Ibague, Colombia 🇨🇴 Gringo's Guide
Stunning mountain city with incredible hiking, low cost of living, and more
Off-the-beaten-path…
Hidden in the mountains of one of the most beautiful countries in the world, this stunning small to mid-sized city offers a lot.
From incredible hiking to a low-cost of living to hot + fertile latinas…oh, and don’t forget the damn near perfect weather year around.
Where is this Hidden Gem city in Latin America? Keep on reading to find out.
Ibague, Colombia
Population:
550K
Weather:
Ibague has great weather damn near year around.
Outside of a few months with just a little bit too much rain – April, May, and October – the weather here ranges from 65-85° degrees year around.
The city gets a good amount of sunshine and is really only hot in the afternoons.
Due to being up in the mountains, the air is fresh and not nearly as humid as you would expect.
I wouldn’t hesitate to book a month long stay here anytime of the year outside of the three months where it rains a bit too much.
Why Visit Ibague, Colombia?
I spent a month in Ibague, Colombia.
I wish I would have spent more time. Between the sexy Colombianas, the insane mountain views, picturesque hikes, and lack of other gringos around – I had a damn good time here.
Oh, and it’s cheap.
I had a two-bedroom Airbnb with a sick balcony view and a nice pool. Below the apartment was a Starbucks and across the street was a great steakhouse.
$450 USD a month.
This isn’t a city for everybody. It’s small, with only 550K people in the metro area.
However, Ibague stands out for a few reasons…
First, there’s no foreigners here.
My first week here I met a bro from California who was teaching English in the city. We started lifting together a few days a week and he broke things down for me about Ibague.
Basically said there were 42 foreigners living in the city in total, and I was #43 now.
So yeah…
The definition of a “hidden gem” if I do say so myself.
Second, it’s one of the cheapest spots I’ve found with decent quality of life.
You could live like a king in Ibague for $1,500-2,000 USD a month with ease. Nice, modern apartment, bottles at the club, eating out everyday, as many dates with Colombianas as you’d want.
Very cheap spot.
Third, the city is stunning – in a third-world shithole kind of way.
There’s modern infrastructure mixed in with shitty roads, cracked sidewalks, and breakfasts that only cost $1 USD.
The mountain views from many of the high-rise apartments in the city are world-class.
Plus, there’s some decent hiking to be found in and around the city. Not Patagonia-level views, but more than enough to keep you entertained.
I went on 4-5 hikes in and around Ibague during my month there and really enjoyed the nature.
Lastly…
The Colombianas are good looking in this city. They come from the same stock as all the other women in the “Coffee Zone” of Colombia.
Long black hair, good bodies, cute faces.
My English teacher buddy and I were pretty thrilled with our dating options while in the city.
Plus, you’re likely to be the only foreigner they’ve ever met. So the gringo card actually has some value here.
Not a place where you can go on a full-on Tinder/Bumble/IG spree and hit quota, but more than enough to feed the needy.
Lining up 2-4 dates a week here is doable.
How to Get to Ibague
Ibague being a small city in the middle of Colombia, obviously does not have any international flight options.
To get here, you’ll generally have to fly from Bogota or Medellin.
Bogota offers two flights per day to Ibague. Medellin has one flight per day. There’s also a flight or two from Cali each week.
You can also bus to Ibague. Doing that from the “Coffee Zone” is fine, but do NOT bus from Bogota or Medellin.
The buses take way too long, 5-8+ hours depending on traffic, and go through miserable mountain roads that make some people vomit.
Plus, flights are cheap and take less than an hour.
Best Neighborhoods
Being such a small city, there isn’t really a best “neighborhoods” plural. There’s one area or zone I’d recommend. And the center of the city isn’t anything special.
So where is it?
I’ve heard this referred to as the “Golden Mile of Ibague” online.
The area is home to numerous restaurants, bars, clubs, and three of the larger malls in the city. All within walking distance.
Basically, the Sonesta Hotel Ibague is the absolute “vortex zone” of the city. You’ll be walking distance to almost anything and everything you’ll need by staying close to here.
Where to Stay in Ibague?
The only area I recommend when staying in Ibague is the neighborhood or zone above.
