Valledupar, Colombia 🇨🇴 Gringo's Guide
The Atlantic Coast's "best" destination in Colombia? You be the judge...
When people talk about the Colombian coast, they always mention Cartagena first and foremost.
After that, you will hear about Santa Marta, Barranquilla, or maybe even Palomino way up in La Guajira.
In my mind, this is shameful.
This part of Colombia has a lot of interesting and beautiful places to explore.
And, of these, my absolute favorite is the, not well-known to most foreigners, city of — Valledupar, Colombia 🇨🇴
Valledupar, Colombia 🇨🇴
The city of Valledupar is the capital of the department of César. It's not actually on the coast, although it's considered to be part of the coastal region — the culture is similar all throughout those parts.
Valledupar's main claim to fame is that it is the cradle of Vallenato music.
That's the accordion-heavy stuff you hear blaring from half of Colombia's speakers at any given time. Although, vallenato actually just started out with two guitars and vocals.
Pro-Tip: Mention old-school guitar-based vallenato with friends or on a date to impress the locals, as most Colombians don't even know anything about that subject.
Valledupar surprised me the moment I landed at the airport. It has a beautiful colonial city center, great restaurants and nightlife, and a unique location that makes it a very interesting place to hang out, explore, and, of course, meet new people.
Population:
The last census count has the population of the city at 559,462 people.
If you count the surrounding areas, there are 691,266 souls in total living there.
Nearly 700,000 people! That’s pretty big for a city NO gringos know about or go to.
Weather:
Valledupar is one of the hotter and more humid places you can live. It will always be between 70-104 °F // 21-40 °C in this place.
I'm posting the standard climate data here, but in my own experience, lately it's been significantly hotter than the chart shows:
Depending on the time of year, the humidity in Valledupar will usually be around 60-70 percent, or from 80 percent up — the highest humidity is usually in the middle of the year there.
Most people are going to want a place with AC to be able to sleep comfortably. Of course, your mileage may vary. People who like the climate in South Florida will fit right in here.
Valledupar also gets a fair bit of clouds and rain compared to the cities further up north like Cartagena and Barranquilla, although not nearly as much as, say Bogotá or Manizales, or Colombia's Pacific coast.
A typical day here is partly cloudy, which will help break up the constant sun, which, as anywhere else in Colombia, is very strong.
Why Visit Valledupar, Colombia?
There are plenty of great reasons to visit Valledupar:
The gorgeous city center
The Sierra Nevada mountains - right next door!
The great nightlife and dating scene
The Festival de Vallenato, if in season
The amazing people
The place is very underrated overall — but there’s reasons many gringos don’t go here.
For one, it’s pretty difficult to get to. Plus, it’s super hot and very rainy.
Getting to Valledupar 🇨🇴
Unless you are really resource-strapped at the time, you will almost certainly want to fly all the way into Valledupar.
The exception is if you are already somewhere on the Atlantic coast of Colombia, in which case going by land is fine.
Connecting flights are not great, and the airport only receives flights from Medellin, Bogotá or Barranquilla — but saving the long transit times by road from Bogotá or Medellín is more than worth it.
Learn more about flights here.
Going by land, you can leave after lunch from Cartagena, for example, and still catch a decent late dinner in Valledupar unless traffic is unusually horrible.
From the rest of the coast, it's even quicker. The roads aren't stellar, but they are decent, and it's one of few areas of Colombia that isn't landslide-prone — so that's a definite plus!
Best neighborhoods in Valledupar, Colombia 🇨🇴
In my way of seeing things, the best of the upscale neighborhoods to stay in in Valledupar is:
Barrio Villalba
As the map shows, it's located in the north end of the city, right off the main drag called: Carrera 19.
It's also home to the Guatapurí Mall, which is, in my opinion, the nicest mall in town.
Maybe the only thing negative about Villalba is that it is located on the very edge of the city. This is advantageous for going out to the countryside to hang out, but it increases travel times to the rest of the city, compared to somewhere more centrally located.
You can also check out the following neighborhoods if, for whatever reason, you feel Villabla is not your style:
Lobalito
Cañaguate
Los Cortijos
Club House
Casablanca
Club House would be specially ideal for someone who values peace and quiet. Los Cortijos is good for someone who wants to be closer to the center of the city.
Staying right in the historical center is also a decent option, for those people who really like that colonial architecture. It will also be cheaper than the above-mentioned places.
The only issue is that it, like Villalba, is kind of out of the way from the rest of the city. Also, it's not a very active place at night.
