Colombia

John Peartree

"Whatever type of vacation you seek - Colombia can provide it," says Jorge Serna, general manager of The Hilton at Cartagena, on the Caribbean coast. Colombia has both a long Pacific coastline and many tranquil Caribbean beaches and resorts including a clutch of delightful islands.

The capital Bogota is well-developed with fine hotels. But much potential remains undeveloped: SCUBA diving is only just beginning on the Caribbean coast and whilst the Pacific side must offer wonderful opportunities for water sports, such as windsurfing, no one seems to have looked!

However, jungle trips by canoe on the Amazon are well organised, based on Leticia in the extreme southeast-and serviced by direct flights from the Bogota. Granturismo Ltda., one of the more imaginative tour operators, has also put together a package involving four wheel drive vehicles and mules to visit the "Ciudad Perdida" (Lost City), an ancient Tayrona Indian town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, Colombia's highest mountain.