Here are a few solid Airbnb options:
Here’s the best hotel option in the area:
I’d personally get a “Superior Room” at the Sonesta Hotel if I was planning to come to the city again.
Cost of Living
One of the cheapest “livable” cities in Colombia.
Here’s a full breakdown of costs in Ibague:
Airbnb Apartment in Best Area: $400-1,000 USD a month
Hotel in Best Area: $850-2,000 USD a month
Maid: $200-500
Grocery Store: $200-600
Eating Out / Delivery: $200-600
Gym: $20-50
BJJ / MMA: $25-50
Partying / Dating / Social: $200-600 USD
Cell Data: $15
It’s hard to fully illustrate how cheap it is here, but since apartment or hotel costs are usually travelers' highest expense each month.
This Airbnb apartment in an insane location is $500 bucks a month.
If you’re looking to bootstrap a business while living cheap in a pleasant place, but don’t love big cities…
Ibague could be ideal.
Is Ibague Safe?
Yes.
I found Ibague to be one of the safer cities in all of Colombia.
I never felt unsafe walking around during the day, nor in the evenings.
It’s still Colombia. So you have to be on alert when dudes on motorcycles roll by if your phone is out and scopolamine is ever present in the country.
However, I’d venture to say there’s less of a scopolamine risk in Ibague than almost any other city in Colombia – since there’s so few tourists here.
Overall, you can live a comfortable and peaceful life here without issue.
Third-world tales time…
One night around midnight, I was standing on my balcony enjoying the crisp mountain air before bed.
I heard tires screeching below and looked down. Five people hopped out of a taxi. Two couples and the driver.
The two men began swinging for the fences, one connected and knocked the one guy out cold.
Guy that got knocked out girlfriend then went to confront the other guy, in which he promptly swung on her and knocked her out too.
His girl was screaming at him, so he went and slapped the shit out of her. Open-handed like a gentleman.
She fell down and started crying.
The taxi driver was standing there in awe. The guy turned to him and before he could get his ass beat too, he threw all the group’s belongings out the car and sped off.
A split second later, there’s police sirens roaring and the one guy left standing takes off in a dead sprint down the street.
My jaw was on the floor…
So yeah, Ibague is safe, but you still gotta pay attention out here. This is still the third-world.
Dating in Ibague, Colombia
As always…
The easiest way to figure out if you like the looks of women in a city is to get on Instagram and search location tags.
Type in: Ibague
Go to places and then search “Top” and “Recent” pictures to get a good idea of what the girls in the city will look like.
If you like the look of the girls in the city, which in Ibague means a very traditional Colombian look: light latina skin, dark black hair, good bodies – then you will enjoy dating in the city.
The girls are friendly as hell, curious about foreigners, and a lot of fun.
Foreigner value here is very, very high.
As the city has a decent economy and university system, so many girls have no need to venture off to the bigger cities in Colombia for university and work. They all stay in Ibague.
The only issue with Ibague and dating is the size of the city. At just a bit over 500K people, this is not a major metropolis that makes anonymous dating easy.
If you’re a gringo coming into Ibague and smashing everything that walks, you may get a reputation or you may get “caught” by one of your girls out on dates with another girl.
Just a fact of life when dating in a city this small.
Luckily, we’re in Colombia, gents.
Which means while you think you’re being a savage, the local guys have significantly more “dog” in them than you could ever imagine. Aka they’ve already put these girls through the ringer. So most Colombianas here won’t fret too much if you’re playing the field while in town – unless you told them you’re exclusive and dropped a few “Te Amo” on them.
My recommendation here would be to go for quality once you’ve gotten established, as you can definitely get some higher-end girls here if you stay a month or two.
Nightlife in Ibague
I admittedly did not party much while I was in Ibague.
However, it’s not hard to figure out the best spots to party at in a smaller city such as Ibague.
The top recommendation would be:
Other decent spots in the city include:
As with any smaller city, these things change constantly. So it’s hard to give recommendations based on the past.
The best thing to do?
Start talking to girls online before arrival and ask them about the best clubs in the city. Young women between 18-26 will always know where the hotspots are, even if they don’t party much themselves.
Notes on nightlife in Colombia in general…
Most places play “crossover” music. Aka the play 50-70% reggaeton and the rest is salsa and merengue.
