Getting to and away from Medellín

Transportation

By Richard McColl

Air

Medellin has two airports: Aeropuerto Olaya Herrera (Carrera 65 No 13-157; Tel: 574-285-9999) is located downtown and is the older of the two. This airport is equipped to receive only small aircraft and therefore is limited to internal flights. Flights to Choco are available from here.

Aeropuerto Jose Maria Cordova (Tel: 574-562-2828) located outside Medellin in the neighboring municipality of Rio Negro is the larger and therefore international hub. Journey time from downtown to here takes roughly 30 minutes or longer.

Bus

Medellín also has two bus terminals, the Terminal de Transportes Norte Mariano Ospina Perez and the Terminal de Transportes Sur. As you would imagine the North terminal is located at the North end of town – connected to the Caribe metro station – and the south terminal is close to the Olaya Herrera Airport.

Terminal de Transportes Norte Mariano Ospina Perez –

Buses to and from Bogotá and the North Coast and surrounding towns.

For Santa Fe de Antioquia – Gomez Hernandez and Sotrauraba run buses every hour working on alternate days costing $4-4.50 and lasting an hour and a half.

Coonorte runs buses to Puerto Berrio at 4.15 p.m. and 11.30pm for $10.50

Cootransmagdalena does the same route – and with connections to El Banco and Magangue (if going to Mompox) leaving at 12 midday for $10.

Rapido Tolima – 12 daily buses to Bogotá for $20, 8-9 hours.

Expreso Arauca – 9 daily buses to Bogotá for $25.

Fronteras – To Cartagena at 9.15pm, 12 hours, $48.

Brasilia – Six daily to Cartagena for $45 and 2 daily to Bogotá leaving at 8:45 p.m. and 10 p.m. for $25.