Bad Neighborhoods in Valledupar 🇨🇴
These neighborhoods are generally to be avoided by most travelers, except for maybe the biggest thrill-seekers reading this:
La Nevada
Divino Niño
Manantial
El Pescadito
Zapatumano
As usual, if a girl or a new friend invites you here, it will probably be fine to go, especially during the day.
Also as usual, these neighborhoods offer nothing to you otherwise, so there's no reason to just go there and explore in the first place. Unlike places like Bogotá or Medellín, all the interesting stuff in Valledupar happens in the nicer areas.
Places to Stay in Valledupar 🇨🇴
Airbnb in Valledupar is a great option.
There's always a lot on offering and, with monthly discounts, these can be a great deal!
Just look…
Many of the above options are for bigger units, for those of you who like lots of living space.
There really is no reason to pay more than $1,000 USD a month on an Airbnb in Valledupar.
This option is great for anybody who is on a budget, or just doesn't want to spend a lot on accommodations.
Or, this one is located spitting distance from Villalba, and still clocks in at under $700 a month.
As far as hotels go…
The one I can recommend best is the Sonesta
It’s located right across from the mall in Villalba. This place, besides its prime location, offers all the amenities expected with the good international hotel chains. There is a good on-site restaurant, a beautiful outdoor pool, and the breakfast buffet is good enough for locals to pay to eat there on the weekends — although it's included with your stay.
Another option which is almost as good at under half the price is Casa Lourdes
It’s just a few blocks away from the Sonesta. This place will run you around $750USD or so per month's stay. You will be missing the pool and the breakfast with this place, though. However, there is a jacuzzi.
Typical Cost of Living in Valledupar, Colombia
This is a pretty cheap city.
You could easily live a great life here for a few months — for under $1,000 USD a month.
On the upper-end, $3,000 USD has you living like an absolute king here.
Here’s a cost breakdown:
Airbnb Apartment in Best Area: $300-1,000
Hotel in Best Area: $750-1,500
Maid: $150-450
Grocery Store: $150-300
Eating Out / Delivery: $150-500
Gym: $20
BJJ / MMA: $20-30
Partying / Dating / Social: $100-400
Cell Data: $15
As you can see, you could get by for very cheap here — especially if you find an Airbnb and negotiate a longer stay price.
How Safe is Valledupar?
This is always a loaded question…
But here are some key takeaways on the subject of safety in Valledupar:
In my opinion, Valledupar is about average for safety, when you look at all of Latin America. This means that all standard precautions are in order.
Unscrupulous girls have been known to work the bars and clubs by spotting drunk guys and picking their pockets. Be especially mindful of this always when going out. I highly recommend having at least one local come with you to go out and party.
The locals tell me that Valledupar used to be a very safe place, but it has gotten worse lately. However, everybody in Colombia from everywhere in the country has been saying that for decades now, so take that with a grain of salt.
Overall, Valledupar is safe enough for a gringo who speaks some Spanish to live safely for a few months — without many worries.
Just don’t flash cash and cause a scene.
If you can spend time in Bogota or Medellin without issues, you should be fine here.
Plus, there’s less “devil’s breath” here than other spots.
P.S: This is HOW you stay safe in LatAm!
Dating in Valledupar 🇨🇴
Valledupar is completely off the map for non-Colombians, much less non-Spanish speakers.
This is good news for you, dear adventurous reader!
This means the novelty factor will work heavily in your favor here.
In fact, as long as your Spanish is decent and you start making local friends, you will probably have people trying to matchmake for you without even asking!
Women in the coastal region of Colombia are usually famous for being "rogadas" — aka hard-to-get — but I'm happy to report that Valledupar is the one exception to the rule.
People here, especially the female populace, are warm and friendly, and generally not hard to get to know and/or date.
A word of caution is in order here:
Valledupar is at the edge of many different indigenous areas. And, furthermore, you will find many of the most approachable girls to be from one of these cultures, heck, they may even approach you!
Please remember: the cultures these girls come from often have very different mentalities and values than those you may expect!
A lot of the mainstream "costeños" would absolutely refuse to date an indigenous girl.
I wouldn't go that far. I believe people should be judged as individuals, not as part of some group identity. However, it's worth mentioning, as more than one gringo — and even more than one Colombian — have gotten into bad situations due to some cultural misunderstanding with one of these girls.
As always, when in doubt, there is always the option of walking away. Your next date is probably a day or less away, anyways!
Overall…
A Spanish-speaking gringo will have plenty of options here!
Nightlife in Valledupar, Colombia
One excellent aspect of hanging out in Valledupar is definitely its nightlife.
This is especially true for those of us who are trying to avoid the "tourist trap" bars.
