What makes Bogota a great study destination?
Monday, 7th September 2009
Bogota is located up in the Andes in the centre of Colombia, which is nestled in the north west corner of South America.
It is the capital city, home to over seven million people, and has more universities, colleges and schools than anywhere else in Colombia.
Attractions
There is no shortage of things to do and places to visit in Bogota, including many museums, art galleries, libraries, theatres and parks. One place not to miss is the Colombian National Museum (Museo Nacional de Colombia), which established in 1823 and is one of the oldest museums in the Americas. It is located in a former prison and houses a huge collection of exhibits from all periods of Colombia’s history, some of which date back to 10,000 BC.
The historic quarter of La Candelaria is a good place to explore with some fine Spanish colonial architecture, museums, churches and plenty of cafés from which you can watch the world go by.
Events
Every year in June or November there is a free open air rock music festival, the Rock al Parque, in Simon Bolivar Park which attracts more than sixty bands and hundreds of thousands of fans from all over the world. This festival is so popular and successful that similar festivals for salsa, ballet, opera and jazz have also been set up.
Climate
The climate is quite variable with cool or mild days, cold nights, and regular rain showers. The wettest months are October and April, and the driest are December to March, and also July and August, when it tends to be dry and windy. At 2600m, Bogota is one of the highest capital cities in South America, and it might take you a few days to get used to the altitude, so it’s best to take it easy at first.
Getting there
There are regular flights to Bogota from cities in Europe, South and North America. The main airport is called El Dorado, named after the legendary city of gold much sought after by European explorers after the Spanish started arriving in South America in the 16th century.
Courses
The Spanish language schools in Bogota offer general and intensive Spanish courses, as well as individual lessons and specialist courses in Spanish for business and other professions. Or, if you want to combine your studies with other activities, you could do courses in Spanish and dance, scuba diving, windsurfing and other water sports.
Tags: bogota, history, language, course, colombia, spanish
Posted by Simon Ager 2009-09 under Experience Cultures, Planning for a course,
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