon. Calle 15 10-17). Shops and phone stands charge $0.10-0.15 per minute for local or national calls. The going price for internet is $0.80 per hour; on Calle 16B, between Carreras 9 and 10, are a bevy of internet cafés charging as little as $0.50 per hour. It appears no-one has Skype. Adpostal is a half-block from the main plaza (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-noon, 2-6 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.-noon. Carrera 5 14-81.)

Medical

Valledupar’s public health facility is Hospital Eduardo Arredond Daza (Crrera 20 43-63, Tel: 5-582-6784). There are other medical facilities on Calle 16 between Carreras 15 and 18. Here and on Carrera 7 between Calles 16 and 17 are clusters of pharmacies, or droguerías.

Camera

On Calles 16 and 16A, between Carreras 7 and 8, are several camera shops that carry digital cameras and accessories, batteries and film. None can repair malfunctioning apparatus though.

Religion

Valledupar has a small Muslim community that meets to worship, but no mosque.