Since, for 50+ weeks out of the year, there are very few tourists here, all the places are cool, have good vibes, and are unpretentious. Local flavor is the name of the game here.
There are a few dozen spots to hang out in Valledupar, but I'm going to especially recommend two of them here.
My first big recommend for hanging out in Valledupar is:
JRR
This place is eclectic and interesting as they come, and it's a magnet for the city's high society.
The place actually started out as a liquor store in Medellín, but has since expanded to various cities. However, Valledupar is where it has caught on the most and has become the spot to see and be seen. Colombian music industry royalty can often be found hanging out here.
Palenke Cultura Bar
This is another great option for a night out. This place is famous for its top-notch live music scene. While, of course, it's heavily focused on vallenato, all styles of music come through here.
BJJ / MMA in Valledupar
While being a smaller city in Colombia, you can train here…
O'Tengu MMA club to me is the only serious option for MMA training in Valledupar.
They offer integrated training systems in boxing, BJJ, Muay Thai and Olympic wrestling, combined with flexibility routines, calisthenics and functional training.
They are affiliated with the international MMA Federation, as well as a member of the Vendetta Muay Thai organization.
The monthly cost for this is $100,000 COP — or around $20 USD. The place is open during the week, and gives five classes per day, in the early morning or early evening hours. You have to reserve your spot in advance, though, as attendance is capped at 14 people per class.
Boxing and MMA are pretty big on the Colombian coast, so prepared to be challenged heavily when sparring!
Things to Do in Valledupar 🇨🇴
Here’s the ting’ with Valledupar…
This is NOT a tourist destination for a reason. There’s just not a ton of stuff to do around here.
However, there’s a bit of nature outside the city for you to enjoy…
Guatapurí River
If you stay in Villalba or near it, you will be very close to this popular river destination. In minutes you can be splashing in the waters of the Guatapurí River!
This river starts underground, so by the time it pops up in the Valledupar area, the water is still very cool, which makes it a perfect escape from a hot afternoon in town. Groups of cute single women have also been known to congregate here from time to time.
A word of caution:
The current of this river on most days is too strong to swim against, so don't try it. I did, like a fool, and wound up half a mile away from my friends and had to walk back!
Hiking
Valledupar is home to some truly world-class hiking.
This is due to its location at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. There are no shortage of trails to trek here. Heck, an adventurous expat or digital nomad could easily spend weeks exploring the surrounding area.
How Important is it to Speak Spanish in Valledupar?
It is absolutely essential to have decent Spanish if you are planning to spend any time in Valledupar.
Aside from the Vallenato Festival, this place isn't touristic at all. So the novelty factor foreigners have there comes at the price of very few people having any kind of English skills.
Therefore, it's best to go there fully armed with the best Spanish you can possibly have.
Pro-Tip: Keep in mind also, that people tend to pronounce their "s"'s as "h"'s here, or not pronounce them at all. The accent can throw some people off at first, especially if they aren't aware of this.
This is how to actually learn Spanish…
How Long Should You Stay in Valledupar?
There is a very simple answer to this question.
If you like the heat…
One week to one month.
If you don't like the heat…
Week, tops
The Vallenato Festival
This festival is definitely peak time in Valledupar for the year, and this year it's coming up quickly.
They have set the dates for April 26 through April 30 of 2023.
However, there's always approximately a week of celebrations and general craziness before the official start date.
The event consists of parades, historical plays and massive concerts. But my personal favorite is the accordion and vocal battles that take place.
There are a bunch of tournaments with different categories, and people pit themselves against each other one-on-one to advance to the next level and hopefully claim a prize. The main categories are: professionals, amateurs, and the juvenile category. There is also a song competition, where they decide on the best unpublished song of the year.
Also, each year they pick a historically important person in the world of vallenato music, and that becomes the theme of that year's Festival.
Crowds can be pretty intense at this festival, and prices go way up for just about everything while it's going on.
However, I highly recommend catching this event if you can. It's fun, and it's a great place to meet new people, make new friends, and exponentially increase your dating opportunities in Valledupar.
Valledupar, Colombia 🇨🇴 Overall
I will personally say this to you:
If you find yourself anywhere on the Colombian coast, you owe it to yourself to at least check out Valledupar as another option.
Personally, I think Valledupar has preserved a lot of the beauty of this region's culture which has been lost in many other places.
The above may sound overly philosophical to you, but remember, the fact that Valledupar hasn't turned into a tourist trap translates into more and better dating options for you, dear reader!
As usual, with Colombia, the more off the beaten path you go, the more you will be rewarded for it!
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