Hostels in VALLEDUPAR, COLOMBIA

Wandering through the Natural Scenic Regions of Valledupar, Columbia

Based in the north eastern part of Columbia, the city of Valledupar is one of the most important agro-industrial centres here. Also the capital of Cesar Department, Valledupar is surrounded by 4 major geographical bodies, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and Serrania del Perija mountain ranges along with Guatapurí and Cesar rivers. Though a municipality, the city has made decent progress post the armed conflict of Columbia. Downtown 9th Avenue’s view here is spectacular in terms of green and white (buildings) while the city offers a nice backdrop for nature based photography.

History
Like many South American cities, Valledupar (earlier called as Valle Dupar) was founded in the 15th century by Hernando de Santana (a Spanish conquistador). The meaning of Valledupar refers to valley of Upar. The city gets its name in the honour of Amerindian cacique, Cacique Upar who once ruled this valley.

Accommodation Options
Local visitors hop to this city more as compared to visitors from other provinces in Columbia and foreign tourists. Like many other cities, Valledupar also offers a variety of accommodation options from youth hostel facilities to budget hotels. Guesthouse facility via ecotourism is gaining momentum while bread and baskets also find a lot of takers during the music festival.

Popular Places
The popular Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park is just close-by while there are some fascinating geographical bodies which act as a platform for small excursions ( popular with locals as well as foreign tourists). Arts, crafts, cuisine and ecotourism form the pillar of the hospitality sector here, so their centres are popular and get mentioned in the things-to-do list in Valledupar.

Getting Around
Valledupar's average temperature is about 28 °C with a variety of environments, so travelers need to plan their stay (in the context of travelling). A local guide is helpful which also makes the sightseeing offered by the city easily enjoyable. Taxis and auto rickshaws (called mototaxismo by the locals) are preferred by a large chunk of population. Some national and charter flights are operated via the Alfonso Lopez Airport here. The months of May and October receive the maximum rainfall, so travelling becomes a bit inconvenient.

Places of Entertainment
Valledupar is synonymous with the popular vallenato music which in turn stands for the fascinating culture of Columbia. The Vallenato Legend Festival is held with the theme of music and offers great entertainment in the month of April with music, contests and a lot of fun for lovers of songs and lyrics. The city has many small pubs and bars frequented by tourists.

Languages Used
Spanish is used by one and all but staff at many leading hotels does understand broken English and some Portuguese.

Currency
The Colombian Peso is used extensively but some hotels do accept dollars and pounds, but this is not recommended. News papers, agents and banks offer the most precise news and related information about currency conversion rates.