🛫 Terminal 1 (International + Most Domestic)

Airlines: Avianca (the dominant carrier — left Star Alliance in 2024, now independent), Latam, Copa, American, Delta, United, JetBlue, Iberia, Air Canada, KLM, Air France, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, plus Colombian domestic carriers (EasyFly, Wingo, Satena).

Concourses: South-International + South-Domestic + North-Domestic. Avianca Lounges and the new Diamond VIP all in T1.

🛩️ Terminal 2 (Puente Aéreo / Avianca Shuttle)

Airlines: Avianca only — domestic shuttle flights to Cali, Medellín, Cartagena. High-frequency, business-traveller focused.

Note: If your Avianca domestic boarding pass says “Puente Aéreo,” you go to T2, not T1. Free shuttle bus runs every 15 min between T1 and T2 (~5 min ride).

Visa: Most EU/UK/US Visa-Free 90 Days

EU, UK, US, Canada, Japan, Korea, Australia, NZ — visa-free entry for tourist stays up to 90 days, extendable in-country to 180. Other nationalities (notably some Asian and African) need an advance visa from a Colombian embassy.

Currency Declaration & COP Notes

Declare amounts over $10,000 USD equivalent on arrival/departure. Colombian Pesos (COP) trade at ~3,800–4,200 COP per USD in 2026. The 50,000 and 100,000 COP notes are common; small change is harder. ATMs at BOG arrivals are reliable.

Customs Reality

Drone declaration required. Coca leaves & tea legal in Colombia, illegal across borders — don’t carry. Cigarettes 200, alcohol 2L. Outbound: save your initial COP exchange receipt for currency conversion math at customs (rare but happens).

⭐ TransMilenio K86 — The 3,200 COP Default

The TransMilenio K86 bus stops directly at T1 (Floor 1, Door 2) and runs to Calle 26 / Centro Internacional. Tullave card required (~7,000 COP for the card itself + journey fare ~3,200 COP). Buy Tullave at any TransMilenio station kiosk. Journey ~45 minutes to centre depending on traffic.

🚕 Official Yellow Taxi (Inside Arrivals)

Use the official taxi rank inside the arrivals hall — pay at the counter, receive a ticket with the driver name and vehicle plate, board outside. Government-fixed rates by zone, no surge. Don’t accept “greeter” offers at the kerbside — those are unlicensed.

📱 Beat, DiDi & Cabify Rideshare

Beat is the dominant rideshare app in Colombia (Latin American app); DiDi (Chinese-Mexican) and Cabify (Spanish) are alternatives. Uber suspended in Colombia 2020 due to regulatory issues, returned 2022 with limited service. Beat is most reliable. Pickup at the rideshare zone, signposted from arrivals.

✨ NEW Avianca Diamond International VIP (T1 International, opened April 2026)

If you eat once at BOG, eat the arepa de huevo (corn-flour disc with a fried egg inside) at Crepes & Waffles in T1 — ~12,000–18,000 COP. Bandeja paisa (the Antioquia mountain plate of beans, rice, plantain, chorizo, fried egg, avocado) at El Corral for 25,000–35,000 COP. Skip the airport McDonald’s — Colombian mountain food is genuinely distinctive.

Colombia is the world’s third-largest coffee producer. Juan Valdez Café (the official Colombian coffee chain) at T1 serves a credible tinto (small black coffee) at 4,000–6,000 COP. Buy whole-bean Colombian Supremo coffee at the duty-free — 35,000–60,000 COP per kg, vs $25+ per pound in Western supermarkets. Take 2 kg home; it travels well.

Take-home picks: Colombian coffee (Juan Valdez, Caturra, La Palma at duty-free), Colombian chocolate (Casa Luker, Santander), emeralds (Colombia is the world’s largest emerald producer — but verify authenticity certificate at airport jewellers; emerald scams exist), aguardiente (anise-flavoured Colombian liqueur, ~$10–15 per bottle airside). Avoid airport-priced coca leaves or coca tea — illegal at most departure customs even though sold openly inside Colombia.

Bogotá sits at 2,640 metres / 8,660 feet above sea level. About 1 in 4 visitors gets soroche (altitude sickness) — headache, nausea, shortness of breath in the first 24 hours. Drink water aggressively, avoid heavy meals and alcohol the first day, and drink coca-leaf tea at hotels (legal in Colombia, traditional remedy). Skip strenuous activity for 24–48 hours. By day 3 most people acclimatise.

Bogotá municipal water is treated to high standards and is widely considered safe to drink — drinkable at hotels, restaurants and the airport. Outside Bogotá (Cartagena, coastal Colombia) tap water is NOT recommended. At BOG, free refill stations exist at most airside restrooms; bottled water at kiosks runs 5,000–8,000 COP for 500 ml.

Bogotá is in the Andes — two rainy peaks per year: October–November and March–April. Both bring afternoon thunderstorms that can briefly delay flights. The dry seasons (Dec–Feb and June–Aug) are the most reliable. Temperature year-round is 14–20°C — Bogotá is mild, not tropical.

Claro, Movistar, and Tigo sell tourist SIMs at arrivals kiosks. ~25,000–50,000 COP for a 30-day plan with 10 GB. Show passport at activation. EU roaming via your home plan does NOT cover Colombia. Buy local SIM or eSIM via Airalo / Holafly. 5G coverage is widespread across Bogotá.

Bogotá is generally safe in tourist zones (Candelaria, Chapinero, Usaquén, Zona G/T) but requires more situational awareness than Lima or Buenos Aires. Don’t flag kerbside taxis — use the official airport rank or Beat / DiDi rideshare. Hotels offer 24-hour reception. For arrivals after 22:00, Beat or yellow taxi from inside the arrivals hall, never a kerbside cab.

Colombia’s IVA (sales tax) is 19% — included in restaurant menu prices but added to most retail and airport-shop receipts. Tipping: 10% service charge often added to restaurant bills (look for “propina”); otherwise 10% is the norm. Lyft/Beat/Uber tips optional. Skycap/baggage handlers expect 5,000–10,000 COP per bag.

Coca leaves and coca-leaf tea (mate de coca) are legal and traditional in Colombia — useful for altitude. BUT illegal in most departure countries (US, UK, EU all classify as controlled substances). Don’t carry coca leaves or tea in your carry-on or checked baggage when leaving Colombia. Consume locally only.