Colombia

Twice the size of France, Colombia boasts myriad natural attractions, from Amazon jungles to some of the last high-altitude glaciers left in the tropics and pristine beaches along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Visitors can see pre-Columbian archaeological ruins and still-vibrant indigenous cultures as well as great museums in Medellin and Bogota.
Best of all, for now there are precious few camera-clickers to share them all with, because the boom still has a ways to go before catching up with more traveled South American destinations. Colombia is the continent's second-most-populous country, after Brazil, but ranked seventh in the region's tourist arrivals in 2004, according to the World Tourism Organization.
"It's still well off the gringo trail," said Michael Kohn, author of a new Colombia guidebook for Lonely Planet due out in June. "The only people you have to share the swaying wax palms and sweaty salsa clubs with are a handful of hardy travelers and crowds of friendly Colombians."
The biggest tourist magnet is the 16th-century walled city of Cartagena, whose reputation for beach-combing, stunning colonial architecture and all-night partying has long made it one of the Caribbean's top destinations.
The city is luring back the attention of the international cruise lines, whose deep-pocketed passengers are the most coveted in the tourist trade. Since 2003, the number of cruise ship arrivals has jumped by 45 percent, to 45,000 last year, the city's tourist board said.
To make room for all the tourists, a record 45 new hotels were built in Colombia last year, many in Cartagena and nearby beach resorts, according to the country's hotel trade association. Generous tax breaks to promote the tourist trade were in part responsible for the building spree.
Colombians are rejoicing over the belated discovery of their country. When The New York Times in February ran an article singing the praises of Bogota, it was announced with fanfare on the front page of the city's main daily El Tiempo.
Getting too far off the beaten path still entails huge risks, however.
Even most Colombians won't visit the Sierra Macarena National Park or the jungle-fringed beaches along the Pacific Ocean, areas effectively controlled by leftist guerrillas battling soldiers sent in to eradicate their coca fields and clandestine drug labs.
And even Colombia's urban centers remain far from a casual traveler's paradise. The tourism infrastructure, particularly Bogota's international airport, lags behind other Latin American destinations. While homicides have dropped to their lowest level in two decades, many life insurance policies still won't cover travel to Colombia.
Frommer's and Fodor's, two venerable guidebook companies, have never published a Colombia guide, and neither has any plans to do so now.
"Travel decisions are based almost entirely on perception, and unfortunately in Colombia's case, some of those perceptions square up too dangerously with reality," said Laura Kidder, editorial director for Fodor's. "I wouldn't recommend the place for a family vacation just yet."

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