I’m Joey, a guy from Louisville, Kentucky that packed up and studied abroad in Panama at the age of 20 and haven’t moved back since. What started as a semester trip to Panama has turned into 7+ years of living in the Isthmus exploring nearby Latin American destinations, and one of my favorite destinations is Bogotá, Colombia.
Bogotá isn’t a city most people click with when they visit Colombia, as Cartagena and Medellín tend to be the favorites (I’ll admit that I didn’t love it after my first visit). It’s often described as a harsh city, and it seems that way at first glance. It can feel cold, gritty, and overwhelming with a population of over 8 million people! However, Bogotá is a city with secrets to be discovered.
Bogotá offers an innovative food scene and they even have an entire neighborhood dedicated just to eating (Zona G or Gastronomic Zone). The nightlife varies from hipster speakeasies to rooftop bars, salsa clubs, live concerts, or underground electronic music where you’ll party into the wee hours of the morning. You’ll also find plenty of amazing specialty coffee shops brewing the best of Colombian coffee, boutiques with unique pieces from Colombian designers, flea markets, city parks that are perfect for picnics, and a climate similar to San Francisco if you like chilly weather. Yes all of these things are in Bogotá!
This is a city that you have to experience the right way to appreciate it and it’s why I started this website. The name Bogotivo is a combination of the words Bogotá and the Spanish word Nativo (native) because I want visitors to feel like a native when they visit Bogotá and for locals to discover new things to love about their own city.
If you have any questions about Bogotá, would like to feature your business on the website, or just want to say hello, feel free to contact me at hola@bogotivo.com. You can also follow me on Instagram at @joeybonura. If you happen to be visiting Panama, be sure to check out my other website pty.life.