If you’re planning to party a lot, taking a few salsa dance lessons will pay off in a big way.
Lastly, a lot of Colombians go out in big groups and stay around their tables. This is even more so in smaller cities.
In places like Medellin or Cali, this can be problematic. As girls will be dancing around their table and there will be guys at the table too – paying for the bottles. Obviously, men paying for bottles don’t usually like other man coming in and talking to the girls they’ve taken out.
In Ibague, you have so much value as a foreigner that even the dudes might be curious why you’re there. So you have a better shot of mingling around the club and talking to girls at tables here than elsewhere in the country.
Better off to meet some bros at BJJ or MMA, see where they’re going out that weekend, invite yourself in a socially acceptable manner, and then pay for all the bottles.
Make frens everywhere go, ser.
BJJ / MMA in Ibague
I did not train while in the city, so this is simply research.
Malva BJJ seems to be the best place to train jiu jitsu in the city.
MMA options seem limited, but you could check out here: Casa Korea
Cool Tings’ to Do
While Ibague is a small city with very little tourism – domestic or international – there’s actually a bunch of cool stuff to do here in nature. Since it’s a mountain city and all.
Here’s a few:
Take in the Views: Ibague is located in a valley and surrounded by mountains on all sides. The city offers stunning views of the mountains. I've truly enjoyed relaxing with a coffee and just staring off at the views.
Juntas: If you're looking for things to do in Ibague, I'd recommend checking out Juntas. Here you can check out the Mirador, Canon Combeima, and hike around in stunning nature. You can take a bus to Juntas from Ibague for a dollar. Ask around how to find it.
La Rivera: This beautiful restaurant, Campestre hotel, and nature reserve is a two-hour hike from Juntas. You'll find a cable car, great food, a zoo, and great hiking here. Highly, highly recommended.
Hike the Botanical Gardens: If you want to stay in Ibague, then this is the best thing you can do. San Jorge is one of the better botanical gardens I've ever visited. The strenuous hike takes about two hours up, but offers fantastic views from the top. The garden is impeccably maintained.
La Martinica Hike: Another amazing hike in Ibague, La Martinica is just outside the city. It's a tough one, but you'll end up with a stunning view at the end. Highly recommended if you like hiking. Just make sure to go with a friend here and bring water.
Playa Hawai: If water parks are more your speed, there's a cool spot in Ibague called Playa Hawai. I'm no theme park guy, but many locals have raved about this place. If you're here for a month or two, it may be worthwhile to check it out.
Ibague is also one of the easiest ways to get to:
Nevado de Tolima
This is one of the most famous hikes in all of Colombia. I did not do this myself, but from my understanding:
You definitely need good hiking gear and potentially a guide.
Do You Need to Speak Spanish in Ibague?
Yes.
100% yes.
I would not recommend visiting here unless you can have conversations in Spanish for an hour or so without using translate.
English levels are not high here. Why? Because there’s absolutely no benefit to the majority of people in Ibague to speak English. Not much foreign tourism here,
Dating will be difficult here without some grasp of the language.
P.S: This is how to actually learn Spanish…
Recommended Length of Stay
1 week to 3 months.
One week is more than enough here to meet a couple girls, enjoy some nightlife, go on a few hikes, and generally have a damn good time.
If you’re really enjoying it, you could easily stay a month or two and dig deeper.
Most travelers will get bored here after three-months, as the city is just small and you’ll run out of things to do.
Other Notes…
Ibague, Colombia is known throughout Colombia as a city of “festivals”
As such, you may want to check the calendar if your stay will coincide with any big events or festivals.
If so…
You might be in luck. Tons of Colombianas from the coffee zone and Bogota often come to these festivals for a weekend of partying.
Ibague | Overall
This is one of my favorite small cities in all of Colombia, which would be one of my favorite countries in the Americas.
As such, I love the place.
Ibague is great for travelers looking to get off-the-beaten path, date some cute Colombianas, enjoy mountain views, go on some hikes, and relax.
Ibague is not great for dudes solely looking to make sex as much as humanly possible, as your Tinder and Bumble options will run out rapidly here.
Ibague is also great for dudes on a strict budget, looking for a place they can live a high quality of life for less than $1,500 USD a month.
