Glamping in Colombia

The area around a city doesn't respect department borders. From Bogotá, the nearby options reach as far as Villavicencio, already in the Meta. From Ibagué, a good share of what's within reach is actually in the Eje Cafetero, in Pereira, Salento or Filandia. Pereira and Manizales share almost the same list, with Villamaría and Santa Rosa de Cabal in between. Bucaramanga adds Chinácota, in Norte de Santander, to its options in Barichara and San Gil. That's why it's worth looking at two pages: the one for your department and the one for the area around your city. Sometimes the closest place is on the other side of the line.

Each region has its typical accommodation. On the high plateau of Cundinamarca and Boyacá, domes rule, led by Guatavita and Duitama. Cabins are the most widely spread format and show up in Santa Marta just as much as in Medellín or Villavicencio. Ecolodges cluster around Santa Marta, in Nuquí and Bahía Solano on the Pacific, and in Salento. Safari tents are strong in Barichara and in Villavieja, in northern Huila. Malocas almost only exist in the Amazon, in Leticia and its corregimiento of Macedonia. And treehouses are split between Villa de Leyva and the Llanos foothills.

To see the range across the country, compare these places based on what each one publishes:

• Kingdome Glamping is a dome in Guatavita, Cundinamarca, with a fireplace, jacuzzi and lake.
• In Bahía Solano, on the Pacific coast of Chocó, Ecolodge El Almejal offers cabins with beach, river and pool, and accepts pets.
• Nativo Glamping sets up safari tents in Barichara, Santander, with a jacuzzi and fireplace.
• Glamping Stars, in Yumbo, Valle del Cauca, goes for the bubble with a jacuzzi and a view.

Same concept, four climates and four ways to sleep. It's worth deciding on the landscape first and the accommodation second.

Cundinamarca is the department with the most glampings, followed by Antioquia and Boyacá. Santander and the Valle del Cauca complete the top group. Next come the three coffee-region departments, Caldas, Quindío and Risaralda, and then Tolima, Meta and Huila, all with broad supply. Magdalena, with Santa Marta and its corregimiento of Minca, leads on the coast. Norte de Santander, Amazonas, La Guajira, Nariño and Casanare have a mid-sized selection. In Bolívar, Atlántico, Sucre, Córdoba and San Andrés the list is short. In Arauca, Guaviare and Vichada the format is only just starting to appear.

glampings.co doesn't publish a ranking or hand out stars. What it does let you do is filter using data you can check yourself:

• RNT: 973 of the 1,580 show their Registro Nacional de Turismo number. Ask for it and verify it before sending a deposit.
• Direct WhatsApp: 1,227 have a number on the listing, so you talk to the person who will host you and not to a middleman.
• Type: a dome, a cabin, a safari tent or a bubble change the privacy, the bathroom and how the night feels.
• Distance: the pages for the area around each city measure in a straight line from the center. Compare kilometers, then ask about the condition of the road.

With those four filters, a long list turns into a list of five or six places that really fit your trip.